Norns and axoloti

#1

Hi, has anyone successfully used axoloti as an audio source or type of midi device to run through norns? Or other way around? Just seeing what can be done. Thanks!

#2

I'd be interested as well. Norns is so confusing: way too expensive, but then there was a raspberry pi version called "fates", but that's not really available anymore and seems to be replaced by the (already sold out) Norns shield that's also kind of expensive.

Then the software is confusing as well. If I got it right the original Norns software consits of different patches with esoteric names and interfaces, but then there's also @thetechnobear's software "sidekick" to switch it to "ORAC" which then can run several instances of pure data patches originally designed for the (also expensive) Critter & Guitari Organelle...

All this stuff kept me from getting one until now and it's still not really clear to me what it can actually do.

#3

Well, not norns but Organelle.. I love to pre-process my guitar in Axoloti using comp/sat/eq /dly/rev and I even have spare cpu to have a mono-synth in the other channel..
I also use it sometimes to send Din midi out or as a midi thru for the Axoloti midi host.
I use a patch called 's3rquencer' in organelle which has midi sequencing, samples, Fx, Audio input processing, ableton link, etc..

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLcgmlmBPxl/

@borututuforte , The diy Norns is called fates. its around 100 bucks and I would choose it before norns as It can work with raspi 4 (big leap compared w Rp3).
I do have an organelle |1| and for the 2nd hand price ±350$ it\s worth every penny.. It simply works.. its very reliable and surprisingly capable.. It could be nicer, yes, but I think currently there is no other audio computer that is as user friendly and reliable as organelle is.

#4

I've built both a Fates as well as a Norns shield, and I'm using them 100x more than the Axoloti, simply because there is a super easy to use UI with buttons, encoders and a screen. I'm still figuring how to add those to my Axoloti. There's a great number of very experimental synths, sample manglers and effects available, plus ORAC, however it seems harder to use than on an Organelle. Compared to Axoloti, it's not as close to the metal, but there is a great foundation to work with, and with a bit of lua scripting you'll have something musical working in no time.

#5

If you're using Axoloti with Norns, make sure that the code/patch/app that you upload handles MIDI. There are actually a few norns code/patch/apps that only take control input from a Grid or one of the newer instrument protocols, so it won't handle MIDI input by default.

Once you're past that threshold, Norns in conjunction with PD via Sidekick is basically just an axoloti with the power of a small computer. As I've found, Axoloti is incredible as a MIDI toolkit. I've used it with my Digitakt to create all sorts of effect that the Digitakt can't do by itself.

For example, I have a patch that takes a MIDI note from one of the DT's MIDI channels (the equivalent of a middle C on a MIDI keyboard set to channel 16), and uses it to retrig a note on all 8 DT sample tracks, for a MIDI-clocked stutter effect. MIDI on Axoloti is so easy, you can instantly experiment with it.

#6

The Norns DIY kit can be found on Ebay for roundabout 300€ plus minus including the RasPi and SD-card.
It is quite easy to assemble the Kit.

When sticking to the original software the interface takes a little to get used to, but you'll get the hang of it quite easily.

It is a device that is meant to be explored, so complaining about that is a little moot (no offense, I understand your sentiment). One has to grasp that it is a versatile platform, thus the patches range from very simple to "you'll have to learn a cryptic visual programming language to master this patch". But it is fun to scout for the simple patches at first and simply tinker with them.
If you aim is to implement a musical idea that is already in your head, the Norns is not for you.

That said I am also very interested in combining the Axoloti and the Norns.
Can be done in both directions. So any reports on tinkering with both, no matter how insignificant it may seem, are highly welcome!

#7

They complement each other quite nicely. I have Axoloti and Norns outputs on my mixer and I have both my sends connected to their inputs. This way I can use them as gens or fx, depending on the patches. Euro rack is nice if you have space and money. Small 15 year old behringer mixer, Axoloti and Norns bring you all the same flexibility. I am also a huge fan of Supercollider, so this too plays into making Norns the tool of choice. The one thing Norns has over Axoloti is the standardized interface. 3 knobs, 3 buttons, 1 display. It is a vocabulary that fosters a certain kind of design language. Also, Grid, Arc and 16n are great devices to interact. I use my linnstrument as grid, but plan to get the other Norns stuff as well. It is special, more then just another controller. The devil is in the details, never understood it until I started using them.
Edit: Some more specifics: I use Axo more for effects such as special Kids of reverb, granular etc. while the “standardized” interfaces of the Norns scripts are perfect for interaction with loops and samples. I have two synths in the setup, so I don’t need either of them for synthesis. More for bending the time and multifx