Hi all guys, in this period I am considering the purchase of an NDLR, it would relieve me from having to think about the composition in the live / improvisation set to focus on the sound.
The idea is to control a Perfourmer, a SE1 and some other possible vst or HW synth; the drum part is managed by OT which would also control the ndlr in the progression of notes instead of the buttons on the ndlr.
I like the ndlr structure of drone pad and two motifs but i would not find myself limited by only 4 tracks. I know I could assign multiple MIDI channels to a pad or motif and make it go in a circle with different voices (I would probably use it like this with perfourmer using one motif).
I wanted to know some impressions to you who own it and what could be some HW alternatives.
For alternatives they must have more or less the same structure:
convenience in changing Key, Mode, Degree and Type
pattern and rhythm editor
I really like the screen and it seems intuitive but I don’t consider it a fundamental feature if the interface is intuitive (the sequencer that shows benn in this video comes to mind [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sw1RK4Q-i4&t=942s] )
I’m doing a search on Pyramid, torso t1, zillion futureretro, cirklon …
I have yet to see all the functions of these devices and also consider the price
I just watched the loopop video and it looks good but not quite what I expected, the lack of a screen for an instrument with so many functions scares me a little. I must also investigate some functions and see what changes between the reviewed version and the product on the market (the knobs a step would be excellent, I hope they have put them).
The NDLR is very nice. It’s easy to use and fun, and I like it a lot for finding chords progressions.
Zillion is very different. It’s fun, but more to add weirdness and randomisation. It’s less about structure. I had it, and I sold it because I better do that kind of things with Eurorack. Zillion has some very different sweet spots.
The Pyramid is of course excellent, but not in the same price range. Pyramids has a lot to offer really. It can record sequences… like a midi looper, that you can edit in details… midi fx are very nice. Polyphony is huge. Midi cc and pc are so easy. If you have the moneys, and if you don’t mind the learning curve, pyramid is much deeper and powerful.
Thanks for the reply!
Pyramid could be the answer, I agree that with you: with ndlr I could have that ease of use and as you said findind chords progressions in an easy and fast way … I have to understand if with pyramid I can achieve the same results without having to enter too many parameters every time, some combination of midi fx could replace ndlr or a global midi fx … the learning curve does not scare me that much, the OT is keeping me busy but the more I use it the more I discover different ways to use it
mr_bernard thanks for the reply! I think I’m not ready for the t1. I work pretty much dawless because i have to move my hands with knobs and buttons but I still need a screen to find where I am during my creative process, I spend a lot of time jumping between boxes ( synth and effects) and I tend to lose the thread
I would say that, if you would want to achieve similar results as with the NDLR with Pyramid, you would have to program many things.
It really depends on your workflow:
in NDLR, chords are preprogrammed.
In Pyramid, the way I use it is by recording chords via a midi keyboard. Then editing some. Then adding fx and LFO’s to animate everything. Very different workflows. But in the end Pyramid allows deeper control. NDLR is more immediate.
Ok i must think about it more, pyramid is beautiful but i already guess i might find myself in the same situation i have with ableton, maybe in the future i’ll take it to go completely dawless… for now the NDLR seems to be the thing that would help me the most in live. The only problem is that i don’t find any available in europe right now and the price is still very high for what it offers me, for now i’m studing how to make the most out of ableton for semi-generative movement in my music.
If you’re being complete about this, and don’t need something immediately, you can consider the Irijule Theoryboard. The latest development will be able to sequence both notes and chords, has a arpeggiator, is harmonically more complex that the NDLR, and a bunch of other things. Plus it’s a playable chordal keyboard. It’s still a little up in the air how the second KickStarter development all works out, but worth keeping an eye on if you don’t need something immediately.
I’m also interested in any hardware alternatives to the NDLR - which I have but am really disappointed with the latency and general buggy feel of the firmware / hardware, despite that when it’s running making melodies and progressions is super easy.
Pyramid might be a very good fit for what you want to do and used ones are not that much more $ than a NDLR. The “smart” pad chord tools and the midi fix that can set scales, harmonization, and rhythmic effects are easy to use and become very effective and deep once you start sequencing them. I find it to be a nice mix of precise when you want it to be and suggestive/exploratory when you want it.
Yeah. I have a Pyramid - I will give it another look for more theory based stuff. NDLR is certainly faster but it’s been a let down so far to be honest.
Using a NDLR but wanted something with a little more options (Euclidian, play modes, harmonizer etc…) and @TheGhostCat directed me to Oxi One.
Seriously considering it now.
Though NDLR is a great bit of kit. I do not find it so buggy. Encoders do not always react well but it plays very well with my synths.
For me it is a keeper
Not deep (or shallow) music theory work by any means, but something I have enjoyed with the Pyramid is setting different tracks to the same MIDI channel and running parallel Euclidean / arp / probability / LFO / chord sequences - focusing on one note per track, or perhaps a specific CC - to a single synth, muting and unmuting the channels to build the performance. It can be a quick route to unexpected and unpredictable results.
Is anyone familiar with how the future development of the NDLR is looking?
Is it due any updates?
Is it likely to be expanded in specific areas? Scales, etc?
