faq
german translation (thanks anastasiya)
belorussian translation (thanks patric)
what is this? what is going on?
that is a good question. we discuss it here.
is (some design) available? how do i order?
see current availability (updated often) and our order page. we produce small editions according to our perception of demand and do not maintain stock at all times.
will you ship internationally?
yes. you will be responsible for any customs/duty fees that your country imposes when the package enters your country.
where can i hear/see/hold a monome device in person?
we announce performances and showings on our front page, and hope to make our way to different cities over time. as we’re making short-run hand-made devices, using retailers is not cost effective.
many of our users post their own performance dates on our forum or if you happen to come through philadelphia, we might be around to show you our work.
what is max/msp? do i need to purchase it?
max/msp is a graphical programming environment maintained by cycling74 with which many monome applications are written. all are fully functional using cycling74’s max/msp runtime which is free.
what if i’m not a programmer?
no programming knowledge is needed to run our applications or the hardware itself. they run just like normal desktop software. outside our software (depending on what you’d like to accomplish) knowledge of midi routing or specific programming languages will be helpful.
if you are a programmer, we’ve collected a large and growing number of tutorials, api’s, and libraries for integrating our hardware into various frameworks.
will it work on os x, xp, linux?
os x and xp are fully supported. linux support is coming along quickly, though does not enjoy the same level of integration largely because max/msp and similar packages aren’t supported in linux.
the hardware works well with both pc and mac hardware.
will it interface with ableton live, reason, etc?
ableton live is presently supported very well.
we’ve written applications which enable the hardware to act like a standard midi device, so interfacing with various software packages becomes the same as with other controllers. getting midi data out of the software (back to the hardware, for light activity) will be a different matter and vary largely between packages.
we also have applications which create “virtual widgets” such as toggles, radio buttons, sliders, etc. for easy interfacing.
why isn’t there midi in/out?
midi can be sent/received via the router software, monomeserial. we prefer to use a network-based protocol called opensound control because it is faster and tremendously more flexible.
will the power supplies work internationally?
yes, though we now offer a usb bus power upgrade for any of our older devices that need an external power supply. all new devices are bus powered via your usb port.
who writes these applications?
many of the original patches were written by tehn who also designed the hardware. several were written by friends. most were written by our fantastic community of users who share their work.
will your applications work with other controllers?
potentially—some more than others. you could always rewrite the applications to accept different input. keep in mind that our applications were designed specifically with our devices’ capabilities in mind, and the experience of using the application with ill-fitting hardware is less than optimal.
you can always try out our software using the virtual monome patch, which is included in our base patches. mouse clicks don’t compare to the real thing, however.
will you add (some feature) to (some application)?
we’ll consider it for the next release cycle or update, though we can make no promises. also all of our applications are open-source, so there’s no better time to learn how to add features yourself.
additionally, we didn’t write most of the applications shared on our wiki. the forum is a good place to discuss and encourage ongoing application development. be respectful! applications are shared by the good will of our community members.
can i use my own samples?
many applications are sample-based and allow (usually require) you to load your own samples.
isn’t it just a bunch of buttons with lights?
yes, isn’t it wonderful? by having separate light and button systems, the device can be reconfigured infinitely. new applications and uses are continually being invented.
what’s the pattern of lights when you turn on the 40h?
it’s one through eight counting up in binary.
monome?
we are minimalists.