My current favourite Norns script

Monome
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@Tamlyn asked a good question over on the Norns.community thread

As a recent comer to norns, I can’t imagine what it would have been like before norns.community. A big thanks to all involved. However I still feel quite lost looking through the big list of scripts.

I’d love a way to quickly find the “best” ones. Of course that’s very subjective, but I wonder if some kind of popularity metric could be derived from each script’s associated lines thread. Sorting the Library category by replies or views yields a somewhat useful list of top scripts, but it’s a very crude metric.

@nonverbalpoetry and @Justmat made some really useful contributions to the discussion, thanks to them for their perspectives.

Anyway, I thought it might be helpful to start this thread, where we can talk about our current favourite Norns scripts, perhaps with a few words on why we like that particular script. Nothing more, nothing less. We can keep the main launch threads for deeper discussions of the more technical and practical aspects; I envisage this thread more as a place for future travellers to read through in times of searching for new inspirations for “What shall I play today?”

I hope this thread will enable a more open-ended roundup, which avoids the risks inherent on ranking scripts.

I’ll start, shall I?

Like many of us, I imagine, my current favourite Norns script tends to change over time, but at the moment it’s @TylerEtters’ Arcologies, by the proverbial country mile. It’s opened up for me in many new and wondrous ways since I acquired a second Launchpad.

I love the design process that Tyler outlined in the launch stream (YouTube link), all the factors that inspired and influenced the script’s creation - it appeals to me on several different levels, much of what Tyler said in the launch stream resonates with me very deeply - and with a bit of time and attention, it’s not too difficult tor start getting interesting sounds out of it, so it’s been a bit of a breakthrough moment :bulb: for me, too.

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Excellent thread idea! I don’t know why it took me this long, but I am finally digging into meadowphysics for norns and having so much fun. Feels great to discover some really exciting evolving polyrythmic melodies, change a single parameter, and have everything turn into something else. I’m currently only using it with built in polylerc but need to put more time into the version that plays samples and I’m also wanting to do some midi to CV interfacing, both for the traditional 8 gates triggering events in rack, and for the newer note implementation. So much to expire with this pretty simple concept!

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first of all, I would like to thank every single author for his effort and passion. Each script is a little gem.
my main scripts are:
@TylerEtters’ Arcologies
@tehn’ mlr
@ypxkap’ traffic
VVAA NC01 drone in three worlds

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Since I got a second Norns Shield six weeks ago, I’ve mostly been using them to run instances of different flavours of Awake, specifically the Mx.Samples fork and Rings variants, sync’d by Link and running the acoustic drums samples set and very plucky tones respective;y. Being able to pair the two and vary the sequence lengths to make interesting polyrhythms is a lot of fun.

Thos other perennial favourite is Plonky, in particular because it’s just so easy to get some lovely loops and sequences going, both with Norns engines and with external devices under midi control, and seeing where they evolve together. A key ingredient here for me is the elegant simplicity of the Plonky grid interface - it’s so intuitive to play without having to think too much about setup or grid layouts when time is short.

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KHOOL! mine are:

BARCODE - instant magic
TWINE - granular awesomeness
COMPASS - great for subtle modulations
ONG - has some video game qualities
EUCLIDGONS - just looks dope
GOLDENEYE - great for one shot samples
GRD - smooth sounds

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@dan_derks’ Cheat Codes. This script really opened up to me how to work with samples in a neat and efficient way and how to really work with Grid and Arc. The best thing is that I know I have only scratched the surface and that there is so much more to explore.

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I have been deeply enjoying Acrostic, and have been implementing it into my recent live sets. Really I love this script because it kind of includes a lot of fundamental techniques and musical approaches that are already very ingrained into what I do, and it do so with an astounding clarity and inventiveness. I posted the following dialogue elsewhere, but I think this is also a really great place for it:

Here’s a shot from a live set of the Acrostic patch driving Strega. This is the third time I’ve done this piece in a life set and folks absolutelyuu love it. Huge props to you once again @infinitedigits for visioning and executing this amazing script.

I do find myself still struggling with the thoughts of how much I “own” the music in this piece when it’s existent is so deeply dependent upon this script script created by somebody else. In a lot of ways I feel like I’m acting more as a vessel or conduit for this other piece of art (the Acrostic script), and that I’m taking all of the credit where a majority of the credit should go to the script and script creator.

This will be something I’ll continue to think on, and in think it makes for good food for the brain. One result I’ve noticed is that I find myself kind of feeling subtly insistent upon adding other elements to this piece when I perform it, and not only is it (obviously to me) entirely unnecessary, it most frequently just doesn’t work and doesn’t turn out well, as is evidenced in this video.

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My heavy rotation at the moment is:

  • benjolis
  • blippoo
  • dronecaster
  • oooooo
  • here-there
  • sines
  • stjörnuíþrótt
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been loving Granchild for awhile and I use other scripts to feed it. started with o-o-o, then Orgn, working up a patch and using the rudimentary sequencer to make little melodies I could tape, then Acrostic was released and proved to be awesome at pads. Goldeneye has a wealth of rad samples that I use all the time, and the broadcast mod (and streammyaudio.com) has made my world better. oh and of course orca.

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I really love @ambalek’s Fall. It’s a wonderful augmentation to whatever my Eurorack is doing.

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Why? has always been my favorite.

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I’ve only had a norns for a couple of months now but cheat codes, mlr and blndr have been satiisfying my looping and delay desires delightfully.

The stand out script for me, however, is Here-There. I can get lost for a sweet time pumping anything into that script. Bloody amazing.

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I am also a massive fan boy of @dan_derks Cheat Codes, which has provided some of the most meaningful musical explorations and discoveries of my life. There is so much to explore there, and I feel like I could keep a Norns/Grid setup dedicated to that one thing and live my entire life very happily exploring. I really need to spend much more time with it, getting it into my muscle memory.

But lately, Cranes and MLR have been the shortest path for me, just due to the immediacy of capturing something and quickly flipping it on its head. I can go from nothing to other worlds in basically the time it takes for me to plug in a guitar or a mic.

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My current favourite is ORGN by @andrew. I love the phrase and to make unsync melodies AND unsync operators changes. It create very evolving and organic musical phrases.
Another one from Andrew is WRMS. I use it to create some tracks for one of my albums. Same with OTIS from @Justmat. There´s so much deep exploration in those loopers

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Just want to chip in and say that this is a great idea for a thread - nice work @Helen !
My current favourite scripts are MLR ( the first script I really delved into and one I use in a live setting when I gig), Compass , Granchild , Cheat codes 2 (if you’re new to norns then @dan_derks
Music Hackspace workshops on this script are essential viewing) and ORGN. For sequencing, I LOVE Colorwheel.

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@PeterBark has been making some video demos of some of HIS faves, and I have found them extremely useful and inspiring. Latest one is on Otis.

He’s also done Wrms and Barcode. They’re all super great! Inspiring and informative.

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Gotta shout out @Justmat’s wonder Otis. It’s probably my most used script ATM.

My favorite would have to of course be @dan_derks less-concepts. The Passerby voice sounds so nice and I love improvising using bits and weird patterns, changing bounds and gate probability. It’s amazing!

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But why isn’t Why? on Maiden anymore? :laughing:

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I’ve always been a Why? fan, too. Strangely it also isn’t listed in norns.community, nor does it have a topic in the library category.

It is out there, though:

;install https://github.com/antonhornquist/why.git
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just now seeing this somehow and ahh! thank you! i am very surprised to read anybody remembers this one! (sorry i never worked out how to quantize pattern recording. day job got busy for a couple of months and then never slowed down and then years went by and i forgot like 98% of how to code)

for what it’s worth i recently discovered @yams colorwheel and it’s been scratching the same kind of itch i was attempting to scratch (uhh what is this language?? why is this the only way i can think of to describe it??)—with the notable difference being that it is exponentially better thought out in terms of actually being able to fluidly move through through multiple harmonic spaces. i only know what like 40% of the buttons do still, but it’s enough!

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