Monolake Interview, Videos and Shows

FORMAT · Post by **FORMAT** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:58 am

raapie wrote:
Robert Henke wrote:Why is it important if this specific set runs on Live 5 or Live 4 ? I think actually this is Live 4 on the screenshot but I cannot tell, i have seen way to many interim versions. I often swich between versions while working for ableton, just to check for instance if a bug is new or already in since Live xxx.

Robert
Because 5 is a higher number than 4.

And my amp goes up to 11.

Yeah, long live Nigel!

Cache · Post by **Cache** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:09 am

interesting thread. Mr Henke nice to see you on the board after watching your video last night.
I see your personality in your words. good stuff.

I want Live 5 to be more stable than it is. Please release a bug fix version soon.
Until then, i'm using live 4 for shows, but i want to use 5 for the new features...

btw, are you coming to Los Angeles?

Cache

Sunburzt · Post by **Sunburzt** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:43 pm

well i found these videotutorials very helpfull.

http://www.swavideo.com/streaming/?page ... c8aa83e485

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:35 pm

computo wrote:sorry, that is the least helpful video Ive ever seen, in understanding how the monodeck works.

WOW, he assigned knobs and buttons to Live, BIG FUCKING SHOCK!

How about a bit more about HOW its put together, rather than just another "I assigned this to this, and this to this."

Looks like "rather badly" is the answer to "How it's put together". Sorry, but it's true. But Robert seems genuinely happy with the way bits don't always work and it's a bit raggedy at the edges so that's fine

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:52 pm

Robert Henke wrote:Hi

Friday, August 26th: Monolake performs at SubTonic, located at 107 Norfolk Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side. $5 with special Ableton prizes. 9PM-4AM."

is incorrect. It is an "Atlantic Waves" performance with me in NYC and Scott/Deadbeat in Tokyo, not a monolake concert. For the monolake concert come to PS1 on Saturday. There you will also see the monodeck in action and I am willing to answer questions and explain each part on it.

The monodeck is nothing special. It is just a MIDI controler which I made _after_ thinking of my perfect Live Set setup. The communication between Live and it is done via a MAX Patch, allowing me to control more functions with less buttons, but after all it is all pretty simple and nothing one could not do with any other box.
The reason why I made it is because I wanted a controler which has a button for each function I want, and no buttons for functions I do not need. It also had to be big enough to be used even if I am tired, drunk, stoned... but this is it.

Richie mainly failed in Montreal because his CRTL had to much functions and he lost control during the performance, btw. He tried to control 16 tracks plus video, I use 6 tracks plus video and two sends and this is all my brain can handle in a live situation. And since each single clip can contain lots of music this is absolutely sufficient.

Robert

Robert

I'm one of the other guys who has a controller on the Doepfer website along with yours and Richies: http://www.doepfer.de/home_e.htm

The way you present your monodeck in the video gives the impression you think it's not very good. Saying bit's don't always work may be very honest but shouldn't you just fix them? My experience with the Doepfer boards (lots of experience) is they either work, or they are bust, there's no 'sometimes work' about it

I completely agree about the number of tracks and returns one can handle live. I max out at a similar number to you, 6-8, with groups of tracks bounced down into those, and 2 active returns for playing with and a "static" one too maybe. Not surprised Richie got muddled.

How come you have to use a MAX patch to parse the signals to Live? What does it do?

Best wishes

Macrostructure
http://www.macrostructure.net

Robert Henke · Post by **Robert Henke** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 4:43 am

Hi Macrostructure,
the monodeck is a prototype, hacked in a pretty short time prior to a bigger tour.
I am very happy with it given what it is, but I would do it different if I had to do it again. If the video gives the impression I am not happy, this is wrong, I just wanted to point out that it is not a "professional" product. I used very cheap potentiometers because that have been the only ones I could get at that time and
they often send random values and tend to break soon. Also the first power supply I did put in was not very good and this caused the doepfer stuff to freak out from time to time, but this is solved now. The reason why the monodeck was open while Jesse filmed was because I once again needed to replace a potentiometer.

I use MAX, because the monodeck itself is pretty stupid and the buttons and the LEDs within the buttons can perform different functions. MAX controls under which circumstances which buttons do send which data and how the LEDs react.

Your controler looks like lot of fun. Let me know once you perform in Berlin

Robert

FORMAT · Post by **FORMAT** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 7:37 am

Richie Hawtin's controller seems to b e, at first glance, the most intuitive of the three.... as it's very much laid out like Live.

The Monodeck video looked so much fun! Wish I could see you live any time soon....

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:51 am

Robert Henke wrote: Your controler looks like lot of fun. Let me know once you perform in Berlin

Robert

Thanks Robert, will do.

The problem I have with the unit it ergonomics - you have to turn the knobs too far to get full scale deflection on controls in Live. I spaced the knobs much further apart than on most units but it's still hard to spin them far enough. This is a particular problem for dub sends when you need to really flick the sends over and back, effectively using them to send 'samples' to the return tracks. I was hoping to code a Plogue patch to double up the increment/decrement messages for selected controllers using the MIDI echo bidule, but I only started looking a Plogue last night.

I'm guessing this is, in general terms, the type of patch activity you are using MAX for, but for different functions obviously, hence my question.

David · Post by **David** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:11 pm

Hi Guys,

Are these things difficult to make?? (For a total hardware electronics newb). I might like to try making a simple controller (perhaps just a 4 or 5 channel one initially), just for fun and the experience. I take it Doepfer provide all the necessary documentation about how to tackle such as thing?

Thanks,
David

jms5881 · Post by **jms5881** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:26 pm

From what I have seen, the maven used by Sasha is the most sophisticated and versitile controller I have seen. It has more functions and is much better contructed than the three controllers discussed here. And to all you blokes spreading missinformation about the maven being a mawser controller -- hehe, you peeps are morons. Even I have discussed parts and things with mawser but that doesn't mean diddly. Seriously, check out the maven for giggles. At the very least its slick looking and fits neatly right over a laptop. I wish it was marketable but it would wind up coosting too much due to the parts used. It seems to unlock the features of live in a very versitile and oen ended way ratherr than being a one trick pony custom job. I'm interested in learning more about it because I have yet to find a really good controller for live, short of making my own which I would love to do but can't afford right now.

I know I just pissed a lot of people off and I'm going to get flamed but I'm not gonna ignore something cool just because of status quo. I'm into music and ableton, not popularity and hating who its cool to hate becuase they sell more records than me.

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 10:02 am

David wrote:Hi Guys,

Are these things difficult to make??

yes

David wrote:I take it Doepfer provide all the necessary documentation about how to tackle such as thing?

Absolutely not. You get the PCB and a manual on how to set up the jumpers, what the presets mean and how to apply power and that's it.

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 10:08 am

jms5881 wrote: It [maven] seems to unlock the features of live in a very versitile and oen ended way ratherr than being a one trick pony custom job.

Since you have not used any of the units you mention I think your statement (above) is very flawed. The application of a little thought will lead you to realise that any freely assignable controller is, by defenition, a multi-trick pony.
If you spend some time exploring this technology area a little more you will also find that the application of real time MIDI processors (MAX, Plogue, Building Blocks etc) between the custom controller and target software application make the possibilities endless. Like the encoders.

Regards

ms

LOFA · Post by **LOFA** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 6:29 pm

Hey Macrostructure, or Henke, or anyone else,

I recently tried out some code that was posted on this forum that enables the microkontrol (and also some beringer control) to be used in "native" mode.

The code seemed to work partially through midipipe/microkontrols librarian, as it allowed me some (very unpredictable) control of pans per track. Unfortunately the poster speaks very little english, so I havent been able to get very far with it (it's too bad because they seem very, very bright and capable:))

My question is, if I was using max or Plogue Biddle, could it be possible to create a similiar device? Or perhaps embelish on the possible features already between interfacing the microkontrol and Live?

Thanks!

Macrostructure · Post by **Macrostructure** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 6:36 pm

LOFA wrote:Hey Macrostructure, or Henke, or anyone else,

I recently tried out some code that was posted on this forum that enables the microkontrol (and also some beringer control) to be used in "native" mode.

The code seemed to work partially through midipipe/microkontrols librarian, as it allowed me some (very unpredictable) control of pans per track. Unfortunately the poster speaks very little english, so I havent been able to get very far with it (it's too bad because they seem very, very bright and capable:))

My question is, if I was using max or Plogue Biddle, could it be possible to create a similiar device? Or perhaps embelish on the possible features already between interfacing the microkontrol and Live?

Thanks!

Hi Ian

Can I recommend a program called Building Blocks. It's all the MIDI elements of Plogue and MAX without the crashes of beta-Plogue or the cost of MAX. It's a great piece of software for real time processing of midi data from any controller. Its powerful, stable and easy to use. You need to 'sync' it to Live to get the most out of it.

there's a link from my site:

http://www.macrostructure.net/unitone.htm

Cheers

ms

Needs2Know · Post by **Needs2Know** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:34 pm

thanks for the video, it made me laugh if nothing else. good to see the mad scientists at work lol.

how about some of the members of this board putting together some of their own videos on what controllers they are using? i would but first i need Live, and a controller, and a camera