24 Comments

aaron

You could’ve picked a better modified controller video. Many ppl ridicule that “mod” for good reason.. (simply removing a couple keys and applying pads to the top of the keys and lines for visual queues is laughable. it basically says ‘im bad with my controller so i had to butcher it to have less function and more obviousness for visual queueing’). Nothing against “controllerism”, just a common knock @ this video that’s been mocked all over the interwebs.

June 22, 2009 @ 8:34 am

aaron

btw.. reason it’s mocked is it gives “controllerism” a bad rap. there are many more examples out there that are actually impressive and not ridiculous.

June 22, 2009 @ 8:35 am

aaron

that’s also not a knock @ moldover himself, he does plenty good.. that vid was just a wash. suprised its still online, i would’ve removed it if i were in his shoes.

June 22, 2009 @ 8:37 am

Ryan

@aaron:
i think the point is that it’s a simple tutorial for beginners to try out which doesn’t require advanced knowledge of modification.

it probably is good in the sense that it gets people who otherwise wouldn’t be doing this kind of thing inspired to try it themselves, and potentially take it to the next level.

June 22, 2009 @ 10:58 am

quantize

THAT is on MTV?

move some keys around and stick some rubber on them?

gah…how depressing..

June 22, 2009 @ 3:18 pm

Zane

@quantize – Better than what they usually run.

June 22, 2009 @ 3:22 pm

Peter Kirn

Okay, folks.

Note the two videos. Top video is a new video. And yeah, it’s a huge leap forward from the simple modification (hacking something up and removing keys). Moldover has been iterating through a basic idea, some proof-of-concept hacks, to something that looks more polished. That’s what we’re all about. A lot of the time early attempts – or what you’d try to teach to others just getting started – are primitive. If you constantly try to START (or have others) start with something sophisticated, you can wind up getting nowhere, just freezing up.

I was unaware this video was being mocked. But at the rate people are trolling on the Web, I tend not to take that too seriously.

June 22, 2009 @ 3:36 pm

Machines

@aaron -

I’ve seen the bottom video a few times and also don’t see the point, but I would be grateful if you could point me in the direction of the other, “better” videos you mention. I’d be very interested to see other takes on controller-ism. Between this and the Trackmate stuff I’m still trying to figure out, there’s a lot to do!

June 22, 2009 @ 5:43 pm

Mark

So by “trolls” you mean rational people that perceive the “transformation” of a near useless maudio controller to an even more useless form to be a laughable waste of time.

June 22, 2009 @ 7:31 pm

jonnyfive

I don’t get it why be so negative? This video is great for beginners; isn’t the whole point of blogs like this to engage people with the technology they use, or to encourage them to engage more fully when they don’t because its intimidating, or something they perceive to be beyond their ability? This vid is awesome, it gives people an easy entry point into the world of DIY controller hackery. Your first project doesn’t need to be building a monome clone from spare parts…

Also, if you’ve never seen this guy play he doesn’t touch his computer (hardly) ever, and plays with a lot of musicianship. Isn’t that the point of controlerism? Making your amalgamation of electronics into an instrument, personalizing etc. This vid clearly illustrates its not an insurmountable task.

Finally: You can’t before you can.

June 22, 2009 @ 7:41 pm

Mark

Because musical beginners should learn to play a musical instrument. This approach, which primarily rewards the creation of auditory farts and squawks, is a waste of time. He plays with “musicianship”? I think I’ve finally decided to not come around here ever again.

June 22, 2009 @ 7:52 pm

Machines

@Mark

“Musical beginners should learn to play a musical instrument”, huh?

So does the fact that my one-year-old daughter can find a musical beat in the theme to the news, groove the loops she triggers on her many toys or the sound she makes when she blows air over an empty bottle mean her enjoyment of those “farts and squawks” is a waste of time? I think not.

There is no right or wrong way to create or enjoy music. Music is primarily about discovery, not a set of rules. Welcome to the 21st century :)

June 22, 2009 @ 8:31 pm

Mark

Don’t be such a smug father, you once did what she now does. Your daughter is exploring the order of tones and rhythm. She is likely already sensitive and preferential to the western major scale. Contrary to your position, music is about rules, and the subtle stretching of those rules gives it flavor. I didn’t realize the 21st century was about molesting the works of others with cheesy bandpass filters and bad delay. Please enlighten me.

June 22, 2009 @ 9:03 pm

twilight_fish

@Mark
So tell me enlightened one, of what rules do you speak? That has to be the silliest statement I’ve heard since I was told that people who use sequencers are not really musicians.

Technology moved so far in such a short time in relation to the “music” making process that the possibilities for performance and composition are vast and expanding.

“I didn’t realize the 21st century was about molesting the works of others with cheesy bandpass filters and bad delay”

You have heard about this thing called sampling right? didn’t know there were rules to that too…

Why are you posting here?

June 22, 2009 @ 9:12 pm

Mark

Not the academic rules you imply. Don’t be a twat. Rules are made to be broken, and without rules to be broken, you end up with unlistenable noise. There are rules to sampling. #1 is; Don’t make a musical shite stew that sounds like it came from a Cop using fruity loops. “Vast and expanding technology” does not equate to palatable noise worth putting in your ears. So in reply, there is a rule. Make music worth listening to. Stop masturbating over the crappy wal-mart tech’ behind it, and make some good music. I repeat, stop slobbering over crappy technology.

June 22, 2009 @ 9:25 pm

Mark

Oh, and if you want to know why I’m so grumpy…#1, well, because I’m right and you’re some suckling college age musical dilettante. #2 because my marriage is falling apart and I’m over it #3 I have no children and I’m going to whack myself so I figure I may as well give you whatever knowledge I feel you need to hear. Make sense? You don’t need theory, but at least learn how to play the fucking guitar for christ’s sake.

June 22, 2009 @ 9:37 pm

gwenhwyfaer

Well, Mark, thanks for helping us all to understand why you took the “troll” comment so personally, anyway.

June 22, 2009 @ 11:22 pm

wasili

MORE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
i’m really excited about this,Peter.exactly what i needed.
Moldover is a GENIUS!!!!!!

June 23, 2009 @ 1:30 am

tiago morgado

music is changing, everything is changing. the world is changing.. but there are things that never change..

and I grant you all that with the developments we are seeing in the modern world, I am surely going to make all my efforts so that, one day, if I have children, they will have a completely different music education that the one I did (although I won’t obviously obly them to be musicians)

June 23, 2009 @ 3:23 am

rhowaldt

@Mark: please, PLEASE do not encourage even more people to learn and play a guitar. its the only instrument everybody ever seems to play, and most suck at it. my wife has no idea how to play the guitar, yet i want to give it to her all the time as she uses it to create the strangest sounds, sounds i wish i could get out of that thing. the only reason she has this power is because she approaches this instrument completely naïeve.
now, your opinion might be, when you hear above example, that it is a bunch of crap. to my ears however, it is a refreshing way of using a terribly cliché instrument. she breaks the rules simply because she is not aware of the rules. why would that be bad?
more importantly: why do you care? why do you care enough to keep posting comments? because you believe you are right? you seem like an educated person with an argumented view, but you should have realised somewhere along your education that there is no such thing as wrong or right, as it differs per person, per situation and per everything, hence, it does not exist. its simply a rule we live by to make life easier. break the rule.

i’m right, and all of you know it.

June 23, 2009 @ 5:06 am

BARF

Mark is just another troll getting angry on the internet. Ignore him and maybe he will actually “not come around here ever again.”

June 23, 2009 @ 8:57 am

Keats' Handwriting

Wow… I’ve never seen such negativity on this site.

I really enjoyed Moldover’s video and wanted to see more so I watched some of his other videos. It seems that some people get really angry about Moldover’s videos.

I feel like it takes a very good teacher, to make the complex seem easy. So many people criticize before understanding.

Also, @rhowaldt- thank you. Everyone plays guitar (including me) and it’s so boring.

Contra, Mark I love this site – thanks everyone for making a great and (except for Mark) positive place to hang out.
~Joel

June 23, 2009 @ 2:27 pm

Mark

Psychology of a troll:

1. Personal issues.

2. Drunk.

3. Well, that was me.

I’m sorry for being such a a negative idiot. Please forgive me for polluting this great post.

June 24, 2009 @ 7:38 pm

Tyler

The second video is great. Take the specifics of the controller out of it and you can see what he is really talking about. It is the spirit of controllerism. The controller is not becoming useless but more functional and specialized. It’s the principle of the thing. How detailed can you get in 3 minutes on MTV. It’s enough time to inspire and motivate to be sure. Thanks Matt. And thank you Peter for the post.

August 28, 2009 @ 11:14 am

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