Threshold Toggle
I needed this functionality for one of my arduino midi projects that’s on my to do list, this was a quick 15 minute blast through. I’m sure the max isn’t awesome and probably very ugly, but it works.
Made By Robot – iPhone App
This weekend I will start some initial trials into building my Made By Robot iPhone app.
I’m not going to go into much detail about what I want to do with the first app, but I’m excited by the idea and will hopefully either give it away for free with the next album, or give the next album away for free with the app. Not worked out which is easier.
I actually have a couple of ideas for Made By Robot iPhone apps, so I’m hoping that I can maybe do one for each release.
Having zero Objective-C experience I’m aware that this might be a painful transition from the day job of coding for the web, but maybe the challenge is what I need.
On a side point, I’m also planning a couple of hardware projects reaching finale this weekend, it all depends on the weather and how much time I spend at the beach with the family.
Too many things to do (must focus)
I seen to be suffering from project overload, as I’m reaching a point where I’m not finishing anything and yet I have a million things going on. Currently on my active projects list (active as in things with hot solder on them):
- PAiA Fat Man Synth – needs soldering finished
- Where’s the party At 8 Bit Sampler – needs finishing and an enclosure finding
- Casio SK-1 Midi Conversion needs desolder and resolder in reverse (silly error)
- Penguins – next album, needs finishing (mainly mix and remaster)
- Touch Screens (I have a PSP sized one with a 8×8 matrix, and a ds one with a 8×16) still prototyping
- Midi Thumb Piano – still prototyping (this one I love the sound of)
- Build housing for Xyloduino
- Resolder my arduinome (currently sat in pieces)
- Cubeduino – cube shaped arduinome (still on drawing board, but I have all the bits)
- Circuit Bend my TR-626 and 505
- Open and Clean my Moog Prodigy and install the midi retrofit I have
- Start work on the Seven Seas DVD project
- learn all the goodness that comes in Komplete 5 which should arrive at the weekend
I then have dozens of note pad sketches of things I haven’t even started. I really do need to be independantly wealthy, or super crazy focused.
All quiet
Been a while since my last update, but I’ve not vanished off the planet just been busy with some “life” things and experimenting with an influx of new toys.
Recently added a Roland Sh-32, tr-505 & tr-626 an Alesis Micron and a Moog Rogue to the collection of musical junk.
The sh-32 is a knob twiddling synth I plan to use as a backup to Ableton and for some support roles.
The tr-505 I’m planning on circuit bending, although I’m sorry to say I’m not a huge fan of how most circuit bent instruments sound, (the whole 8-bit scene still confuse me). But I’ve found some more subtle tweaks I can make to just make the drum sounds more interesting and less chaotic and noisy.
The tr-626 I got silly cheap, so I don’t have a reason to have it other than I’m a gadget collecting freak.
Micron was a present from my wife, and I love it already, amazing analog synth, capable of so much, I’m going to use it extensively with ableton and retrowave (on osx). It needs some serious time investment.
The moog was the cheapest I could find, that still seemed to have a genuine sound. It sounds better than I imagined. I guess it’s age and condition have resulted in something that sounds amazing. Like an old leather faced tuscan farmer, their faces are not pretty, but they have such amazing character. My plan is to add midi in with midiJack, and then use it as a character bassline generator. While open to add the midi, I’ll give it a good clean.
Oh and I almost forgot I picked up an 80′s icon the Casio Sk-1. Which again, I had no reason to get, but the price meant I couldn’t say no. Planning on adding midi in to that as well using the highly liquid system.
Add to all of these the fact that I still have a sx-150 I’m supposed to be midi retrofitting, all the bits for another arduinome, a xlyoduino that is 95% finished (just needs the stands), and a set of 4 joysticks I need to convert into a midi input devices. Busy busy busy.
I also need to move my office into the basement, but that means adding a new wall and 30 power outlets. More news on all these projects as soon as I have some. I also really need to get back into the music making habit – since this is what it’s all about.
Made By Robot – Binary (Album Release)
Yesterday was the release of the first Made By Robot album Binary, it’s available for free download or name your price audiophile download from my bandcamp page or on soundcloud. The tunes were created using a monome using a couple of custom max patches controlling Ableton, here is a preview….
Xyloduino Prototype
Arduino to Servo
Spent a couple of minutes this afternoon playing around with my new SG90 servos I picked up on ebay for a steal. Initially I just wanted to get them talking with an arduino – which although initially looked easy, was a bit of a time vampire. Anyway, trick seems to be code like that attached, and ensuring you have the 5v unplugged until everything has updated and started (no idea why, but seems the loading voltage changes seems to freak the servo out.
int signalPin = 8; //servo signal pin
void setup()
{
pinMode(signalPin, OUTPUT);
}
void loop()
{
for (int i=0; i <= 100; i++) // turn to CCW end, hold 2 seconds
{
digitalWrite(signalPin, HIGH); // control signal high
delayMicroseconds(900); // for 900 uS
digitalWrite(signalPin, LOW); // control signal low
delay(10); // wait 20mS
}
for (int i=0; i <= 50; i++) // turn to CW end, hold 2 seconds
{
digitalWrite(signalPin, HIGH); // control signal high
delayMicroseconds(1100); // for 1500 uS
digitalWrite(signalPin, LOW); // control signal low
delay(1); // wait 20mS
}
}
Some useful reference sites, but be aware that neither of these I could get the code to work, but probably more my issue than the code:
http://principialabs.com/arduino-serial-servo-control/
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Labs/AnalogIn
Next step, aiming low, I want to get a button in max that will trigger the servo movement:
http://www.cycling74.com/forums/index.php?t=msg&goto=165203
Once I have that, I just need to replicate the action with the 6 other servos, work out how to attach hammers to them all, and then add some sort of step sequencer in max so I can have a 6 note analog drum kit.... that is until my xylophone arrives.
3 new projects in the works
RPM Challenge
10 songs in the month of February, I’m 2 songs in with 3 days down, so I’m ahead of schedule. The album will be called Binary, and is a mish mash of stuff (so far at least).
Ableton to Max to Arduino to SX-150
I’m working on finding a way to make my sx-150 a black box synth. The aim is to end up with a box with only a phono out and usb in, no knobs, buttons, or input. First step will be trying out Mrbooks arduino control setup for the sx-150, the second step will be using a few digital potemtiometers to allow the arduino to control, what used to be controlled by the rotary knobs. Then all I’ll need is a little max patch with those controls and I’ll have a digitally controllable analog sythn, for less than $50.
Ableton Midi clock to Max to Arduino to Music Box
This ones a little more adventurous. The aim is to get a punch card music box, with a motor controlling the turning of the handle, this motor would be variable speeds to match a midi clock from abelton. The music box will use something like guitar pickups to get the sound back into the computer for tweaking. This project is largely influenced by Mapmaps awesome music box setup – just with an additional twist.
New Tracks from Nothing Bees
At the moment I’m just playing around and seeing what comes out of my Monome’s, Ableton, BCR2000 experiments.
Also available on last.fm ( Made By Robot – Nothing Bees )
And you can download all the MP3′s zipped up nicely.
128 Frenzy
Monome™ opened up sales of 128′s to the general public. Last week they finished off supplying the long standing waiting list. Brian said they had 70, and he was pretty confident given the economic climate and the fact that they were going on sale 2 weeks after Christmas that sales wouldn’t be brisk and availability would be there if people wanted on.
At 1.00pm EST the “buy it now” link was published.
Amazing demand. I think it’s a strong sign of the clear difference between the DIY monomes and the ones produced by Monome Inc. That even though you can build a Monome clone for less than $300 with almost no waiting time, people will still fight to the death for an $800 piece of equipment that does the exact same thing.
I’m one of those people. In fact I have an arduinome, a Monome Kit, and I still managed to scramble to pick up a legit 128 from the originators. I just had to have one. It never felt right using the other two.
I will continue to use the other two, one is going to my daughter, the other I will use as a secondary controller. My spare 40h kit, I’m selling back to the community at cost, just so someone has a chance to use it.
I can not wait to get my 128. It’s the best Christmas present I could have wished for. That’s Brian and Kelli !!!!
