less concepts 2.1.1

Library
,
#1

less concepts 2.1.1 (crow integration)

1d cellular automata sequencer

less concepts is rooted in the idea that complexity is just a shit-ton of simplicity, chained together. at its core, less concepts holds 65,536 possible combinations of notes which can be gated, offset, and manipulated to create minimal sequences for improvisation. small changes to a single parameter can bring sweeping or subtle changes.

seek. think. discover.

2.1.1 (crow) changes

  • NEW : beatclock-crow.lua in lib folder, adds option for script to be clocked via crow (input 2).
    option in the standard ā€˜clockā€™ param.
  • NEW : params: output can choose two different crow output formats:
    crow cv (1x v/8) is output[1] = v/8, output[2] = trigger. this means you can send the note data from both streams to a single v/8 destination.
    crow cv (2x v/8) is outputs[1+3] = v/8, outputs[2+4] = triggers

previous 2.1: crow integration

  • params: crow: enable pullups?
  • params: output, to choose either CV (outputs 1 + 3 do v/8, 2 + 4 do envelopes) or i2c-connected Just Friends

previous 2.1: fixes + other stuff

  • ~ r e f r a i n updated to use new softcut panning syntax
  • params: softcut pan slew for ~ r e f r a i n
  • fixed: probability of transposition params werenā€™t re-loading with sets
  • fixed: midi device now selectable (previously defaulted to system device 1)

Requirements

norns 2.2.0 190930
Passersby engine installed (restart/reset after initial installation to activate engine)
grid (128), optional
crow, optional
just friends, optional

Grid Layout


less concepts for monome norns

Download

v2.1 (crow) - https://github.com/dndrks/less_concepts/archive/master.zip (rename folder to less_concepts)
or GitHub - dndrks/less_concepts: less concepts for monome norns

60 Likes
Less Concepts 3
^^ crow strategies: Just Friends
[less concepts]: max for live
Norns 2.0.0
Norns 2.0 beta
library + norns package manger + norns.community -- bot to help make sure it's in all the places?
less-concepts
#2

that demo video!! beautiful. loving watching this library section developā€¦ such incredible ideas happening around here.

5 Likes
#3

I canā€™t get the start/stop functionality to work.

maiden returns this errors
metro_stop(): pthread_cancel() failed; error: specified thread does not exist

#4

that error happens a lot and doesnā€™t mean anything. i should finally track it down though.

4 Likes
#5

I saw that error quite a bit running stress tests, where it seemed to correlate with metros failing to start. Can dig those out, shouldnā€™t be so hard to get a reproducible sane test case

#6

@rick_monster lets take this to Ye Hubbe
https://github.com/monome/norns/issues/769

3 Likes
#7

nobody else has reported start/stop not working, so iā€™d love to dig a bit deeper if youā€™re still having trouble with the functionality. there are some ā€œas intendedā€ reasons why start/stop might seem like it isnā€™t working ā€” namely, an unproductive seed / rule combo. can you please try loading seed 36 and rule 30 and report back? :hugs:

1 Like
#8

thanks for the help, got it working.

I was stumped up by needing to hold key 2 to select seed and rule, so the error was on my side.

1 Like
#9

My (6yr old) boy and I just shared in a 45 min improvisation on Less concepts. Sounded Wonderful, thank you @dan_derks

25 Likes
#10

oh, this is very warming to read ā€“ thank you so much for sharing this :revolving_hearts:

it means so much to have sideline involvement in such a wonderful moment :slight_smile:

7 Likes
#11

Spent a lot of time this weekend with this amazing patch. Sequenced 2 instances of Ripplemaker (thanks for the second MIDI out channel!) and Aparillo on the iPad. Such an amazing sequencer, thanks @dan_derks!



9 Likes
#12

Finally got around to playing with Less concepts (shame on me, I know).

What a delightful and weird little sequencer. This is definitely going to end up on the tape a lot for future manipulation.

The norns and the developers that have flocked to it continue to wow and delight me, I havenā€™t had this much fun with a new piece of equipment in years.

11 Likes
#14

@yobink + @rbxbx, these are wonderful captures ā€“ Iā€™m so glad yā€™all shared them here, thank you! they both showcase how versatile passersby really is. dang dang dang :relaxed:

@gnome666 put an ephemeral call for clarification out there re: bits and why less concepts will sometimes stall out until a new rule / seed combo is selected, so that got me thinking about how to clarify these things in the interface.

the sequencing core of less concepts cycles through numbers by taking a user-input seed to start, then translating that number into binary and pushing it through the user-chosen CA rule. the rule morphs the binary, which is then fed back in as the new seed. if the rule/seed combo is productive, youā€™ll hear a looped sequence without any dead spots.

however, if a number goes through the CA rule and results in a 0, the sequence will seemingly stop because that 0 is fed back into the system ā€“ this outputs 0, which is fed back, which outputs 0, which is fed back, blah blah blah.

to help make things clearer, Iā€™ve adjusted the interface on less concepts 2.0 (hoping to wrap things up this weekend):

test

the 1ā€™s and 0ā€™s in the bottom left are the current propagation of the original seed (01001110 = 78). 1ā€™s and 0ā€™s make for excellent gates, so the ā€œbitā€ function just chooses which position in the binary number should produce sound.

in the new interface, the bar on the top is bit 1, the bar on the bottom is bit 2. this will hopefully make the options (+ process) clearer!

less concepts 2.0 will also feature a dedicated stereo delay/looper alt screen:

refrain

~ r e f r a i n is strongly linked to less concepts ā€“ it can be reset to a specified position in its 8 second buffer with the ā€œbitā€ function while panning is determined by the notes played. this makes for a pretty neat polyrhythmic delay effect:

this script was made to address a really specific need for me, so all your feedback and questions really keep me focused on improving its legibility. :revolving_hearts:

hope this helps!

21 Likes
#15

Looking forward to try version 2.0! Iā€™ve been having a lot of fun toying with the current version this morning, Iā€™ve routed it to a midi synth instead of passersby and it makes very interesting sequences.

2 Likes
#16

ooo plz share anything you land on!

the ~ r e f r a i n component is also configured for external audio while less concepts runs, so if youā€™re sequencing midi the delays will stay rhythmically related :slight_smile:

5 Likes
#17

I shall make a video recording!

2 Likes
#18

Ooooo I canā€™t wait for More/Less Concepts! Thanks Dan!

Less Concepts meets Orac:

9 Likes
#19

thanks for the thorough replyā€¦I originally deleted my post figuring id give one more go trying to ā€œRTFMā€ before I asked to be spoon fed :slight_smile:

(as someone relatively new to lllllllines and monome community, it can never be said enough that the people on this forum are amazing)

3 Likes
#20

Yay!
My homework for the weekend was supposed to include a softcut delay into less concepts, but now Iā€™ll ~ r e f r a i n :slight_smile:

7 Likes
#21

woooooooooow

this is inspiring

3 Likes