monome

If you’ve been intrigued by the Tenori On or the monome, but put off by their prices, you’ll want to check out the Novation Launchpad – which can be used like a monome controller.

The above video demos the Novation Launchpad with MLR. Read more…

This video demonstrates how you can use the new Novation Launchpad like a monome.

To try this out, you’ll need a Launchpad (You can get them for $199 at Zzounds and other online retailers), a free app called nonome and a monome app.

For this demo, Mike Tron built a Windows executable that combines nonome with a monome program called mlr. Tron is offering to build an OS X version, too, if there’s interest.

A few weeks ago, I suggested that there are only two colors for serious electronic music gear: black & matte black.

A lot of Synthtopia readers weighed in, pointed out all the holes in my logic, suggested all sorts of exceptions to the rule and basically said I had gone insane.

It’s probably all true – and there’s room for those pink keyboard controllers – but at least the monome guys are on board.

They’ve introduced the monome grayscale – which features grayscale/bright white lighting. black silicone over a strong steel enclosure (wacka-chicka-wacka-chicka) and the same minimalist functionality as the original monome sixty four.

The original monome 64 is a great, influential controller. They’ve been selling as fast as they can be made.

The monome grayscale is sure to be a hit, too.

It’s going to cost $500. It’s going to have 64 buttons. It will be available starting in January – but it will probably be hard to get.

A short demonstration of the MLGI (Multi- Laser Gestural Interface) designed by Meason Wiley at California Institute of the Arts.

Strap it on a dolphin, and you’d have a lethal weapon.

The Multi- Laser Gestural Interface is an open source and modular “free-gesture” controller that uses beams of laser light along with photo resistors to create a physical, fluid musical instrument.

With the MLGI, Wiley is attempting to bring a physical interactivity to electronic music performance. By removing the performer from behind the laptop, the audience becomes aware of the performer’s interaction with the controller, which creates an instant visual connection between the sound and the performer.

The MLGI was created using Dan Overholt’s multi I/O CREATEUSB or CUI interface, which, along with the programming language ChucK, can be made to send MIDI or OSC via USB port.

For more information about this open-source + modular controller,  visit www.cyclespersecond.net.

http://www.vimeo.com/7071805Edit

Ben Brown plays his bizarre DIY monome guitar synth thing, aka the Guitarnome:

I’m playing the guitar I made from scratch, with a monome kit embedded in it. It was a long project… but fun.

Some parts are a bit out of tune(need to do some more guitar work) and Im still figuring out the setup(running 7up live on the monome). The audios pretty crappy on this recording unfortunately as my speaker setup was a bit janky… but hey! it was fun. Ran the vid through ScreenFlow for some super quick editing and export.

I’m using Ableton Live for my audio bits and a Presonus Firepod to process my voice and guitar signal. We kinda just did this spur of the moment so I didnt get the audio from Ableton.

The Guitarnome is not a traditional guitar synth, but rather a monome/guitar mashup.

The Guitarnome has a body made from cherry, wenge, and maple, a neck with a zebra wood fret board and a birds eye maple neck.  Brown embedded a Monome within the body and custom built the encasing for all the electronics. The Guitarnome has USB & 1/4″ outputs.