Dead-simple, coveted by all - the controller of the future?

Jun 6, 2007 16:26 GMT  ·  By

They first laughed when they saw it. They have then touched it, tweaked it and played it. And then they all bought it. Yep, it's the Monome, once more, with a nifty comeback, the 40h Special Edition that looks even better and neater.[admark=1]

The Monome has extremely fast grown (around 1 year) to be one of the world's most sought after controllers for music. Any kind of music, as long as it could use such a controller. From the concealed smiles and conspicuous looks to the fast-selling new big-boy toy, the Monome has become overnight the new star among the elite controllers.

Because of the painfully simplistic design and simple operation, the Monome was simply destined to be embraced by those not knowing extensive things about controllers and other similar stuff. But when people started to use it and realized the infinite possibilities offered by the open source software driving it, things changed forever.

The Monome could be easily transformed in almost anything (controller-wise speaking) and that simply meant the world: new horizons and possibilities emerged from the use of this simple device. From a toy to the mixing desk, the Monome spent little time. Now, it is back.

Well, the Monome fans will surely greet the new original 8x8 returning with a cooler look, powder-coated top plate, brighter orange LEDs, custom grey or white base enclosure, a hand felted wool case and the internal accelerometer detecting motion and tilt with the same open source software, fully mappable and customizable by the user.

The Monome 40h SE (8x8) will be available in a couple of weeks as co-creator Brian Crabtree declared. The price will be $800 "part of which will be donated as chicks and bees via Heifer International".

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Beautifully simple
Open source perfectionInfinite possibilities, limited by imagination only
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