Packed amazingly well. Shrink Wrapped, then bubble wrap, then a shipping box, then packing paper then a bigger box.. This packet was intended to arrive in one piece and it did.
Tim (SmashTV) himself was very helpful and friendly on the email, and he does a grand job which I for one appreciate as without him (or Mike at the other midibox shop) I would stand next to zero chance of getting a project like this off the ground.
Well… 75 of them for my custom midibox. Illuminated push buttons 15mm square caps with a slight indent from rapidonline. Not the lightest of press weights, 2N, but they are big enough and will be mounted in a heavy chassis so they should be fine.
Look good lit up as well..
I’ve been planning for months, and thinking about it for at least two years, and I’ve finally ordered my Midibox kit from SmashTV.
For those not aware Midibox is a open source custom midi controller project designed by a nice chap called Thorsten Klose and let free into the world for those of us who cannot find the right midi controller for our needs. There’s several types of Midibox. Some for boxes with motorised faders, some that are stand alone midi sequencers and even SID chip based synths. All are build at home and decidedly non-commercial. In fact you can’t even sell your midibox without asking permission!
I’ve salvaged my pots, found some illuminated buttons that I can afford and the kit should be here in the next few weeks with any luck.
First stage is to get the Core and I/O boards built which by all accounts is not too bad and with any luck by the time I’m back from the WWDC I’ll be well on my way to start testing.
Sold Out. Finito. 500 units gone into the world. The beautiful, logo-less, indie made musical interface has sold out.
I always held out hope that one day the money would be there and available and I could get in touch with the guys at monome and order my very own but fate has dictated that one will not be mine.
By the time the $500 dollar price tag + shipping + VAT + Import Duty was totted up there was no chance of it being affordable.
So congratulations to the monomons (or whatever they are called) for a successful run and here’s looking to the upcoming 100h (256 buttons!) for more geek musician pron fodder.
I dread to think what a 40h would fetch on ebay in the next few months…
My mate Jon’s finally put up the video of his recent art installation “The Sonic Marble Run”.
I’ll let him explain…
The piece consists of two elements. Firstly, the marble creates sounds by rolling along textured runways and striking various things such strings, springs metal objects etc. These sound sources are then amplified and reproduced through an installation of various prepared speakers. The speakers are prepared in that they have been physically altered in some way to affect their sound. As the audience roll the marbles down the run the space is filled with an electro mechanical soundscape. It is a physical and electromechanical sonic experience: no digital here! The piece has so far been exhibited at the Grant Bradley gallery in Bristol.
You can find out more at his website
