Stribe1: Touchstrip + LED Bargraph Display from CuriousInventor on Vimeo.

The Stribe, created by DIYer Josh Boughey, was always an interesting concept. It combines a set of touch sensors with strips of LEDs for visual feedback. But partly because of the nature of the problem, and partly because of how it was designed, the original Stribe was something of a beast, both in size and underlying hardware complexity (meaning, too, cost).

I see via the rapid-fire feed at Synthtopia that Josh has revised that design to a set of just two columns of (stereo-style) LEDs. The result: the design is much more compact, and it’s just US$79.99 for the kit. Now, arguably, you could do the same with a fader. And, true, you can daisy chain these units together to form more units. But I think the Stribe1 benefits from its slimmed-down new form.

New Kit: Stribe1 Touch LED Strip Controller

It’s always interesting to see how things evolve. Let us know your thoughts on the new Stribe1, and if you get one, do send us a report. For more on the Stribe, check out our original exclusive-scoop interview with Josh from February:

Hands-on, Interview: Stribe Multi-Touch Controller

… and, more recently, some reflections on touch interfaces in general (with plenty of interesting comments):

Stanton to Release Touch DJ Controller; Surface One, Thunder, Reborn?