Here’s a preview of the sqrface Octinct Helmet. Basically an 8×8 Octinct splint into a 4×12 and a 4×4 for the arm controller.
The arm controller tells me the current tempo by strobing the left column and the left column navigates between menu’s much like the old 7up for monome used to.
The top left button of the left column changes superstate, and the three other buttons are Red, Green and Blue substates.
Currently Red superstate has 3 substates of toggle buttons which send midi out to ableton to trigger effects.
The White Superstate controllers which monomachine tracks are effected by the joystick, and which monomachine tracks trigger the display.
The 4×12 currently has about 20 different display movements including an equalizer style display. Using the armpad it can be set to react to sound, midi tracks from the monomachine or the global midi clock.
I also have an xml file which holds which joystick trigs and diplay trigs should be set whenever a new program change comes in from the monomachine (this happens when changing patterns)
Octinct Helmet, beta testing round 1
The Adventures Of IO – First Glance
Here’s a first glance at what I’ve been working on since November 2010.
What is the Monome?
Just what is the Monome? Why should I care? Because it is liquid awesome my friend, that is why.
If you remember Daedalus and his stunning live set from a couple of years back, He was sporting a funky set of light up buttons that allowed him to do all kinds of crazy stuff.
It’s called a Monome, a reconfigurable grid of backlit keypads which connects to a computer. Interaction between the keys and lights is determined by the application running on the computer. There is no hard-wired functionality. Read more
Bedroom Beats: Beginners Gear
So you wanna be an Electro superstar, live large, a big house and five cars? Well here’s a guide to getting started on the good path and a beginners arsenal to fighting the good fight. Hardware, bitches, it’s real.
Read more
Laid Back Tracks
Feeling blue? Seeing red? Time to relax old chum, you’re taking things to seriously y’hear. Have an earful of laid-back snack-pack tracks. Calm down and come undone with a musical come-down.
The New Mac OSX Lion and what it means for Music Makers
As you may have heard, there’s a new Mac OS on the block, goes by the name of Lion. So as a music producer, should I upgrade straight away? It’s got tonnes of cool new features right?
I’ll leave Apple’s marketing to sell you the advantages of the new OS, but from a music production perspective, my answer is Hells No!
We’ve seen this before, pretty much every time there’s a new OS release. Music developers flood the forums telling everyone to wait to upgrade. And with good reason too. What’s worse than upgrading your laptop to the latest OS and then finding out your whole setup just doesn’t work properly anymore?
Madeon’s Mashup
Here’s a video that’s gaining a lot of traction after it hit reddit last week. This is what you can do with a Novation Launchpad controller (1400-1800 RMB on taobao.com), some time, and a good ear for music.
He’s using Ableton Live as his DAW and triggering short samples on demand. It’s pretty straight forward technically, but creating something like this really needs a good ear for which tracks fit together. You’ll also need some skill for timing and remembering which samples you put where!
Oh yeah, and not that it should matter, but he’s 17. There’s your motivation to get out there and produce some kick ass tracks!
Check out more of his stuff here
More Controllerism!
Making music is easier today than at any time in history. Why, grow out your hair, grab a couple of midi controllers and a copy of Ableton Live and this could be you in just two weeks. True story.
This chap’s name is Himmel and he’s using Ableton Live, a Macbook, a KORG PadKONTROL and a Novation Zero Sl Mk2.
Read more
Controllerism Explained
What the hell is controllerism? What the hell’s going on? Who the hell is that guy?
Well controllerism is a way of playing software like an instrument, using an external controller. Whether it be playing out notes from a software synth, or retriggering and setting off samples, controllerism is an emerging trend in electronic music and it also looks much more awesome than someone standing still behind a laptop (We’re looking at you Vitalic and Leonard de Leonard).
Well, why not hear it from the self-styled “inventor” of controllerism, Moldover
Take a gander at this two part madness festival and make your own mind up.
Laid Back Tracks
Work getting you down? Steamy weather funking you up?
Crank up the AC and space out to these mothers, guaranteed chocked full of synthy goodness: