04/16/24 - we just shipped another batch of norns pre-orders. we're shipping according to order time and still haven't passed through the initial crush of the first few minutes. the next batch of parts is arriving late next week and we'll get things shipped shortly after that.

04/04/24 - many have asked about an upgrade option for existing norns with encoders, to use the infinite potentiometers featured on the new edition. we're testing an idea for this and can share results in a couple weeks.

we've begun shipping norns, according to order times. you'll get a tracking number when yours ships. this first batch is somewhat small as one part was delayed, so we expect to be a week or two behind initial estimates. we'll post an update here soon.

03/17/2024 - norns pre-orders are all reserved. shipping will happen throughout april and we'll re-open orders in may for immediate shipment.

03/08/2024 - norns pre-order set for march 15 1pm EST, shipping early april. check the old news for more information about this new edition.

02/14/24

cc-canvas is a slewing recallable midi cc bender, made by dan for the grid (zero).

norns components are arriving ahead of next month's edition. it's been something like 18 months since we were able to build a real batch due to shortages. while the upcoming machines will be functionally identical, there are quite a few improvements we made:

• infinite rotation potentiometers replace the encoders. these have a slower, smoother feel.
• thin gorilla glass screen covers replace the plexi. more clear, less scratches, easier to clean.
• hard resin knobs and key caps replace molded silicone. because the geometry of the potentiometer is different, but also for less dust.
• high quality wifi antenna replaces the cute but weak wifi nub.

we're holding the price despite all of this and will confirm the ship date soon. it's been a long time. thank you for waiting.

01/10/24 - each crow sings a unique song. trent created a generative sequencer that employs each crow's serial number, captured in this short video by dan.

it's been nearly a decade and teletype continues to evolve. teletype 5.0 is here.

friday january 12 1pm EST crow is available again. we'll also have grids in both sizes.

12/12/23 - this year the supply chain continued to impact our ability to produce norns, but we did manage to secure parts recently and expect to have a new edition in february. we're engineering a lot of production optimization to offset constantly rising manufacturing costs. one huge benefit of this is a more reliable machine.

we still have grids stocked and ready to ship, though be advised we're entering shipping mayhem season.

11/17/23 - december 8 1pm EST we will have grids in both sizes. we will also have norns, both grey and black (so you'll need to choose upon ordering). crow production is scheduled and we expect them to be ready sometime in january.

09/25/23 - we'll have grids again in december. a date for crow will become less vague once production gets underway.

09/15/23 - grids and crow available today at 1pm EDT. links will go live below, allowing you to place an order. you'll receive a confirmation email upon ordering, and shipping confirmation when they ship out. we have everything built and will start shipping early next week.

we've switched e-mail newsletter providers and are now using a service we very much believe in. if you'd like to continue receiving email news, please resubscribe.

08/25/23 - it's almost september and many of you noticed that we're expecting to have availability in september. we've just set the date: friday, september 15. at 1pm EDT the order links will be live. shipping will begin the following week.

you may have also noticed, below this message next to "old news" is a link to rss. rss (wikipedia) isn't talked about enough these days. you can easily get an rss reader for your phone or computer (or use a web service, but we have a difficult time recommending them). add a new feed: monome.org/rss.xml --- and you will receive updates like this.

this was the decentralized utopia we were promised by computers. maybe we can find it again.

we'll still send out the newsletter, but as email becomes increasingly broken and commodified we'd like to help foster other ways of connecting.

06/30/23

so we made a new thing
but really an old thing
from over a decade ago
and so there was this impulse that we had to
somehow make the new thing actually new
with a fancy new application or something
but i guess we decided not to do that
this light pattern is an experiment we made a few months ago
with a demoscene-era plasma technique
the important stuff all happens in one line of code
which we wanted to mention simply to spread the concept of
permacomputing and also
despite the grid fundamentally being interactive
sometimes a visual or sound can powerfully stand on its own
like when nine inch nails had this same new thing on stage
just visualizing and hell they are still cooler than us
but really the point is
the grid hasn't meaningfully changed for two decades
still doing nothing yet
containing endless horizons to explore new instrument design
a vehicle for new skills and
perhaps making new friends
but we guess everyone knows that by now
so it's new and it's the same
and that's mostly why there's not really a new killer app
lesser reasons include
us opening an art store and
still tending a farm and finding time to make music
such as this forthcoming softbits you're hearing now
but we are glad to be building these again
and look forward to seeing what comes next

06/02/23 - norns.community is new. you can read all about it at this lines thread.

a small batch of norns will be available june 16 at 1pm EST.

05/12/23 - grids came together faster than expected. we'll have a small batch available next friday, may 19, at 1pm EST. crow is now scheduled for late june. we're expecting to also have a small batch of norns in mid june.

04/20/23 - more grids expected late may, crow early june

03/10/23 - norns and crow are sold out. we'll have new batches of crow and grids later this spring.

03/07/23 - crow returns this on friday 1pm EST. note that the price has increased due to modern times. we'll also have a small number of b-stock norns. shipping will begin next week.

02/10/23 - we'll have a small batch of grids available next week, on the 17th at 1pm EST. the following day we'll have discounted b-stock grids available. shipping will happen a week or so after.

02/01/23 - crow is returning. some of the long-time part shortages have eased and we've started receiving components. we're working on some software improvements in anticipation of shipping a new batch. dates will be announced soon.

01/01/23 - shipping updates now have a dedicated page.

12/01/22 - we're enduring the semiconductor shortage alongside basically all small manufacturers. this is the reason that we do not have known restock dates for many of our devices. we'll update this site as we learn more. i wrote a longer essay which may be of further interest.

we've also had to increase pricing to accommodate rising costs of components, contract manufacturing, and transportation. in addition to delays we're also encountering quality issues, which contribute a substantial amount of labor to ensure everything is in working order. we'll adjust pricing as the situation changes.

monome — updated 04/16/24