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sweepstakes

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Posts posted by sweepstakes

    monome norns / norns shield

    in EKT General Discussion

    Posted

    Thanks for the kind words on that track :) There's some Thyme in there too, and I can't remember which is which but I think it's mostly the greyhole with that hyper-real sound.

    re: community chat - there's probably roughly the same amount of discussion about code, as modular (not just eurorack but Buchla, Serge, Ciat-Lonbarde, etc.), as culture in general,  as music technique (not just electronic), as music releases. On average it's a bit higher brow compared to other music tech forums, and the discussions have a lot of variety, breadth and insight. It is definitely not just a bunch of devs geeking out over arcane code shit. Lots of fairly well-known folks hanging out there too like Andrew Huang, Meng Qi, Scanner, etc. The mods make an effort to keep things on the rails and to maintain inclusiveness.

    re: shield - definitely the way to go. I find the norns very beautiful so I couldn't resist. I don't regret it, but if I ever feel the need for a second, it'll be a shield.

    SC definitely gets breezed over. I think the implication is that if you want to learn more there, there's scsynth.org as well as folks like Fredrik Oloffson. SC's been around for a while, so no need to reinvent the wheel in terms of docs. Also, major monome contributor and lines user zebra, himself, seems to be very competent in SC (I've learned - and forgotten - some tricks from him), as well as many other things technical and musical.

    re: coding - seriously don't fear it. You won't grow antlers or go nearsighted, I promise :) I will warn you that there are 2 parts of the core API I'm aware of that are imo a little more complex than I think they need to be: setting up softcut and writing text/graphics to the screen. But this is the kind of thing where you write it once, get your head around it, and then just copy the code as needed. Or just use a library - see Supercut for softcut. I'm happy to share code too if you need help.

    re: Yggdrasil and Dronecaster - these were both featured on CDM recently and I was kind of shocked to see stuff I worked on get a little internet fame. The main guy Tyler on those two projects is a bottomless pool of energy in addition to being a sweetheart, and he just has a knack for making fun, cool stuff. It's been fun working with him.

    re: Angler and Dial - derp, I forgot these were crow-only apps, not norns apps. Let me know what you think of them if you get a crow though :) I am working on a norns app right now, though. I'll keep you posted.

    Happy to chat about this stuff!! I got really enthused about it about a year ago, dropped off for a bit I guess to learn SC a bit better by itself, and now I'm really getting back into it. I credit Tyler with really getting me back into it, actually. I still feel like there are some major gaps in the app ecosystem and it is still waiting for its killer app - that's where more people with cool ideas come in, the technical skills can always be learnt :) But it is a great platform that's in a healthy spot and I think it's absolutely worth your time.

    • Thanks 1

    monome norns / norns shield

    in EKT General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by sweepstakes

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    i can't code but am very interested in the live sampling/playback stuff, as well as using the port of ORCA. so softcut and Timber are both integral and active at all times, correct?

    Softcut is running at all times; in fact, I believe one entire of the four RasPi cores is dedicated to softcut. I'm not super familiar with Timber but I believe it's just an app or libary, so you can either use the app or integrate its libraries into your scripts.

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    i'm generally hesitant because of that necessity for a computer to do any real modifications and such. not interested in spending much time on the computer in order to use the device properly. if i choose occasionally do some deep dive modifications or setting up a set in ORCA, okay then cool but i just don't want to be forced to do that to get the basic functionality.

    You will need a computer to at least install apps. Once you've got some apps you like on there, you can totally unplug it and have a good time. Orca is quite usable without the computer.

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    i'm worried i'm gonna get a norns and then it turns out only 5 of these apps work fully and reliably on device, and then there's 20 that'll be janky and require regular updates or changes or would need extra functionality tacked on to allow me to use it with basic MIDI or without a grid or something...and then there's 100 others that are in early stage development that basically don't work.

    In my personal experience, one thing that's beautiful about this community is it's both very diverse and very active. It also skews toward more curious, technical people. If you throw an app up that doesn't look/feel like total dogshit, it's pretty much guaranteed that someone will give it a whirl, and if there are obvious bugs, they'll generally be surfaced pretty quickly. It sounds cheesy but the community really is part of the monome product, and there's good reason it's strong and loyal.

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    just give me cool shit that works so i can make music with it in interesting ways ? 

    Honestly the bang for buck miiiight not be there with an OG norns if you don't feel like getting your hands dirty with code, but I think the shield, is - easily. Thinking of it like a thing that can be a stompbox, a sequencer, a groovebox, or a synth, etc. depending on the app loaded, is probably the best way to think about it. I'd say it's weakest in the synth department but that has more to do with developers' interests, tastes, itches, etc. than any limitation of the platform (although the aforementioned SC awkwardness has some definite gotchas).

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    (...would even be willing to pay for stable apps on something like this, would gladly shell out 50 bucks for a robust and stable app on something like that... but spending days/weeks/months researching and learning and practicing coding on 3 different platforms with different languages and testing, just...that's not gonna happen man. that ain't me lol)

    I'm sure you can back yourself into some weird corners if you're really trying, or if you're just playing with a super fresh app, but stability ain't a thang in my experience with norns.

    If you are super duper not into coding, that is totally OK, but I can't overstate that you will get way more out of it with just a smidge of code. I'm not talking about geeking hard, I'm talking about writing a little 20 line script. Also, there are folks on there whose first experience with code is norns, in fact I was just talking to one of them today on their Discord.

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    lots of knowledgeable people obviously, but they're half speaking a different language it feels like.

    There's definitely some idioms to learn. I get a bit disoriented at times whether someone is talking about a core language feature, a library, or an app. And it's all fluid, in motion, changing all the time. That's part of the fun, and you don't get that with most gear.

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    "It's a thin line between code and synth parameters." yeah that worries me a little. it also piques my interest. i'm just afraid it'll be more code than synth parameters, ultimately.

    That's the spirit :) It might be. It depends on what you want to do. You can be very incremental, not messing with any code, and still get decent mileage out of the apps. Don't fear the slippery slope!

    1 hour ago, auxien said:

    so...beyond that, the 'rando apps', do you find that most you try are usable and stable? i've only looked into a half dozen of the 'main' ones everyone recommends. little information i'm seeing on smaller ones than just a forum thread announcing its existence...someone says cool! then 20 people report bugs, then one person says cool thanks so i don't really get any idea of what the fuck's happening with them beyond 'oh people are reporting bugs' and maybe a vague idea that it does something with delay. lol

    Ha, it totally depends on the app. I know what you mean, though. I personally have not had issues with stability.

    Some of the apps I liked so far:

    - Greyhole - dope reverb, I used it on this: https://weeklybeats.com/license/music/2020-02-22
    - NISP - tracker + LISP interpreter, kind of nuts
    - Compass - cool minimalist sequencer with some really weird features

    Also, I worked on these, so I'll take the opportunity to plug:

    - Yggdrasil - cyberdeck tracker which I don't even completely understand yet
    - Dronecaster - drone engines (synths) plus line input recorder so you can process the drones with external FX and record them
    - Dial - BPM-synced CV clock and modulation source that reconciles sequence phase with milliseconds for rock-solid timing
    - Angler - clocked random arpeggiator/sequencer with incrementally morphing chord

    • Thanks 1

    monome norns / norns shield

    in EKT General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by sweepstakes

    If you can code and you like varispeed tape/delay/sampling, you're going to have a blast with the softcut engine. SuperCollider is a good time too, although the way they integrate it can be a bit awkward - you'll want to start building stuff on a "real" computer first. I'm finding Lua very comfortable to code in, moreso every day. And it's a full Linux machine so you get all those goodies.

    If you can't code, there's a huge variety of apps that you can just plug into and get going. Loopers, effects, synths, sequencers, you name it. And since all the apps are open source, if and when curiosity gets the best of you, you can go in and start tweaking. It's a thin line between code and synth parameters.

    You'll get more mileage out of it if you have a monome grid and/or arc but you don't need those to have fun - I don't have either but I have the "crow" CV/i2c module.

    If your curiosity is piqued at all, it's time to make a lines account :) https://llllllll.co

    EDIT: TL;DR yes, it's fun, yes there's a learning curve, yes you can have a great time blowing off all the dev-y shit and just farting around with rando apps. ORCA is fun but not my cup of tea.

    • Thanks 1

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted

    Just now, hijexx said:

    Trump seems to be wasting everyone's time over all this.

    Unfortunately, I think that's a keystone of Barr's play here. I haven't totally wrapped my head around it, but it seems to be the lawsuit equivalent of filibustering.

    • Farnsworth 1

    Now That Trump's President... (not any more!)

    in General Banter

    Posted

    I think one of the big psychological tethers for conservative voters is authority, so having a fissure between the fairly stable and seemingly-authoritative Fox vs. Donnie's Discount Propaganda Emporium is gonna fuck with a lot of people's heads. The lack of solidarity is going to be interesting to watch play out for the solidarity party.

    • Like 4

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted

    1 minute ago, hijexx said:

    Catching up on some news: Looks like some votes will probably get thrown out in PA because the legislature pushed back the date they'd accept mail in ballots but did not push back the date that ballots could be cured for lack of ID verification. That second date got pushed back by a commissioner. If it goes to supreme court it'll probably be sustained since the US Constitution says only state legislatures can make the changes to the ways elections run in the state. I'm not a lawyer so who knows. It sounds like it won't be a lot of ballots though.

    Those ballots have already been separated and did not count toward the EC-tipping tally, so they're basically inconsequential.

    • Like 3

    the watmm GAS thread

    in EKT General Discussion

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, sheatheman said:

    Yeah you don’t need a filter with FM. velocity mapped to modulator operator level achieves the same thing as filter velocity sensitivity.

    it’s nice to not think about filters

    I agree, but sidebands add so much spectral richness it's also nice to be able to filter them, especially with bandpass.  FMing the filter can be fun too - not sure whether any of the new ones do that.

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted

    32 minutes ago, very honest said:

    andrew weissmann was a top prosecutor on the mueller investigation. he worked the manafort case. his prior experience includes taking down major organized crime families. 

    This is concerning, for sure, but I think he lacks the fortitude and the strategic finesse to successfully pull this off. He's a showman, not a strategist. What's that Clockwork Orange quote about how violence takes a lot of energy?

    I don't have any facts or figures, but unlike most recent GOP candidates, I don't think he got the bulk of the military support. If this is really what he's got up his sleeve, it could hugely backfire.

    • Like 1

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, Hugh Mughnus said:

    when public speaking, go on tangents or speak/say words I don’t mean to. I don’t have a stammer or other speech impediment etc but with a psychological disorder find myself saying things that don’t necessarily make sense sometimes, mostly because I’m overthinking things. My observers might think I’m speaking nonsense for 30% of my speech however I’m certainly not in cognitive decline - what I’m saying just has context they’re not privy to...

    Man, I didn't think I had anxiety, but I get this too. This happens on a daily basis. It's like I'm overthinking everything but my brain has limited storage space, so I'll just express the details that were significant for me but usually don't mean jack shit for the poor person trying to understand me.

    This is actually worse when I talk to people whom I think are smarter than me, because I'll assume that all the context is something that's already well-worn ground for them.

    • Like 1

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Amen Warrior said:

    If you did the same for Trump it would last 6 hours + your brain would be dribbling out your ears by the end.

    Accurate. Here's 1/6 of that:

    Alas poor Billy Enzen we never met ye

    • Like 2

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted

    1 hour ago, cyanobacteria said:

    >lets just keep moving further right because if we don't push out all the voices who are even somewhat to the left of center were going to end up even further right

    the absolute state of liberals in 2020

    imagine shilling for right wingers and trying to shut up the closest thing we have to a left, and thinking you arent a right winger yourself

    This is a bit more biting than I'd put it but yeah this is basically it. Stopping the bleeding isn't gonna cut it next time. Voters actually respond positively to things like not fearing going bankrupt from medical bills. It's the eternal disappointment of the Democratic establishment itself that turns them off.

    There are plenty of rich images from the last 4 years to draw upon when someone suggests that pandering to the GOP is the right thing to do.

    • Like 3

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted · Edited by sweepstakes

    6 minutes ago, Cryptowen said:

    if kanye did somehow talk his way into being the republican nominee i feel like he'd actually have a decent shot at it

    I don't know - "George Bush does not care about black people"?

    I think he'd cost them that critical Hitler youth vote.

    2020 US Election

    in General Banter

    Posted

    1 minute ago, cyanobacteria said:

    whos going to run for republican president in 2020? i say tom cotton

    I'm worried that it might be Tucker Carlson and they'll actually vote for him. I think he might be too much of a prig to be anything but a critic though.

    If there was another AAA, what would you ask?

    in Autechre

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, very honest said:

    there was one of these threads, somewhere. 

     

    i'd be interested to ask about their use of generative. like, they said they don't do generative. but, they do, though, right? it's just, like, composed generative. expand on that, pls. tx

    There was a recent interview where the distinction Sean made was that generative is just something where you code it up and press a button and let it do its thing, but they are more into building something that feels like gear, where you have to continually interact with it and guide it. Assisted automation. I'm totally down with this concept.

    • Like 1
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