The future of digital music?

September 27, 2007 1:59 PM

What is the monome? A sequencer? A trigger? A sampler? A trippy rave machine? A general-purpose turing device? Just a toy or the open-source future of digital music?

CDM: "The Monome is a new music interface with LED-backlit pads, a USB interface that transmits OSC and MIDI data to a computer, and — here’s the unusual part — open source, hackable firmware and software interface"

posted by Tlogmer (15 comments total)

Other than the visual feedback aspect, how is monome better than an ordinary PC keyboard? Or for that matter, a regular USB piano keyboard, which at least allows for touch sensitivity, etc.

And the 16X16 grid seems counterintuitive for music. 12 x12 would make more sens, as there are 12 half-steps in an octave.
posted by Pastabagel at 2:11 PM on September 27, 2007

What is the monome?

I'm afraid $1400 is the only really relevant answer from a personal perspective.
posted by nanojath at 2:11 PM on September 27, 2007

It's a terrible anagram for anemone.
posted by cog_nate at 2:22 PM on September 27, 2007

wow, cool. someone else reads cdm.

and that thing looks freaking awesome.
posted by dozo at 2:30 PM on September 27, 2007

I keep getting excited by the potential of the monome, but then I go to the website and learn that I'm simply not geek enough to own one. I can't solder worth a damn, so I can't build one from scratch or from a kit. I can't afford a pre-built model, and if I could I'd never actually get one without getting to play with it first. And I'm certainly not programming-savvy enough to use Max/MSP, which seems to be the main computer/music interface. I'm aware that there's a patch that allows a musician to patch the data through to their app of choice, but in my experience these are fidgety at best.

Seriously, someone needs to build one of these that's accessible to the stupid musicians.
posted by lekvar at 2:32 PM on September 27, 2007

Seriously, someone needs to build one of these that's accessible to the stupid musicians.
posted by lekvar at 5:32 PM on September 27

They are called pianos.
posted by Pastabagel at 2:43 PM on September 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

Previously
posted by puke & cry at 2:51 PM on September 27, 2007

And the 16X16 grid seems counterintuitive for music. 12 x12 would make more sens, as there are 12 half-steps in an octave.

I kind of doubt that most people are using this to input notes per se (anyone who has one of these probably has several midi keyboards as well). They are probably mostly using it in more complex ways to control step sequencers or loop triggers or something else. here's a youtube video I dug up which illustrates some characteristic uses. There is some regular note input there but it's not the most interesting part at all.
posted by advil at 3:13 PM on September 27, 2007

(or for that matter, you can look at the videos in the post...)
posted by advil at 3:15 PM on September 27, 2007

Not to rain on the parade, but why wouldn't you just get a touch sensitive tablet PC, if you have $1500 kicking around? Seems like that would be better in just about every way. Hell, one of those crazy Optimus keyboards with a LED display on each of the 113 keys is cheaper than that!

I guess I would be more interested in this if they figured out a cheap way to build one... Like the multitouch-displays people make out of a couple of UV LEDs and a pane of glass.
posted by blenderfish at 5:31 PM on September 27, 2007

From the description in the FPP, I was pretty meh about the whole thing. From the videos... Holy jeez I need one of those!

It's way out of my price range, though. I dare say, it's maybe just plain overpriced for what it actually is. A MIDI controller should probably not cost more than the computer I plug it into.
posted by Reggie Digest at 5:39 PM on September 27, 2007

Okay, maybe it's just me, but someone (maybe me) needs to just clone this thing with Arduino and a Lights Out from Tiger.
posted by tmcw at 6:13 PM on September 27, 2007

There's also a non-open source equivalent device: Yamaha's collaboration with artist Toshio Iwai, the Tenori-On.

Exhaustive coverage, from CDM again.
posted by jack_mo at 3:05 AM on September 28, 2007

And the 16X16 grid seems counterintuitive for music. 12 x12 would make more sens, as there are 12 half-steps in an octave.

Not for those of us who think only in samples and beats because we don't know any music theory and can't play an instrument.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:05 AM on September 28, 2007

wow, cool. someone else reads cdm.

Wow, cool, another someone else reads cdm.

For the price, I can't get excited about these though. Would rather have a Trigger Finger or padKontrol or something along those lines... and I don't even want those enough for their price, either.
posted by Foosnark at 9:46 AM on September 28, 2007