The FSRs are located on the front B, A, G, F, E and D keys, and on the two thumb rests. Three triggers are located on the bell of the instrument, and one below each of the thumb rests. The three triggers on the bell were designed to be visible to the audience, and the two below the thumb rests were designed for discrete operations. The data from these sensors is collected via a 26 pin serial connector by a computer fixed to the bell of the instrument. Pressure data from the performer is passed to the Basic Stamp through an RC circuit design.
Trim potentiometers calibrate the sensitivity of each circuit.
The circuit board and a 9 volt battery were fit into a black box with openings for the serial cable inputs, a MIDI output, and a power switch. In addition to sending MIDI information, the metasaxophone sends an audio signal through a microphone located in its bell. Both MIDI and audio data are sent to some external computer or device for processing. The continuous controller MIDI messages sent from the metasaxophone are used to control digital signal processing of the audio sound, or to control synthesis alogrithms. Similarly, the audio can be used as a control signal to alter the function of the MIDI data or to control other sonic parameters.