Hey everyone!

I have been unsuccessful googling, and was hoping someone here would
either have an answer, a web link, or even recommended reading for me.  I
am trying to build an electronic drum set similar to the overpriced models
I see at the music store.  My thought is to use a piezo element embedded
in a rubber pad, through an op-amp, and feed the signal to an A/D
converter to do the velocity detection.  This would then go to a PIC,
which would convert the velocity info into a MIDI signal and feed it to
the keyboard for wave generation and playback.  Not too terribly fancy,
but should be functional.

My question is:  How do I insure that I am running my A/D conversion on
the highest point of the piezo elements output?  the spike that is
generated will be proportional to the strength of the impact, but I want
to make sure that I run my conversion on the highest point of the output.
Is there a way to capture the peak output and then run the A/D conversion
on that?  Any other suggestions?  I definitely want the velocity info to
control the volume of the playback, or the whole thing becomes a gimmick.

Thanks for any suggestions!!!!!

--Joe Jansen

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