cranes (v2.3 / 241112)

ampism · 2022-01-31T11:34:46.735Z

@DuellingAnts , Thanks Hans. Yes, I know what you mean; I felt like I had more success when I didn’t use the grid and just focused on the shield.
I’ll just keep playing. I’m sure it will fall into place.

On the grid it’s row B that confuses me most. How do I erase the snapshots? On the grid map above, it says “left: erase all”, but I don’t know what that means…

Oh, one other thing - I’ve seen people pressing K3 and getting a little momentary increase in the pitch, but that doesn’t seem to happen when I hit K3(?) I think I read that this function was removed, but I thought it was replaced by something else. When I hit K3 nothing discernible happens.

dani_derks · 2022-01-31T13:48:14.605Z

hey y’all, hope all’s well

this is a fun opportunity to kinda add some context to cranes which time has sorta buried

cranes was my first norns script, which hasn’t been revisited in a few years – not just from a code perspective (tho everything runs), but from a process perspective. the script represents a way of working which my 2019 process was super interested in. namely, setting myself up for improvisational approaches which at the time meant no saving, no minor edits, only all or nothing so i had to make choices and stick to them.

less poetically, my understanding of grid interfaces was limited. there are things about the grid interface which are how i wanted them and there are things which were compromises for my abilities at the time. i’m glad for this, in a lot of ways – the considerations around snapshots (freezing start/end points and being able to jump between 'em) led me to the fundamental mechanism of cheat codes rather than focusing on iterating cranes. this means cranes is also definitely frozen in time in terms of my music-making approaches – it’s funny to consider whether i could re-create this in 2022:

lemme try to answer some q’s, in case it helps guide toward the vibe

ampism:

On the grid map above, it says “left: erase all”

that’s in relation to the create snapshot key – so the one to the left of that key (row two, key 15) will erase all the snapshots. again, a mix of not knowing how to code a targeted press (eg. cheat codes where you can erase a single pattern in the pattern sequencer / a snapshot on the delay page) and having very specific opinions about how i wanted to improvise (i spent a long time in chicago’s improv comedy scene, where ‘nothing is a mistake if you don’t let it go’ was basically the only rule) is why this was designed like that. def not how i’d approach it now, but kind of a sweet lil’ time capsule

ampism:

When I hit K3 nothing discernible happens.

K3 behavior has a couple of options, which are selectable under PARAMS > KEY3:

~~: a momentary pitch warble while held, the effect of which depends on your base speed (default)
0.5: half speed while held
-1: reverse while held
1.5: raises seven semitones / a fifth while held
2: double speed while held

hope this helps! what a fun lil trip, considering my needs as an artist and reinforcing the strength of this platform – to allow someone with very little coding background to create the exact tool they needed in the moment of need. dang, i’m so thankful for all of it

also, yes! recovery is going well! slow but all positively indicating going to finish another 5 weeks of recovery at home on Saturday, cannot wait to not be in a hospital (been in 'em steadily since Jan 9). thanks so much for the well-wishes

DuellingAnts · 2022-01-31T13:48:36.701Z

Check the params - the k3 action should be listed there. You should be able to select what you want the button to do

ampism · 2022-02-01T10:39:38.443Z

Thanks so much for this @dani_derks
Really appreciate your help

ramphands · 2022-03-21T06:48:03.859Z

Just a note that this script also exhibits the Merzbow noise blast softcut feedback loop issue on my Norns Shield.

dani_derks · 2022-04-03T18:26:29.926Z

very super tiny update!

cranes 2.2

FIXED:

grid redrawn on timer, rather than events – should solve Grid becoming non-responsive running Cranes
@MentalSandal identified and fixed an issue where clearing the recording would not allow recording to restart – thank you so much!!

@ramphands , the noise blast has been fixed upstream in the latest norns update

in other news, i have a significant update nearly completed for cranes. i’d love some beta testers, so if you’re willing to experiment and try it out, it’d be great to gather a few folks! please dm <3

ramphands · 2022-06-17T06:35:45.522Z

Just started getting to grips with this as a more immediate alternative to Cheat Codes and I’m really, really enjoying it. Thank you so much for making this wonderful script.

I’d also be happy to beta test your update if any help is still needed!

bharris22 · 2022-06-17T12:50:40.822Z

ramphands:

a more immediate alternative to Cheat Codes

This seems like a good idea. I probably missed it above, but is there a way to load a pre-recorded file into the audio buffer, rather than live audio input?

Sorry in advance if this is a dumb question.

ampism · 2022-06-17T13:12:16.911Z

I’m really hoping that @PeterBark includes Cranes in his tutorial series. I still can’t get my head around the Grid controls…Everything I feed into Cranes is either “can’t-tell-the-difference”, or “completely apeshit”, and I can’t seem to find the in-betweeny bit…

dani_derks · 2022-06-17T13:24:21.139Z

bharris22:

Sorry in advance if this is a dumb question.

not a dumb question! it’s one of the features in the upcoming rewrite. projects have just been a bit piled up, but the next cranes is almost ready! hoping to get it out to y’all in the late summer.

re: grid controls, these are also going to be completely overhauled. cranes was my first norns script + first coding project, so it’s largely a capsule of what i could brute-force my way through. it’s been fun to revisit and rewrite everything, so if the current version doesn’t vibe it’s not on you

bharris22 · 2022-06-17T13:28:02.436Z

Great news - thanks, @dani_derks !

PeterBark · 2022-06-17T13:31:31.604Z

It’s definitely on this list! Next week is MLR, but I will get on cranes in the very near future

ampism · 2022-06-17T13:57:47.821Z

Amazing! Many thanks Peter. Oh, forgot to say - I played one of your tracks on my radio show last week:

here

And the whole of BEE @shellfritsch !

PeterBark · 2022-06-17T14:12:17.282Z

Thank you! That’s awesome, gonna give the replay a listen

ramphands · 2022-06-17T14:17:04.835Z

Looking forward to it! As it stands, it’s already super fun and so immediate! By any chance is there the possibility of some “tape warble” in the new version?

eequeue · 2022-06-17T16:38:10.286Z

By any chance is there the possibility of some “tape warble” in the new version?

@infinitedigits 's tapedeck as implemented in his also excellent script oomph would be like Xmas coming early.

proxemia · 2022-06-17T17:56:27.995Z

hey dan, big lover of cranes. If you’re still looking for testers, let me know!

PeterBark · 2022-07-05T16:19:49.596Z

Was able to get the cranes video together quicker than I anticipated. I never really messed around with the snapshot feature before, but it’s so sweet!

ampism · 2022-07-05T19:38:11.711Z

Oh my me.
@PeterBark you’re a star!
20 characters of thank you. Even though I’ve already used more than 20 characters

DegradedEcho · 2022-07-06T03:54:53.334Z

an absolute star! the performances are so lovely and such nice company! thanks lots