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Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

midi.guide

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Re: Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

#11

Post by ductionist »

jamesjolliffe wrote: post #4

OK, call me too synth nerdy, but have you guys ever longed for a project that allowed you too match stuff like envelope times and between synths? E.g. (totally made up values in this example) if you want to approximate the amplitude envelope from SH-101 to Bass Station 2, if the attack knob is at 5/10 position on 101, that's 500ms, which means you need to set attack knob to 6/10 on Bass Station 2 to get same attack t…

That's an interesting idea. We've had a couple of requests to expand the format to include a mapping function between the CC/NRPN values and the 'display' values, e.g. [0, 127] -> [-10, 10], for cases where the relationship is nonlinear. This wouldn't guarantee normalization of meaning (it wouldn't encode the difference between the SH-101's attack and the Bass Station 2's attack), but it would make it easier to pull everything together in an app.

Re: Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

#12

Post by rigonkulous »

ductionist wrote: post #9
Lio wrote: post #3

This looks like a really great project. I naively thought that with 300ish synths covered they'd have everything I own but I can see that's not the case. I've got Alesis, Casio and Yamaha equipment that's missing. Time to dig out the manuals and get a PR ready. It's easy to forget how successful the MIDI standard is. It might be the most stable and still relevant digital standard of all time. My oldest bit of kit is…

Hey thanks. I love the MIDI standard for exactly this reason too. Blows my mind that you can hook a forty year old synth up to a computer or iPad without drivers.

Synth nerds got it right: open specs, and a general industry-wide desire to make things play well together. After all, its music, this is why music works in the first place..

Re: Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

#13

Post by ductionist »

rigonkulous wrote: post #12
ductionist wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey thanks. I love the MIDI standard for exactly this reason too. Blows my mind that you can hook a forty year old synth up to a computer or iPad without drivers.

Synth nerds got it right: open specs, and a general industry-wide desire to make things play well together. After all, its music, this is why music works in the first place..

Totally, and I think the need for MIDI Guide - the fact that MIDI CC/NRPN is pretty much a free-for-all - is also why the spec has such staying power. It's so unopinionated that it imposes essentially zero constraints beyond message size. I love it.

Re: Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

#15

Post by big_toast »

Demo from the post - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8B4DuDFt2w

Wow. This post covers a lot! As a non-synth/midi person I kinda bounced off and thought it wasn't for me but there's really so much cool stuff in here. The video was what caused me to scroll back and read more closely.

It seems like two apps if you include penbook (https://condukt.app/ being the main app). The title really describes the content but somehow undersold it for me.

Is there a midi device novices start with like a recorder for gradeschool students? The HiChord always looks so enticingly simple but I don't even know if that is the same type of device?

Re: Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

#16

Post by ductionist »

big_toast wrote: post #15

Demo from the post - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8B4DuDFt2w Wow. This post covers a lot! As a non-synth/midi person I kinda bounced off and thought it wasn't for me but there's really so much cool stuff in here. The video was what caused me to scroll back and read more closely. It seems like two apps if you include penbook ( https://condukt.app/ being the main app). The title really describes the content but som…

If you’re curious about synths, I’d actually say it’s better to start with an instrument that’s standalone (that is, doesn’t need a MIDI controller). The HiChord is a good choice. I’ve personally had lots of fun with Orchid by Telepathic Instruments. And anything with a keyboard by KORG (including the VERY affordable volca line) is also a great starting point.

Once your first synth starts making sense, you’ll get the itch to buy a second, and it’ll be time to delve into MIDI :)

Re: Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

#17

Post by marpstar »

Glad to see this on here. I've been using an iPad as the "brain" in my music setup and found this project not long ago. I've since opened PRs for a couple of Line 6 pedals I've got. I've also got a Novation Launch Control XL 3, for which Ben (the creator) has made an editor available to make targeting specific devices much easier. I've had a few email correspondence with him regarding the idea of open-sourcing that editor and he's a super nice dude.

Thanks again, Ben! (if you're reading this)

Re: Three hundred synths, 3 hardware projects, and one app

#18

Post by big_toast »

ductionist wrote: post #16
big_toast wrote: post #15

Demo from the post - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8B4DuDFt2w Wow. This post covers a lot! As a non-synth/midi person I kinda bounced off and thought it wasn't for me but there's really so much cool stuff in here. The video was what caused me to scroll back and read more closely. It seems like two apps if you include penbook ( https://condukt.app/ being the main app). The title really describes the content but som…

If you’re curious about synths, I’d actually say it’s better to start with an instrument that’s standalone (that is, doesn’t need a MIDI controller). The HiChord is a good choice. I’ve personally had lots of fun with Orchid by Telepathic Instruments. And anything with a keyboard by KORG (including the VERY affordable volca line) is also a great starting point. Once your first synth starts making sense, you’ll get the…

Ha. The Orchid was the first instrument I clicked on (in the Jamuary section) when I was trying to answer my own question.

Thank you for the recommendations. You're half way to a logicalincrements.com (I assume there's natural pairings between all these devices? it always looks like an array of devices cabled together.)

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