This is my first ever post to Google + hope I got it right.

This is my first ever post to Google + hope I got it right.

I was told by a bunch of people over at the Eigenlab forum this is where I need to be.

I have been playing music since the late 60’s and been interested in electronic instruments since the 80’s. I’ve had some very interesting experiences like the 6 months I had a Fairlight in my studio, with some sample disks from Peter Gabriel. I saw a show where Jon Anderson from Yes and Kitaro that was part of a tour that only hit something like 4-5 cities around the world. Jon played on a instrument made by Atari called a Hotz controller. It had all these buttons on it that would allow you to change scales and do all kinds of special things in software. I also had a Chapman Stick for a while, which was very cool but very hard to play. I have always thought how great it would be if you could put all these instruments together in one package and then make it even better.

So when I was shopping for a portable midi controller at a local guitar center the guy told me about the Eigenharp. It seemed like the instrument I’ve been dreaming about since the late 80’s. I went up to the website that night and it sounded even better than I had imagined. I sold two of my best keyboards and ordered a Tau.

My biggest interest in is composition and after many years of writing rock and pop, last February I wrote my first classical piece.  If you are interested it is called The Yukon Suite and is located at:

http://blackdogmusicstudios.com

 

There is some of my other music there too.

I’m hoping I can figure out a way to use the Eigenharp to perform this and future pieces, either by myself or with others.

When I first got my Tau, it had issues. I would press buttons and nothing would happen, the headphone jack only worked on one side. I contacted support and they jumped on it right away. Found out it was a problem in the basestation and a faulty connection in the headphone jack. My Tau went half way round the world and back in less than 7 days. The guys at Eigenlabs were fantastic!! I got it back a few days ago and now am going full bore trying to get my head around this fantastic instrument.

I have lots of questions, so you will be hearing more from me, and hope to be making some kind of music real soon.

http://blackdogmusicstudios.com//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js

I can’t believe I can’t find documentation for this, but.

I can’t believe I can’t find documentation for this, but… how do I change to a custom scale on the Pico? It’s defined in my user scales file, but that documentation doesn’t say how to select one. Obviously it’s not mapped in the scale selection functions of the default setup because that wouldn’t know about it. I found a page on Belcanto which suggested I could say something like “sampler 1 hey scale to (whatever) set” but I always get “Invalid arguments for verb set” back, even with built-in scale names and actually examples from the documentation. And I can’t find anything that even reminds me how to get hold of the scale browser. I know it’s mode key, something, something, something, maybe something else, but a load of red and orange and green lights doesn’t really tell me very much.

And I’m not quite sure where my factory setup reference card is right now. Probably in the Pico’s box, under a pile of other boxes, in the attic. Which was silly, I suppose.

So I’m going a bit nuts now. I always felt the EigenD documentation was very scrappy and piecemeal, and I think that’s a shame. I’m going to have to start writing stuff down…

This course starts again in mid October. I found it quite challenging.

This course starts again in mid October. I found it quite challenging. 

It teaches a modern Jazz improvisation technique that goes beyond just using the song scale. Instead you learn to select a scale based on the chord in use at the moment together with melody notes from surrounding bars. To do this you need to know 10 scales (each at 12 possible root notes) and be able to select and visualize them on your instrument as the chords come along in the song every few seconds.

Daunting indeed! However, while learning you can work through a song in advance and, over time, come to know all the usual suspects.

This is the course that sparked the discussion with Mark Harris that resulted in the scale illumination agent. Obviously to do this kind of playing, you need full a chromatic keygroup. The illuminator means that you do not need to be able to visualize thos 120 scales in an instant, they get coloured for you. 

https://www.coursera.org/course/improvisation//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js

Tried loading Silent Way into EigenD last night, latest version of Silent Way and EigenD on OSX.

Tried loading Silent Way into EigenD last night, latest version of Silent Way and EigenD on OSX.

The AU version seems to hang when I try to load any of the AUs. When I install the VST version, I’m only seeing the Silent Way DC, and none of the other plugins. 

Has anyone else tried this? Geert Bevin ?

Failing that, where in the EigenD code are the plugins handled?

Audio input into EigenD?

Audio input into EigenD?

k, so decided to take the plunge and get Live, inevitable really.

( I may have a few questions for you live users out there!)

Im now trying to get setup that I like working.

Basically for the moment, my plan when using Live, is to host VSTs in live, and also pipe audio from EigenD to Live via Jack OSX.

No problem there!

But then what Ive tried to do is pipe Audio back from Live to EigenD so that I can pipe it to the headphones on the Alpha.

Ive wired up Jack OSX fine, and Ive changed EigenD setup to wire the audio input to the headphone – but nada, nothing, zilch.

I know JackOSX is doings it job, as same channel routes to mac speakers, and im getting output there.

I know headphones works (e.g. enabled, gain, quality), as Ive wired EigenD mixer output to them, and get output from them.

But it would appear nothing is coming thru the audio input!

It would appear there is no audio input in EigenD…

any thoughts?

Geert Bevin did you have this working? I know Randy Brown mentioned the other day he never has got it to work. any tricks?

( i also tried wiring eigend input back to output, back to live … and nothing there)