Monome!

[Ikemi]

I'm thinking of buying a fairly cheap Monome to have a bit of fun with remixing music ... I've watched a few videos on YouTube and have been taken by the simplicity of the device. However before I spend some hard earned on one, I was wondering if anyone could answer some of my questions?

-Can you create music with just a computer and a Monome?
-Do you need any specialised software? Ableton Live? Expensive?
-Where do you find samples? Internet? Rip from CD's and edit? Specific sample CD's?
-Do you YT videos make it look a lot easier than it really is?

Sorry for the short and 'to the point' message, but I'm busy at work and I have the chance to grab a Monome fairly soon!

[Ikemi]

Just to add some cool videos of the Monome device in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsYcLnGmzVE&fea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdN079TmiYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2OOiDGt7rY&fea...

[Progressive]

Ikemi said:

Just to add some cool videos of the Monome device in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsYcLnGmzVE&fea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdN079TmiYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2OOiDGt7rY&fea...

Ultimately, I would say that the YouTube videos make it look alot easier than it really is. There is alot work prior to 'music making' with managing and mapping the device accordingly.

I'm not sure about the software but you will need a sequencing program. You can use it with Ableton although the monome doesn't send midi (as far as I know) so you will need a third party program for this.

Look at the Novation Launchpad which might help you understand you needs. They are alot cheaper and do (almost) the same job. You can use it with other programs with a bit of tweaking although it was designed for use with ableton.

How much have you seen one up for? Just interested in the going rate, not really looking to buy one.

[Ikemi]

Progressive said:

Ikemi said:

Just to add some cool videos of the Monome device in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsYcLnGmzVE&fea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdN079TmiYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2OOiDGt7rY&fea...

Ultimately, I would say that the YouTube videos make it look alot easier than it really is. There is alot work prior to 'music making' with managing and mapping the device accordingly.

I'm not sure about the software but you will need a sequencing program. You can use it with Ableton although the monome doesn't send midi (as far as I know) so you will need a third party program for this.

Look at the Novation Launchpad which might help you understand you needs. They are alot cheaper and do (almost) the same job. You can use it with other programs with a bit of tweaking although it was designed for use with ableton.

How much have you seen one up for? Just interested in the going rate, not really looking to buy one.

Funny you should say that, as my new Novation Launchpad arrived a couple of days ago! Albeton Live is a bit tricky to use, but I've been messing about with Nonome and MLR, which is good fun. I see what you mean, in that the real difficulty is finding/editing the sounds, rather than playing the sounds via the pad ...

The Monome 40h was on eBay and had a £260 reserve - It didn't sell (£205 highest bidder) and was relisted soon after.

Cheers for the reply though

[Progressive]

I used Ableton for about a year and really enjoyed it. It's definately a 'live performance tool'. I was trying to DJ with it. Although it worked and was fun, set were too pre-planned and I found myself editing my set up for an hour then playing for 20 minutes.

What type of set-up are you using on Live with the Launchpad and how do you find it.

If you need extra modulation for effects and volumes, the Korg NanoKontrol is very very good. Bargain of £50 aswell.

Also, where did you get the Launchpad and how much did it cost you?

[Ikemi]

Progressive said:

What type of set-up are you using on Live with the Launchpad and how do you find it.

I haven't played around much with Live yet and I'm ashamed to say, what is a set-up and where do I find one? I'm new to all of this and so far have have spent most of my time messing about with Nonome, MLR and Audacity

Progressive said:

If you need extra modulation for effects and volumes, the Korg NanoKontrol is very very good. Bargain of £50 aswell.

I noticed these on the website where I bought my Launchpad - I believe they did a bundle deal, which included the NanoKontrol. I'm going to see whether remixing and creating music keeps my interest, then I might invest in more equipment!

Progressive said:

Also, where did you get the Launchpad and how much did it cost you?

www.dv247.com for £99

It's a second quality unit - The 'amber' lights are a mixed shade of yellow/amber - It's not noticeable unless you have all the squares lit up, and even then, it's only slight differences in colour. Definitely worth the saving of £50 over RRP Link:

http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/novation-lau...