[Ryanmf]

The Soundplane from Madrona Labs[0] certainly merits a mention here. Pairs exceptionally well with their software synths Kaivo (physical modeling and granular synthesis) and Aalto (the closest thing to a Buchla in VST form).

I kind of assume at this point that most people who have an interest in this sort of thing know about monome[1], though I was surprised that there hasn't been more interest from HN in their most recent release, aleph[2], a (mostly) open source sound computer that can interface with just about anything that produces sound, cv, or bits.

[0] http://madronalabs.com/

[1] http://monome.org

[2] http://monome.org/aleph/

[anigbrowl]

Aleph is massively overpriced. For the same money you could get a laptop, a knobby controller, and a copy of Max/MSP or Reaktor, or Reason. Or a bunch of Eurorack modules of similar capabilities, or [fill in one of many blanks]. I think it would have to get under $700 to sell well; further more the tiny form factor is actually a negative because it doesn't give you a whole lot of hands-on control, nor is it suitable for performance ergonomically. The reaction I've heard from other electronic musicians has been essentially 'a solution in search of a problem.'

While Monome were among the first to innovate in this area, the steep price premium isn't justified when you can get similar or better functionality for less than half the price for most of their offerings.

[Ryanmf]

I sort of agree.

On one hand, if you have no use for CV i/o aleph is basically a non-starter. Additionally, there are other CV solutions e.g. Expert Sleepers or the Kenton MIDI > CV boxes that get the job done a lot cheaper.

As you note, a substitute (of sorts) for anything they make can be had cheaper. Brian & Kelly et. al. have never been a concern oriented towards being the budget provider of anything, as they readily admit:

"monome is operated on a human scale. we use local suppliers and manufacturers with whom we've created long-term, trusting relationships. environmental and economic sustainability are critical considerations in our design process. we believe in beautiful design and quality craftsmanship. editions are produced in short runs according to demand. staying small affords the flexibility to pursue interesting new directions, not simply commodify established trends."

There is something to be said for the blank slate, raw unadulterated OSC, it only does exactly what you tell it to do design ethos. When I bought a monome I had never seen or used anything like it before. Though it should be noted that I sold my monome and kept my Launchpad, at least in part because the monome could be sold for exactly what I bought it for, and I'd be lucky to get $100 for Novation's hunk of molded plastic.

However, $1400 doesn't get you very far in Euro (especially if we're including the aforementioned ES modules to emulate aleph's USB>CV capabilities). One sound source, an EG and a filter? Maybe an additional source of modulation if you budget well? Not to mention power, rails and cases, cables and other accessories, etc. Ultimately, I defy anyone to find anyone with any experience in the matter who doesn't think modular synths are a money pit.

For that matter, Reaktor is basically just a springboard to spend more money on more Reaktor ensembles—largely because there are some teams doing really great stuff for that platform—and Max, plus an audio interface, plus a cheap plastic box of knobs and faders leaves you maybe $700 to buy a computer? It's not as if aleph is way out of line with the alternatives on price.

Where it does stand alone, and the reason I find it compelling, is that aleph is the first all-in-one box I'm aware of that offers the sound/data processing and marshaling capabilities of a computer without the "dude checking his email on stage" aspects of a laptop. That's something that I believe people have been awaiting anxiously, and although it's far from perfect, it's a start.