gridofpoints

Eight notes, sixteen timbres. A simple, well-commented Norns script for turning a Grid into a quantized keyboard.

• e2: change root note
• e3: change scale
• k2: up a fifth
• k3: down a fifth

grid (required)

• press a key to make beautiful sounds
• left/right position controls pitch
• up/down position controls timbre (select in parameters)
• top row lets you save and load root/scale combinations
• long press to save, short press to load

crow (optional)

• out1: v/oct
• out2: gate
• out3: -5V to 5V on up/down axis
• out4: 0 to 10V on up/down axis

MIDI (optional)

• left/right position controls MIDI pitch
• up/down position controls MIDI CC
• Note length can be adjusted in parameters

Just Friends (optional)

Connect to Crow with i2c cable

• left/right position controls pitch
• up/down position controls level

Pro tip: Crow outputs 3/4 can be used to allow up/down position to modulate other parameters.

install

Find it in the Maiden project manager

troubleshooting

If you get an ‘error: init’ on load, then make sure you have a Grid plugged in. The script doesn’t function without one. If you have a Grid plugged in and you’re still seeing this error then post below with details of what Grid you’re using and how it’s connected to your Norns.

version history

v2.0

There are four major feature additions in version 2.0 of gridofpoints.

First is that you can now choose which parameter is controlled on the y-axis of the grid. You can crossfade between sine and square waves, adjust the release time, or control the cutoff of a low-pass filter.

Second is that the generative “magic mode” now has adjustable controls for jitter, probability and clock multiplication in parameters. Prefer the old approach? Turn on “Legacy magic mode” in parameters.

Third is that gridofpoints now supports i2c connections to Just Friends. It’s on by default, but you can turn it off if you want to in the parameters menu.

Finally, the grid now shows you where the octaves are in your chosen scale with slightly brighter LEDs. This makes it much easier to play the notes you want and not the ones you don’t.

v1.91

Very small update that adds back the ability to quickly change octave - but this time with E1. So now you have three ways to change the root note - in fifths with K2 and K3, in octaves in E1, and chromatically with E2.

v1.9

Some substantial changes! First and foremost is a new engine that crossfades between sine and square on the y-axis. You can now tweak the exact engine parameters in the params menu too. In addition, the k2 and k3 buttons now move in fifths rather than octaves, for greater performability. Finally, the top row of the grid is now taken up by a row of note/scale combinations that you can switch between. Long press (two seconds) to save, short press to load. The first button is populated with a C minor pentatonic scale by default.

v1.8

Added MIDI CC output. It’s mapped to the up/down axis - values near the top of the grid give you greater CC values. You can choose what CC channel you want to send in the params menu. This means that the MIDI note length is no longer mapped to the up/down axis as it was in the previous version. I also fixed a small bug where MIDI notes were playing one octave too high.

v1.7

Added MIDI output. It works just like regular output, except that moving along the up/down axis of an attached grid no longer changes filter cutoff. Instead it changes the MIDI note length. Near the top you get plucky 0.01-second notes, at the bottom you get sustained 3-second notes. You can customise this by editing the midilengths table near the top of gridofpoints.lua.

v1.6

add “magic mode” where random notes are played over time. To engage and disengage, press the four corners of the grid at the same time. The pace of forgetting past notes has also been slowed.

v1.5

gridofpoints now checks if a grid is connected and displays an error message if not

v1.4

button-press memories now fade with time, rather than with action (pressing keys)

v1.3

gridofpoints remembers which keys you pressed, though memories fade

v1.2

Fixing inverted Crow outputs 3/4 Added support for grids that aren’t 16x8

v1.1

Reversed x/y mappings on grid, and output one and two on Crow Also added a faint echo on grid of the last note you pressed, so it’s easier to remember where you were

v1.0

Initial release