Plasma Bass is a bass-shaped touch sensitive MIDI controller.
Plasma Bass uses a two joysticks and 12 touch sensors so that you can play it like a bass, without needing it to sound like one. Just tap on one of the 12 touch sensitive frets and push up or down or the trigger bar to play a note. With its plasma-cut metal pick guard and laser-cut wooden body, Plasma Bass feels like a real bass, acts like a real bass, and even sustains notes like a real bass. Need more than 12 notes? No problem! Just push down the top or bottom of the trigger bar until you feel a click, and this will tell Plasma Bass to go up or down an octave, respectively.
Plasma Bass is the MIDI controller you need, but never knew you wanted.
I created Plasma Bass because like many broke college music producers, I can't afford a bass, but love the feel of playing one. I also wanted to create my very own MIDI controller for the first time, since MIDI controllers are one of my hidden passions. I had a lot of fun building it, and I hope that is evident in the final product!
The image on the left is my first working prototype, simply using buttons, an Arduino, and a breadboard. The center image is my first design prototype, and the image on the right is the 3D model of the final product I designed in Fusion360.
The far left image was taken after I had laser-cut the body of the bass and glued it together. The center image was taken during the wiring phase of the project, when I had to wire up 12 different touch sensors and two joysticks. I had to fit 40+ wires into a small space, and it was probably the biggest challenge I had to face with this project. The last picture was taken after I had plasma-cut the pick guard, stuffed all the wires into the bass, and installed the joysticks.
Finally, here's a fun video demonstrating the functionality and purpose of Plasma Bass!
