norns: ideas

tgk · December 23, 2021, 2:37pm

I can’t spot if this has been suggested before (or if it is even feasible) but a mod for channeling midi to one of the installed synths would be amazing. This would be used with libraries that send midi (e.g. awake, colorwheel, orca, etc.) but which only supports one or zero synth engines.

21echoes · December 23, 2021, 4:13pm

The issue is that different engines have different interfaces (i mean the invisible code interface aka API, not the UI) the mod would need a mapping from midi commands to each different possible engine’s API. that may be possible tho! but you’d have to maintain that mapping / update it as new synths are made

tgk · December 23, 2021, 7:02pm

Hmm alright. That doesn’t sound like too much of a hassle. I thought most had the same interface but I’m not deep enough in the eco system to remember.

burr · December 24, 2021, 6:34am

It would be nice if the norns script browser could show the informational tags (single character and maybe just a subset of tags) on the far right side of the script name. Such as “x CHEAT-CODES ga|sl” (Grid, Arc, Sampler, Looper). Probably not that useful for daily usage but nice for discovery and identifying yet unused but installed scripts.

nonverbalpoetry · December 25, 2021, 8:30am

I would love to see some kind of global system wide set of lfos, that can be assigned to scripts the same way midi is assigned to script parameters, and the rate, amplitude and wave shape etc can be edited in the global settings menu too.
I know some scripts like Mx synths and Otis ready have lfos, but bit would be so cool to be able to have a system that doesn’t need to be built into scrips and can just be assigned to any parameter just like midi can. I’ve thought about using midi lfos for this but then it occured to me, that by not just do it inside norns?

Nordseele · December 25, 2021, 7:21pm

I am looking for a solution based on Raspberry Pi to listen to webradio on my HIFI system. I’ve started searching and considering some options and elements available: Piradio, Hifiberry DAC & OS, Mopidy etc but after all I’m thinking:

I have a clone of Norns that is not used at the moment, it already has a screen, buttons, encoders, wifi, bluetooth and an audio output of course. Additionally, the Raspberry Pi are out of stock almost everywhere and it would be kind of complicated to start creating a new device now, so why not simply connect this Norns to my HIFI system ?

I figured I should ask here on Lines first: Has anyone ever tried to use Norns or a Norns Shield as an internet radio streamer, webradio player ? Is this a good idea ?

Option 1 : I’m wondering if it would be possible and preferable to create a script that would list internet radio stations. But I think I rememember how to code, perhaps I could write a script ; In such scenario, I don’t know which API I could use, I haven’t searched for one yet, do you know any ?

Option 2 : Or, would it be better to have a systemwide « module » or engine dedicated to internet radio streaming next to the TAPE player/recorder of Norns for example? Similar to the FM receiver on an OP-1, you see? This would be really fun I think. This source could be used in other scripts, recorded, sampled… Well, this one is obviously more complicated, but it would be interesting in my opinion.

Option 3 : Or should I try to install something like Mopidy on the Norns clone device, assign buttons and encoders, and completely forget about Norns OS? What bothers me with this solution is that it would be quite complicated to use the screen, I don’t really want to reinvent the wheel… On top of that, it could be nice to still have Norns and all the amazing scripts connected to the hifi system.

I haven’t read the forum too much lately, I don’t know if the idea has come up already. I’m sorry if it’s already been asked or if the tag/ thread is not correct.

What do you think?

xmacex · December 25, 2021, 8:05pm

Hi. Something similar came up less than a week ago on the norns: ideas thread. Check out that discussion, it’s like two dozen or so comments and proof-of-concept demos etc.

Nordseele · December 25, 2021, 8:14pm

Thanks !
That’s great ! I missed this thread in the search results. I didn’t know this MPV thing, I’m gonna have a look. I could put a couple of m3u in a script and switch between my favorite stations with the encoder and perhaps retrieve the song titles and artist names and display them on the screen…

kasselvania · December 25, 2021, 8:45pm

I mean, I’d be hella in to this as a way of exploring internet radio, as I’ve not even thought of looking down that rabbit hole

glia · January 3, 2022, 3:57pm

please forgive me if this is somewhere else on the forum
does any norns app have a freeze similar to this?

Justmat · January 3, 2022, 4:13pm

seems like it would be fairly simple to do with a short softcut loop

ParliamentLite · January 4, 2022, 8:20pm

I have an idea that has probably been asked elsewhere but here goes: is it possible to control a Disting EX from Norns via Crow? Has anyone done it before? I assume it would be a fairly straightforward modification, might be the first I try!

wheelersounds · January 4, 2022, 8:33pm

SC has PV_Magfreeze built in, it sounds a little stuttery but might work better with different window sizes/curves and maybe some bin amplitude modulation…

beat · January 4, 2022, 9:58pm

yeah you can control disting ex via crow. you can find the list of implemented commands here or you can use the crow.ii.raw command.

github.com

monome/crow/blob/main/lua/ii/disting.lua

do return
{ module_name  = 'Disting EX'
, manufacturer = 'Expert Sleepers'
, i2c_address  = { 0x41, 0x42, 0x43, 0x44 }
, lua_name     = 'disting'
, commands     =
  { { name = 'load_preset'
    , cmd = 0x40
    , docs = 'load a preset'
    , args = { 'number', u16 }
    }
  , { name = 'save_preset'
    , cmd = 0x41
    , docs = 'save as a preset'
    , args = { 'value', u16 }
    }
  , { name = 'reset_preset'
    , cmd = 0x42
    }
  , { name = 'algorithm'

This file has been truncated. show original

I only used it to send notes to the disting or to bypass midi notes via the disting.

rgkies · January 5, 2022, 1:36pm

I had an idea regarding isomorphic keyboard-grids:
it’s not norns specific but might be easy to implement there. Since on an isomorphic keyboard every note exists more than once i thought it would be interesting if the different buttons of the same note would make a difference in timbre, like on a where guitar you can play the same notes on different strings but they’ll have a slightly different timbre.
Using the monome grid and something like gridkeys mod (now w/ q7 layout, crow & jf outs) that information could probably be translated to midi velocity or polyphonic aftertouch, since it doesn’t have that anyways.

I don’t have a grid to try or use that myself, but maybe someone else like that idea too

zbs · January 7, 2022, 1:58am

Would it be possible to, in a mod, address each input on norns separately, variously sending each to the reverb, softcut, etc and adjusting levels individually - like a 2 input mixer?
Would this be a firmware patch thing?

maaark · January 7, 2022, 1:57pm

I had this idea the other night of addressing JF to play notes at a very fast speed, with random amplitude- as to create dense ‘granular-like’ textured beds of notes. I prototyped it in Orca and then set out to write my first script- it’s far from finished, but here’s an idea of what it will be able to do!

zbs · January 7, 2022, 3:29pm

wow, that’s so nice! cool idea and nice execution - very cinematic

nonverbalpoetry · January 7, 2022, 3:42pm

Idea for a Mod, 8 internal lfos with rate and depth options that can be mapped to any parameter that midi can mapped to.
I love scripts with internal lfos but having these as universal system wide lfos would be amazing

mo_o · January 10, 2022, 11:11am

@maaark sorry I’ve tried your mod, first I’ve installed MPV then in matron I’ve run “;install GitHub - markijzerman/tending_the_waves” then restart.

I can see the mod in the list but when I go inside the folder nothing happen and my screen goes blank

did you expierenced this?