LinnStrument Software version 2.3.0 is released: custom light patterns

[Roger_Linn]

Hi Kalee,

In answer to your questions:

1) From the Update Software page:
“Note: these 3 custom light patterns are not part of the 6 All Settings presets in the Presets screen, so they are unaffected by loading or saving any of the All Settings presets.”

2) Which modes are you referring to?

[Kalee]

Hey,
1) Would be very useful if they were

2) Im referring to the left most global setting column.

[Roger_Linn]

Hi Kalee,

I understand now that you weee referring to the Main and Accent display modes in column 1 of Global Settings. It is correct operation that you cannot select these while you have selected Scale Select A, A# or B, which are the 3 custom light patterns. The reason is that the custom light patterns do not use these models. Instead, they allow each of the note pad to be set to any of 10 colors or off.

The custom light patterns can be a little confusing at first. Please read that section of the Panel Settings page again to understand the difference between the 9 lower and 3 upper Scale Select memories.

[dr_loop]

Thanks a lot, Roger and Geert.

For my needs this feature is most welcome!
I read:
CC23: Save loaded light pattern to flash.
After sending a new light pattern to LinnStrument, send a CC23 message with value 0, 1 or 2 to save it to Scale Select memory A, A# or B, respectively.
CC24.: Clear custom light pattern from flash.
Send a CC24 message with value 0, 1 or 2 to clear Scale Select pattern A, A# or B, respectively.

‍This is fantastic, *BUT* is there no Controller-message to *RECALL* a pattern? This for me would be the most important of all! Am I missing something?

(While at it, it would be very nice, if there would be a CC24 with value 3 which *clears* the whole display. Because this will be my use-case #1. This way I could still use three different patterns instead of just two. But anyway, this enhancement is most welcome!)

[dr_loop]

...nevermind, I suppose it must be NRPN 247 0-11 Global Active Note Lights Preset,
which makes perfect sense!

One question remains though, is it ok to change these presets *very* often (like every few minutes or so), or does this somehow "wear out" the flash memory?

[Pulse Emitter]

Thanks so much Roger and Geert for developing this update! It was my one wish for the LinnStrument. Having custom colors per button is essential when I'm working on microtonal music, and this makes is EASY!

[Roger_Linn]

…is it ok to change these presets *very* often (like every few minutes or so), or does this somehow "wear out" the flash memory?

Frequently loading different custom light patterns isn’t a problem, but frequently saving them will shorten the life of the flash memory.

However, I don’t see the merit of frequently loading different custom light patterns, which is a little like changing a piano’s key colors for every song. I suspect there may be a better method of achieving your musical goal. If you’d like to explain your musical goal, I may be able to suggest a better way of getting there.

[dr_loop]

thanks for your reply.

If you’d like to explain your musical goal, I may be able to suggest a better way of getting there.

...well, it could be a sleek way to make a user-mode display persisting if you switch back and forth between user-mode and normal mode (provided that these presets work in user-mode too(?))
Now, everytime you switch back to user-mode, the display is blank again, so the current content has to be redrawn. No biggie though.

[Roger_Linn]

Thanks, dr. There are many things that User Firmware mode doesn't do, so given Geert's limited time I prefer to focus on things that are more important to most users' playing needs. But I do thank you for your suggestion.

[gbevin]

thanks for your reply.

If you’d like to explain your musical goal, I may be able to suggest a better way of getting there.

...well, it could be a sleek way to make a user-mode display persisting if you switch back and forth between user-mode and normal mode (provided that these presets work in user-mode too(?))
Now, everytime you switch back to user-mode, the display is blank again, so the current content has to be redrawn. No biggie though.

User mode was designed explicitly to be stateless, the intent is that everything is completely driven by the user mode script or program you create. That makes the action clear and predictable as opposed to splitting functionality. You can create and LED pattern in user mode by sending the relevant CC messages for LED lights (see the MIDI documentation https://github.com/rogerlinndesign/linn ... r/midi.txt).

[dr_loop]

...ok, I hear you, from a programmers perspective this makes perfect sense.

Given, that the UserMode doesn't really interest probably more than very few people, it's ok, I can live with it.
But access to a few higher level routines like clearing the display wouldn't do any harm.
I mean, just to clear the display you have to send hundreds of MIDI-messages, a little bit awkward, isn't it.
And, a completely stateless UserMode would accomplish quite exactly nothing, wouldn't it?

[gbevin]

...ok, I hear you, from a programmers perspective this makes perfect sense.

Given, that the UserMode doesn't really interest probably more than very few people, it's ok, I can live with it.
But access to a few higher level routines like clearing the display wouldn't do any harm.
I mean, just to clear the display you have to send hundreds of MIDI-messages, a little bit awkward, isn't it.
And, a completely stateless UserMode would accomplish quite exactly nothing, wouldn't it?

It accomplishes full customization over MIDI without having to learn C/C++ nor having to fork the firmware.

[dr_loop]

...well, what I meant: it isn't completely stateless anyway; from a logical perspective: what is the difference between lighting a single LED or 200 hundred?
But I don't want to be picky, I said I can live with it, and if I miss something, I do (and did) change the source code you make accessible easily enough. So, no worries!

[gbevin]

...well, what I meant: it isn't completely stateless anyway; from a logical perspective: what is the difference between lighting a single LED or 200 hundred?
But I don't want to be picky, I said I can live with it, and if I miss something, I do (and did) change the source code you make accessible easily enough. So, no worries!

We could consider a few higher level messages, but that was not your initial question. You were asking about persisting LED layouts for use with user mode. That is persisting state for user mode on the LinnStrument.

[dr_loop]

We could consider a few higher level messages, but that was not your initial question. You were asking about persisting LED layouts for use with user mode. That is persisting state for user mode on the LinnStrument.

...yes, I speculated the custom light patterns could eventually be a 'cheap' trick to have some custom layouts ready in user-mode, without drawing them again and again (including a blank display). One can dream