HandPan

Open-source MIDI/OSC controller for live 3D spatial audio — built on Bela.

(c) Noah Rachdi, 2024–2025. Master's thesis: Intuitive 3D Audio Live Spatialization (KUG / FH JOANNEUM).

Overview

HandPan is a tactile geodesic-dome controller that maps hand pressure to azimuth/elevation OSC messages (for IEM Plugin Suite / Ambisonics in Reaper) and MIDI notes from 20 triangle regions.

• 16 FSR sensors → spherical coordinates + triangle detection
• 6 modes (rotary switch) → separate MIDI channels & OSC ports
• 5 potentiometers → velocity, travel time, delay, reverb, width
• USB MIDI + OSC over USB/Ethernet

Repository Structure

Path	Contents
src/	Bela C++ firmware
pcb/	KiCad capelet design
designs/	3D-print & laser-cut files (coming soon)
scripts/	Deploy/build helpers for Windows
PROJECT.md	Project context & session log — read this for dev setup

Quick Start (Development)

1. Connect Bela via USB
2. Verify: ssh root@bela.local
3. Edit code in src/
4. Deploy & build:

.\scripts\deploy.ps1 -Build -Run

See PROJECT.md for full hardware/software documentation, config reference, and workflow details.

Configuration

Edit without recompiling:

• src/config — OSC IP/port, thresholds, mode types, MIDI CC mapping
• src/midinotes — MIDI note numbers per triangle or vertex

Licenses

• Code: MIT License (LICENSE — to be added)
• Design files: CC-BY-4.0 (LICENSE_DESIGNS — to be added)
• Bela platform: LGPL — BelaPlatform/Bela

Links

• Thesis PDF: HandPan_NoahRachdi_lq.pdf
• IEM Plugin Suite
• Bela