#1

TL;DR version
As someone that chops up samples a lot, I love the new revamped Simpler. However, I cant help but wonder how I can incorporate my monome into the Simpler slices? I imagine I’m not the first one to ponder this, but couldn’t find any threads.

I got a Push 2, which obviously works great with the Simpler. However, I sometimes drum on the Push 2 with my right hand and play Simpler slices on a midi keyboard with my left hand, which makes me wonder if I can incorporate the monome in some useful way (instead of the keyboard for slices).

Perhaps the Simpler API was open enough for programmers to somehow attach monome functionality to it, through a Max device?

If not, I’m sure there is a way to make the monome function as a basic midi “keyboard”.
This would be a very basic approach to using the monome to trigger the Simpler slices; this would at least put my slices on a grid instead of less intuitive keyboard keys. However, I’m not actually sure how you set up the monome as a basic midi-note controller (or how you set the current octave so you can control where your slices start on the pads). [Can someone point me to a max-for-live device that gives the monome this basic midi functionality?]

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#2

insanityI have been using insanity for this.

In conjunction with this max 4 live device in a simpler rack you live slice from the monome. Being that you have a push2 it’s redundant but may be of use to others.
pad slice mode

#3

yeah it may seem redundant but after I setup my slices on the push, I’d like to be able to use the monome as dedicated pad controller for those sample slices. that way i can use my right hand to drum on the push 2 while I trigger samples with my left hand on the monome.

so the insanity device uses the monome as a basic midi controller (keyboard notes basically)? (It looks more complicated than that but i may be missing something)

also I have seen that pad slice device before but didnt understand it. you can already play your slices on any midi keyboard so what does it do? (again, I’m probably missing something)

#4

The pad slice device emulates the functionality of the pad slice mode on push. Just place it after the simpler, enable the device. With an insanity,page set up as buttons starting on c1 you can use the monome to make the slices on the fly like you would on push.

Anyway to just play the slices set up an insanity page as buttons with the notes starting at c1. You will need some virtual midi ports to route insanity output to live. I use loopmidi for this.

I myself have been looking for a max for live device to function like insanity but I haven’t found one. There is a device called control which is max 4 live which is similar to insanity but allows you to customize the control output on the monome in a variety of ways. You could give that a try as well.

#5

sorry for all the questions, but thank you for your help.
can you point me to that device called “control” you mentioned? I tried looking for it but “monome control max for live” didn’t work well in my search (as you can imagine) :open_mouth:

I found this cool looking max patch called “monome notes” that would be perfect, but again not for max for live.

i’m hoping to get this all setup as a single ableton track. that way it can load in a template without me setting anything up each time. :blush:

#6

You should find everything you want (and more!) here:

#7

@elgrayso
Try These.
What size monome are you using?

notes-3.amxd (294.1 KB)

grid128.amxd (50.6 KB)

#8

I have a 64… control looks like its 128, is your notes-3 device compatible with a 64?

#9

Notes will work fine. Here is a 64grid too.

grid64.amxd (50.9 KB)

#10

I do like the “Terms by Monome” package (http://monome.org/docs/app/terms/) when put together with Simpler. You can try things like Flin/Polygome/Notes, for example, and have them running with Simpler. You can notch up things by using Ableton Live’s Midi Effects such as randomizing velocities/notes to get even more interesting results. At least that’s how I approach it.

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#11

“notes” works great… until I started recording, and nothing recorded. I assume this is because monome uses OSC instead of midi? I’m not sure how the technology works (i’m just used to midi), but is there a way I can record midi data using notes and monome?

#12

notes is converting the monome’s OSC commands into MIDI notes. In order to record the notes you will need an additional MIDI track, then change the “MIDI From” value to point to the track that contains the notes device. So, one track is for playing notes, the other track is for recording them.

Personally, I prefer the Monome Notes app, because it’s really easy to change the note layout, and if you have a varibright grid it does a nice job of showing you where the current scale and scale root is.

It’s not a M4L app, so I guess that means it won’t live alongside other M4L apps with autofocus etc? But if you’re only using one monome app at a time, that doesn’t really matter.

To record the MIDI out of the Monome Notes app, you just use Ableton’s ordinary clip recording tools.

#13

That sounds cool, like a Push (with the varibright). I dont have varibright unfortunately (Grayscale 64). I like keeping everything in an Ableton template so I dont have to do any setup, so I personally prefer the M4L devices.

but speaking of diatonic notes on a grid, I wonder if theres a monome m4l device that just has each root note start on the far left of the 64 grid. that way people without a varibright could play along several octaves and know where the notes are (I guess the 8th column of monome pads on the right would be disabled).
Not as good for chords and such, but a workaround…

#14

I think raptor will do what you want?

Monome Notes and insanity will as well, but they aren’t M4L apps.

#15

Are you sure grid64 works? I think the midi mapping is for a 128, it jumps 8 notes every 8 notes…

#16

I’m kind of getting off topic (not related to slicing) with my diatonic scale question, but can you post a link to the raptor m4l device?
( I often find it is tricky to find the latest version of a monome device; the old monome website is kind of frozen in time and even though thats where google sends me, a lot of the time there is a newer (yet harder to find) page that I’m actually supposed to download the device from. )

Anyways, it sounds like you are saying this device can give you rows where the root is always on the left? I don’t need it for the slicing, but it could be useful for future use on other projects.

#17

This page attempts to collect all monome apps in the same place.

That page links to this version of raptor:

I don’t actually use raptor. I think it will do what you want.

#18

I think you’re right. I hacked it from a 128 version and I don’t really know what the heck I’m doing in max!

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#19

@angel,
Do me a favor and try this version. I think I figured out what was wrong.

grid64.amxd (50.9 KB)

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#20

i’ve used raptor some years ago, great app and it can indeed record and playback your button presses