Tonehammer, the sample libraries company (winner of one of our Sonic Joy Awards 2009), has good news for those in need of high quality and yet affordable new sounds. The name says it all: Microhammer.
In their words Microhammer is "an outlet for even more focused and experimental content in a smaller package, with the same high quality you expect from Tonehammer. The Microhammer catalog is built around the philosophy of lower prices, greater accessibility and more choice, with SFZ support, a la carte items and fresh content arriving regularly."

I think this a la carte approach is a win-win situation: customers get access to top quality and "fresh" stuff without breaking the bank, while companies can make their business more "sustainable" without losing the focus.
Microhammer catalog's going to include new samples, as well as sub-sets of Tonehammer big libraries.
These small libraries are available both individually (starting from 19$) and, for a limited time, as a special bundle (89$, at least this is the price for the current bundle).

Let's have a look at this month's menu:

• The Iron Throne, a "eerie and dark collection of metallic percussive and semi-melodic effects"
• Water Percussion Vol. 1, "a variety of percussive elements purely made with water", no extra reverb
• Epic Room Percussions, "punchy high, mid and low toms, dual octobans, triple roto-toms and metallic rims, recorded in a naturally wet studio environment"
• Music Boxes, one of my favorite musical tools, "sampled extensively in both dry, room/studio and hall like locations for maximum user flexibility"
• The Kazoo Solo and Ensemble, "created with the help of a world class kazoo ensemble, featuring some of the finest hand-crafted wax-paper and plastic wind instruments that money can buy"
• Gnomehammer vol.1, "a wide range of comedic sounds from authentic helium choir to drum kits from snow and ice sounds, from human beat box through PVC ensembles to manipulation of childrens balloons – from glockenspiel to a strange set of tonal dones"

Well, definitely some unique delicatessen in this menu, isn't it? The Water Percussion and the Music Boxes would probably be my first choice, but as usual, de gustibus non disputandum est. These libraries are for download only and are all in standard Kontakt format, with accessible wav files. You'll need a Kontakt license to use them (the free Kontakt Player won't work). It's good to see the SFZ open-source format is supported too (Camel Audio's Alchemy, Wuzik's Wuzik Station and Cakewalk's Demension can use this format). I'd just like Tonehammer/Microhammer to support EXS24 too, at least with those libraries that do not need extensive scripting techniques.

Microhammer's website

Third and final part of our Novation Launchpad special: in the first two articles we asked a hacker (Matt di Fonzo) and an artist (Madeleine Bloom) to share their thoughts on this new (and already popular) device.
In the meantime we had the chance of spending some quality time with it, and here's our Launchpad review...

Possible scenarios

Launchpad + Live

As said in our Sonic Joy Awards 2009, the Launchpad it's a perfect match for Ableton Live. It works, and it makes the whole Live experience much better (especially if you've only used mouse+keyboard 'til now).
Setting up the Launchpad in Live is foolproof, and the 4 pages Getting Started printed document is basically all you need to know to start playing with it.
The controller comes with a special (free) Live Launchpad edition on CD, but if you have a license for Live 7 (yes, you can use that one too) or 8, you'll just need to install the device drivers.

The Session Mode is where you'll probably spend more time, it lets you launch clips or entire scenes without having to look at the screen. You can easily move through your session with the pages buttons, and the focus on the screen (and the pads on the Launchpad) change accordingly.
Simply brilliant. It really feels like a natural extension of Live.

The User 1 mode lets you play the Launchpad pads as you would on a normal pad controller. It can be used to trigger some virtual instrument (like the Drum Racks, or a third-party one) or to assign the pads to any MIDI parameter.
Just keep in mind that playing beats in real-time is not the Launchpad's main purpose, the pads' action is not made for that (too "long" and a bit hard), and you'll get much better results with a proper pad controller (going from the cheap AKAI LPD8 to to more expensive ones).

The Mixer Mode is a little bit trickier (but after awhile you'll get used to it). It lets you use the Launchpad to tweak (or activate) tracks' parameters like Volume, Pan, Sends A and B, Solo, Stop, Track Activator, Track Arm.
Since the Launchpad is all about pads don't expect smooth volume changes, like you would get with a fader.
The other Mixer Mode functions can be useful at times, especially if the Launchpad is your only external controller.


Launchpad + Live & M4L

If you got Live 8 and the MaxforLive extension, the Launchpad can be used to work to control M4L patches (some are already out, many more are coming, there's a lot of work going on in the M4L community at the moment - and you can build your own patches, of course).
Check also Novation's beta version of its M4L Step Sequencer (downloadable for free here). It's a monophonic, simple but well conceived sequencer. Just couple it with an organ, choose an appropriate scale, and you'll feel like Terry Riley!


Launchpad + Live & MaxforLive + monome M4L apps

Since a few weeks there's a new M4l patch/hack that lets you use your Launchpad as a monome emulator inside Live/MaxforLive. It's called monomeemu (downloadable here) and supports all the apps that have been developed by the monome community.
Just drop it on a Live's MIDI track (just once, even if you're going to use several monome apps they will just need one monomeemu istance), then drop the monome app you need, add your virtual instrument of choice and you're done.
All this inside a Live channel, without complicated routing or such things.

I've tested a few of Stretta's apps (those recently ported to MaxforLive, downloadable here) and they seem to work fine. I say "seem" because my test in this case was not so extensive as it would need.
Sometimes, especially when running more monome apps at the same time, the Launchpad seems to be a bit laggy. This is probably due to the fact the emulation involves a OSC to MIDI conversion (monome is OSC compatible, while the Launchpad is only using MIDI).
Considering monomeemu is still young (0.93 release), I have good expectations about this project for the next weeks/months.
That said, we're talking of some advanced features here, so you'd better have some patience and a well performing audio+computer setup.


Launchpad + nonome + monome apps

Until a few weeks ago nonome (read also our interview with its developer) was the only hack that could let you use a Launchpad with monome apps. The whole thing is still valid (nonome can be found here), and, if you are not a M4L user, it's still the only way to go.
You need to get the free Max runtime (downloadable from this page), and some monome app, like those mentioned.
Then it's up to you: as sound generator you can use a standalone virtual instrument, or some hardware synth/module/drum machine connected via MIDI.
This setup is a bit more complicated (and could involve a higher latency) than the one mentioned earlier. It would be almost impossible to list here all the possible variables. Please ask for help on the above mentioned nonome forum thread.


Launchpad + Logic (or other DAWs)

The Launchpad it's a MIDI controller, and as such can be used with other DAWs like Logic, Cubase, etc.
I've used it to create some beats with NI Battery in Logic, for example. It's quite easy, you'll just need to check the MIDI notes messages sent by the Launchpad and change the values on your virtual instrument pads.
On Novation's website there's a useful document with all the MIDI specs of the device, but it seems there are a few mistakes regarding the MIDI Notes output.
Here's the correct layout, as seen by Logic (and I guess other DAWs too)...
The Launchpad can also make use of Novation's Automap software. You'll find the installer on the CD. Actually I think other Novation controller (filled with knobs, faders, etc.) do a much better job in that regard, so I decided to skip this step.


Launchpad + nonome + Logic (or other DAWs)

If you feel brave, you can also try setting up Logic with nonome and a monome app (I've used Stretta's Polygome for this example). As said, you'll need the free Max runtime to use nonome (the link for both is a few lines above).
Here's a couple of screenshot of the setting I've used in Logic and in the monome Max patch (you'll need to activate a IAC bus in your Mac's Audio MIDI Setup panel first)...


CONCLUSIONS

The Launchpad, at 200$/180€, is a cool grid-based controller, perfectly integrated with Live. It can also be used to run monome apps, and I'd recommend getting MaxforLive to make the most out of it.

If you're looking for an inexpensive, well-designed controller, that can let you "touch" your music while performing/composing, get a Launchpad. I'm sure you won't regret it.

Product's page

PROS:

• compact, light, multicolour, USB powered
• works great with Live and M4L
• can be hacked to use monome apps
• it's cheap but well built

LOVE-IT OR HATE-IT:

• nice grid-based controller, but if you really need a monome, buy a monome

CONS:

• the action of the pads could be improved
• the USB cable could be longer

Tattoo, the first (and long-awaited) instrument from Audio Damage is a powerful and flexible drum synthesizer (no samples here, just to be clear).
Well, actually Tattoo is more than a simple drum synth. Its multiple sequencers are the real core of instrument and the guys at Audio Damage have made great use of some of the techniques implemented in their previous products (the randomization/mod features/compressor come to mind).

Multiple sequencers? Yes, with Tattoo you get a grid-based pattern sequencer as well as a mod sequencer section.
The pattern sequencer works as you would expect, and it's very intuitive to use. 16 patterns available (step size: 1x32, 2x16, 1x16T, 1x16, and 1x8T), which can also be triggered from the keyboard.
The added value here is the randomization you can get from a couple of controls just below the grid: Selected Beats and Random Beats.
The first slider "determines how likely Tattoo is to play any given note" (therefore with a subtractive function), while the Random Beats can be used to add notes to your pattern.
Keep in mind that the Random Beats works also on a completely empty pattern. Just select an instrument/voice, make sure its grid row is empty and start playing with the Random Beats slider!

The mod sequencer makes Tattoo even more remarkable. Every single synthesis control parameter in Tattoo has its own sequencer. This means that, depending on the voice used (different voices have different synthesis controls), the mod sequencer can be assigned to tune, velocity, noise frequency, saturation, etc. Just click on a synthesis parameter, and here you have a mod sequencer ready to be used on that particular parameter.


The mod sequencer can be controlled manually (using the mouse to draw shapes) or using the provided Autofill feature. This has several pre-made shapes and an additional randomize-on-reset switch, which will bring instant modulation gratification to the sound you're working on.
As you can guess, the above mentioned probability sliders and these mod sequencer controls can add some life even to the most boring pattern!

What about the sound? Audio Damage is upfront about the sound-design of this plug-in, clearly "inspired by the famous X0X series of analog drum machines". If you love Roland's classic sound (and I'm sure most users do), you will love Tattoo, otherwise you could find it a bit limited from this point of view.
Being a Microtonic lover, I still think SonicCharge's plug-in offers more sonic options and a better sounding palette. But we're talking of different beasts, and Tattoo's sequencers make it a truly creative and inspiring device.
Actually, I've never been a purist, and to me a creative and inspiring interface is worth more than the never-ending search for the "perfect sound".

If you like, it's possible to switch off Tattoo's internal sounds and use it as a controller for other instruments, like Battery, MicroTonic, etc. (unfortunately only VST users can benefit of that, the AU protocol does not support MIDI Output, damn Apple!).
Tattoo has also a multi-output mode, which is often needed if you want to have full control of each channel (so you can use your most expensive outboard or plug-in to give some final tweaks to the sound).
Need to work with odd time signatures? This is usually something that can give headaches to most drum-machines, but Tattoo has a MIDI Note Sync mode which can be used to have full control of the whole she-bang.
As explained in the manual, "the MIDI Note mode lets you use MIDI note messages to make Tattoo’s sequencers step forwards and backwards". At first it can seem a bit tricky, but I'd recommend following the example in the manual. You'll be able to master complex time signatures quite easily after reading that.

CONCLUSIONS

Tattoo is well-designed and very easy to use. The 34 pages manual is worth reading anyway (also because of its clever copywriting!).
There's clearly some complex stuff going on behind the scenes, but the user's workflow is crystal clear.

Tattoo lets you quickly get some good results, and I think that's one of the best things that can be said of a musical instrument.

I'd just love to see a bigger/more readable GUI, it would make the whole experience even better. Unfortunately resizable interfaces are not so common, and I hope more developers will pay attention to this in the near future (U-he Zebra is actually one of the few good examples).
At 79$ (VST and AU, OS X and Windows) Tattoo is definitely something to add to your plug-ins' collection. No demo version (the manual is available here), but a fair no questions asked money-back policy, as usual for Audio Damage's products.
I doubt you'll ever make use of this option though...
Last but not least: if you are going to browse Audio Damage's shop, have a look at some of their previous releases. I'm sure stuff plugs like Automaton or BigSeq2, for example, could become your Tattoo's best friend!

Product's page

PROS:

• powerful sequencers
• inspiring randomization features
• MIDI Out
• MIDI Note Sync
• comprehensive manual

LOVE-IT OR HATE-IT:

• soundwise it's a Roland X0X-inspired drum-synth

CONS:

• no MIDI pattern export
• the GUI could be bigger/more readable
• the preset/kit management could be improved

As mentioned in the main Sonic Joy Awards article, our tribute to the best products of the year is now more juicy than ever.
We asked an expert, in this case Andreas Schneider (from Schneiders Buero, the man behind Schneiders Buero, one of the most famous analogue instruments stores of the entire planet), to share with our readers his favorite toys of the year.
And you know, with people like Mr. Schneider you can't go wrong!

P.s: if you love this stuff, check out also Totally Wired, the recently released DVD documentary film about Schneiders Buero (featuring interviews with manufacturers and artists).

Hardware Drum-machine

MFB 522


Hardware Sequencer

Flame six-in-a-row


Hardware Synth

Doepfer Dark Energy


Hardware Modular innovation

Makenoise MATHS


Hardware Oscillator

Macbeth Xtreme dual oscillator


Hardware Filter/Outboard/Studio tool

NIIO Iotine core

2009 in a few words? A cool year for sound-design tools, as well as for reverbs. Hardware outboard emulations never sounded so good (unfortunately prices in most cases have considerably gone up), and performing tools got better, smaller and more affordable.
Here below you'll find our picks of the year, but let me just tell you that this time we've even more Sonic Joy goodies to share with you. We've asked Andreas Schneider (the man behind Schneiders Buero, one of the most famous analogue instruments stores of the whole planet) to tell us about his favorite 2009 toys. You'll find his choices here.

P.s: needless to say, but our Sonic Joy Awards cannot and do not want to be an "ultimate, ultra-comprehensive list". I'm sure there's better stuff around, that we had no time/chance to test. That's what comments are for, just let us know!


Workstation

Symbolic Sound Pacarana and Paca
Hollywood's favorite sound-design tool gets faster (meaning more suitable to real time processing), more compact and (just a bit) cheaper. Pacarana and Paca, made to be used with the Kyma sound design environment, are still the wet dream of many producers. Given technology now is cheaper than ever, I'd love to see a much more affordable (sort of nano) version. It would be fun to see more users and more Kyma around.


Controller

Native Instruments Maschine
Much more than a pure controller. Well designed, nice tactile feedback, and now even more effective, thanks to the latest software update. Maschine is a must for computer-based beatmakers.

Novation Launchpad
Grid-controller for the masses. The Launchpad is a perfect match for Live, and a cheap way (thanks to some smart hackers) to play with those monome apps you've ever wanted to try.

Akai LPK 25 and LPD8
It can't get any better than this. Two very cheap, USB powered, small-sized but definitely usable controllers, that users can bring anywhere they need. Korg got the idea first, but Akai did the right thing with the LPK 25 and the LPD8.


Application

Celemony Melodyne Editor
Thanks to its DNA technology, Melodyne Editor is one of the few revolutionary software of these years. Now the challenge is making something really creative with it.

Ableton Live 8/MaxforLive
This year Ableton has been active on many fronts: a new Live version, new partnerships with hardware companies (Akai, Novation), and the long-awaited add-on, MaxforLive, developed with Cycling '74. Ok, we're still waiting for some of the announced new Live 8 features (like Share), but this is a major upgrade worth getting. Its integration with MaxforLive makes it a must for those seriously into sound-processing.

Apple Logic Studio 9
Evolution without revolution, but the new audio tweaking features alone make it really worthwile. Still the best all-in-one music producing bundle for Mac users, given its price/features/performance ratio (see our Logic 9 review).

U&I Metasynth 5
Metasynth gets many new features and stability improvements. An eclectic sound-design tool, still in a class of its own. I'd love to see a different GUI/workflow approach on it, it would make life easier to new users. Just be warned: once you start learning a few of its tricks, Metasynth can be addictive (your friends and your partner could hate it!).


Software fx

Audio Damage Eos
2009 saw the revenge of the algorithmic reverbs with several cool new releases (going approx. from 50$ to 1.500$!). We could have easily said Lexicon, but we decided to go with Audio Damage's Eos because it has the best quality/design/cpu-performance/price ratio of the whole bunch. And, at the end of day, supporting smaller companies makes you feel better (p.s: Eos is a must for those into ambient music!).

Elysia mpressor
One of the most original compressors of our times, faithfully modeled and ready to be used on multiple tracks on your DAW. The mpressor can be an excellent all-round compressor, but to me it really shines on more experimental tasks, thanks to its unique controls.

Softube Tube-Tech CL1B
Until a few months ago available only to Powercore and PT users, the Tube-tech CL1B emulation by Softube is now a native plug-in too. Low cpu usage, easy to set, and (like his hardware counterpart) lovely on bass, vocals, and many other sources.

Spl TwinTube
We love saturation and we love gear that doesn't need thousand knobs to sound good. This plug-in, modeled after the TwinTube processor of SPL's RackPack modular, is clearly a winner (as with other Spl plug-ins, the code has been written by those wizards at Brainworx). TwinTube works great on many sources (try it for example on your drum-machine tracks, and report back). Just don't overdo it!

IK Amplitube Fender
A great sounding package, with an impressive Twin emulation, at a very fair price. Keyboard players should try this, too (see our Amplitube Fender review)!


Hardware fx

Eventide Pitchfactor
A taste of Eventide's harmonic magic in a stompbox. Once you get Pitchfactor, there's a good chance you'll start lusting for one of their top models soon.


Software instrument

Camel Audio Alchemy
Otherwordly sounds: this is what we love about sample manipulation synthesizers like Alchemy (actually I don't know why developers even bother putting traditional emulation presets into them!). Alchemy is one of the few music tools that can give a sound to words like dreams, flow, liquid, abstract. Deep but rewarding.

U-he Ace
Urs Heckmann is known to be a workaholic. Last year he released a 2.5 update for Zebra (still one of the best virtual synth on the market), a solid fx bundle (Uhbik) with a great value-for-money (the latest addition, Uhbik-G, has made it much more inviting) and started working on a new project: a modular software synth. Ace is a small but powerful synth and a sort of preview of what we should expect from his forthcoming bigger brother, Berlin Modular. If you like analog-like sounds and patching cords, this one's for you.


Hardware instruments

Korg Wavedrum WD-X
If you're tired of making beats on some small pads (or, even worse, on a keyboard), try getting a proper instrument like this. Much more affordable than the original discontinued model, and worth getting even if you're a traditional acoustic percussionist (see our Korg Wavedrum review).


Sample library

Tonehammer Waterphone, Propanium, Rust vol.2
This is one of the few (rare) cases where listening to some (incredibly good) audio demos and getting the feedbacks of some trusted friends is enough for us to assign an award. Yes, three titles instead of one here (and we could have probably added more!). We meant this as a tribute to one of the most creative companies around. Tonehammer's list of products is impressive, and they seem to be on a roll, given the quantity and the quality of their releases. If you like peculiar and unique instruments, that can instantly give a cinematic touch to your compositions, run to Tonehammer's website and check out their demos (and freebies!).

Toontrack Electronic EZX
Well, it's only available to EZDrummers and SD users, but it's really worth it. Featuring classic, circuit bent and resampled electronic drum sounds, lots of different kits, an integrated fx section, Ezx Electronic is a highly usable and quite original library (see our EZDrummer and Electronic EZX review).

Bolder Sounds Hammered Dulcimer Trilogy
It's a revised version of a library released a few years ago, and now it's even better than before, thanks to the new Kontakt scripts. Three models (Cimbalom, Concert Grand and Hammered Dulcimer) with a rich and fascinating "ancient" vibe. Unless you are the lucky owner of one of those beauties, get a copy of this library (see also our interview with Bolder Sounds)!

New year, new layout and new features for AudioNewsRoom. We hope you'll appreciate the efforts we're putting into this. There could be a few more fixes/changes in the next few days.
Let us know if something's not working as it should.

You can also use our Twitter account to contact us.

P.s: we've started using the Google Followers feature, have a look in the right sidebar, and add yourself if you like. Thanks!

Our previous article focused on the hacking side of the Launchpad. This time we'd like to offer a different point of view, the performer's one.
Madedeleine Bloom is a new singer/songwriter/computer geek from Berlin, Germany. She's a Live user, and a happy owner of a Launchpad since a few weeks.
Her debut album, Minutia, is "an eclectic blend of impassioned songs made of piano, mbira, upright bass, cello, strings, harps, ticking clocks, S-Bahn sounds, water, paper, coffee brewing, stones, glass, ice, music boxes, steps and lots and lots of vocals".
If this tasty list made you curious (and it definitely should!), you can read more about Madeleine Bloom on her official website.

She shared with us her early impressions on the controller, and talked about how she's going to integrate it in her live set-up.

Hi Madeleine, the Launchpad is your new musical toy. Could you tell us how you're using it?

So far I'm only using the Launchpad to play live and I'm not sure if I will ever use it in the studio. Never say never though.
My current live set up is as follows: MacBook Pro, a keyboard (M-Audio Keystation 49e - to play, not used as a MIDI controller), the Launchpad, my array mbira and a microphone plugged into my audio interface (Edirol FA-66) for looping purposes. I don't like the laptop to be central in my performance because the computer is just the means to an end.

The Launchpad serves as a remote controller so I only have to touch the laptop to load a new song. I strive to do as much live as possible so I've set up the User 1 mode to mainly have control over Ableton Live's Looper. Quite often more than just one track of it per song to loop vocals and/or array mbira. The MIDI assignment is always the same for easier use: the top row is for the pedal (record, overdub, play and so on), the second row for undo, the third for reverse, the fifth to mute the track, the seventh to clear and the 8th to stop the Looper. This way I have easy access to anything I want to do in audio looping and can improvise at any point if I like.
I use the Session Mode to trigger clips, but I've also assigned certain buttons to arm MIDI tracks or to toggle between MIDI instruments and effects or sometimes to mute Looper tracks. Usually most of this would be done in the Mixer Mode, but when playing keyboard or mbira I only have enough time to press one button at most. So far I rarely use the Mixer Mode. I also haven't used User Mode 2.

I've read on your Twitter that the Launchpad already gave you some new arranging ideas. Could you tell us more? What's the added value of such grid-based devices, in your experience?

I usually load one song at a time, but I've tried to break up my set list into a couple of sets since I own the Launchpad to have a better flow. Because I'm using a lot of MIDI instruments it's using up quite a lot of RAM and it makes it harder to find feasible MIDI assignments that I have easy access to while playing that I can still remember on stage. I still haven't found the perfect solution to this problem as of yet. In most of my songs I don't only sing, but also play keyboard or array mbira which leaves very little time to control things. If I only had songs with the same chord progression I could simply loop things and build them this way, but I usually have different chords for verse, chorus and the bridge or a middle8. This is another issue I have yet to suss out.


To be honest I've got lots of ideas, but haven't had the time to try and figure things out.
For one I want to use a Wiimote and Nunchuk to play 'air drums' - create beats live. Not only would it be more visual for the audience, but because it's wireless I'd be less glued to one spot on stage. The Launchpad comes in handy to quickly jump between / arm tracks you want to record in or effects that could be then controlled with the Wiimote.
Overall I want my live set to be more intuitve and improvised to give me more freedom while playing. I'm hoping to have enough time in the coming weeks to sit down and find a way that works for me. One thing that will be useful is that you can use the velocity in Ableton Live's MIDI effects to change the colour of the buttons.
The 8x8 grid is very convenient for triggering clips, but also to assign the same MIDI commands to several tracks the way I do it with the Looper. It's very visual which makes it needless to look at your laptop screen whilst playing.

Is there something about the Launchpad that you'd like to be improved?

Compared to most other MIDI controllers it's pretty compact and lightweight which is why I chose it in the first place. It does have a rather crude way to adjust the volume though. 6dB steps give you too abrupt changes. In my opinion it could do with either a fader that could be switched to work on any separate track or the master to do that. Or 8 knobs that could of course be reassigned to control either the track volume or other values or effects. I don't think that's part of their plan though so I'm thinking of adding a Faderfox LC2 to have even more control when playing live through its faders and buttons and also implementing a Wiimote and Nunchuk to play live drums as well as manipulating effects. I also would have liked a button that actually stops Live not just the clips, but I realise that since most people will use the Launchpad to play DJ sets or house/techno sets they won't have a need for that as much as me. A blue LED would be nice so you could indicate other control functions you've assigned yourself.

Novation's Launchpad has caused quit a stir since its launch: it's a compact, light, functional grid-based controller for Ableton Live, with a hard-to-beat price tag (yes, it's made in China, but so is the iPod and most of the stuff we daily use). Actually I'm not interested in joining the Launchpad vs monome vs (put-your-fav-grid-controller-here) fight, so let's try to focus on what users can expect from Novation's product and how to get the most out of it.

We'll cover Launchpad's integration with Live in the next days, but even if you're not a Live user (or if you're already covered with other controllers, like the Akai Apc40) you could have some good reasons to get one.
Matt Di Fonzo's work is one of these reasons. He's the developer of nonome, a hack that lets you use the monome applications on the Launchpad (like those developed by Stretta).
We asked him a few questions about nonome, his workflow with the Launchpad, etc.

The latest version of nonome (1.24A, at the time of writing this article) can be downloaded here.
To follow nonome's development, keep an eye on this thread (Matt told us he hopes to consolidate all of the nonome stuff onto one site soon, so people don't have to dig through that long thread).

Hi Matt, what brought you to create nonome? And what's the reaction from the monome community?

The monome community was creating software that looked like so much fun to use but tracking down an actual monome has always been a bit of a nightmare.
When the Launchpad was released, I was able to go down to Guitar Center and pick one up right then and there for less than half the price of a monome 64. I love Ableton and planned to use the Launchpad with Live, but the real reason that I bought it was to write a program to allow myself and others to have a monome experience that would be as close to the real thing as possible.
I was quite pleased with the reaction from the monome community. When I posted the first version of nonome, I was so excited to share my work with others that it didn't even occur to me that there could be a negative reaction. There were far more people who were as excited as I was about it than there were people who wanted to keep all of the monome fun to themselves.
On a related note, I also wanted to thank the developers of SevenUpLive for specifically adding a piece of code that would make their program fully compatible with nonome and other devices.

I've read you were going to port the whole emulation on the maxforlive
platform. Any news?

As soon as Max for Live was released, I started working on a port of nonome so users could keep everything in Live instead of having to run multiple programs at once. I have a couple of working versions running on my computer but they still don't work as well as the pure Max version. There is a lot of interest in getting nonome stuffed inside of Live so it is something that I'll continue to fine tune.



Are you going to develop more apps in the near future?

I've developed some really unpolished personal use apps, but I will definitely be working on some public apps in the future. There was a lot of discussion on the monome forums about the fear of so many future monome apps being developed for Max for Live; I plan on doing most of my app writing in Max so that more people will have access to them. I'm hoping that Ableton/Cycling '74 release a "runtime" version of Max for Live soon.

How do you use your Launchpad? I guess you bought it to make some music too ;-)

Sometimes I use the Launchpad in control surface mode without nonome. Sometimes I use the Launchpad with nonome only, or with Live. Sometimes I use Logic Pro 9 and just stay away from all the blinking lights.
Here are my two favorite uses right now:

1. Launchpad + nonome + mlrV + Live : This works really well because I can trigger and play loops in mlr, map the right side keys to different effects in Live, trigger clips via session view, and use the mixer view with the Launchpad in control surface mode for track mutes / pan / sends / level / etc.

2. Launchpad + nonome + SevenUpLive v2 + Live : This is pretty much ideal for creating everything that gets dumped into mlrV. I set up the melodizer to trigger a virtual instrument that is being recorded on an audio track. That way I can just play and record the midi, audio, or both. The looper and stepper modes are also awesome and I tend to record what I'm doing so I can later dump it into mlrV. SevenUpLive v2 is such an incredible tool and it's only getting better. The recent addition of MindShuffler to the suite is almost enough to keep me from bouncing back into mlrV.

Strongest/weakest points of the Launchpad?

The Launchpad is a huge success in just about every way for me. It works really well, it's cost effective, and they clearly designed it with coders/hackers in mind. A lot of people have told me that nonome was the main reason why they bought one. I appreciate the support and am glad that I could provide a useful app, but it would be extremely useful even without being able to emulate the monome.
I'm obviously a fan, but I've got to say that there are some problems that I have with the hardware:

• The controller is very slow, even by midi standards. This isn't a problem that you'll run into using nonome (at least not any more) but it could be problematic if you want to send lots of information very quickly.

• Not having a class compliant driver means that you'll have to install the driver whenever you move to a different computer.

• If you're looking for MPC-grade pads, you're not going to find those here either.

• I don't know if it's just a problem with my unit since I've been using it so much, but some leds are slightly different colors than others. Quite a few "full green" messages actually give me something that looks more like yellow.

• Not velocity sensitive. It can't be fixed in the current version, but I'd love to see it happen at some point!