Reaktor
has a mature library of instruments, there's at least 10 which I would class as 'excellent' and also fill holes in my sonic arsenal which I have been wanting to fill for a while (a decent waveguide flute model for example)
I can open them up and alter them if I ever feel the need, but currently I'm focusing on writing music.
So, at least 10 excellent instruments for $99 (£60) seems like a bargain to me.
My other option was M4L.
M4L would let me access the API, play some pluggos, roll my own fractalised bingbong device . But I recently realised that if I let myself be carried away on that stream of "I can program anything I want to" then all too soon I would be enrolling on a software engineering course rather than making music. And that's no idle lip flapping, because I have done this before. One of my major flaws is starting too many projects and finishing none. EG: I can see that M4L appeals to my procrastination lobe, the one that made me learn Generator, Reaktor Javascript, PHP, SQL, C++, Processing , Synthedit, Synthmaker, etc. The one that made me start to write my own content management system, my own shopping cart, my own blogging software.
That is the bad lobe.
I am currently embracing simplicity. I think that unlimited options do not mean unlimited creativity. In fact limited options are better for my creativity.
I had a quick poke around the M4L beta and did not see a button marked "easy access to Live API", so I knocked up an API logging function (parent/sibling tree to text file) to try and trace what triggered what.
I suddenly realised what I was doing and quickly shut the program and picked up my lap steel, in a cold sweat.
So, I'll not be joining you lot on the M4L train.
I'm on the wagon.
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[edit]
in the spirit of honesty - I will confess to having just put an order in for an arduino and some sparkfun ribbon controllers though
)
Exactly the same here. Just bought Reaktor and am looking at arduinos later this week! Just don't have time to give M4L the deep investigation it deserves at the moment, even though I know Max already...
