As a Deluge user, I desire easily switchable note lighting for different modes (i.e. lydian)

[tobblestop]

I've been graciously loaned a Linnstrument 128 that I'm considering buying. I'm a relatively neophyte musician with minimal expertise in conventional piano layout, hence my interest in the isomorphic layout the Linnstrument provides as a means to accelerate my ability to compose and arrange melodies for tracks I'm making with a combination of Eurorack modular, soft-synths via PC, etc.

I currently own a Deluge which also provides an isomorphic layout, but with independent physical pads that serve a decent purpose for playing notes but don't provide velocity or X/Y metadata. This serves reasonably well for composition but is not ideal for live play. I think I'd like to grow into that expressiveness with something like the Linnstrument. The Deluge has two features I really enjoy: 1) a quick an easy ability to change root note and 2) quickly changeable scales between major (ionian), minor (aeolian), dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, and locrian.

I understand that there is some pedagogical debate about whether it's best to lean into different note lighting per mode/key, or leave note lighting as it is and become comfortable with playing scales understanding when to deviate to the appropriate accidentals for different modes. The Deluge provides the former strategy, and I am looking to reproduce the same note lighting functionality with the Linnstrument, while keeping in mind it may be better to take the latter path.

From what I've uncovered reading earlier discussions, reproducing the Deluge behavior may be possible by making custom scales, but there's a limited set of banks for these and it becomes tedious when combined with different root notes. There is a relatively new iOS app (viewtopic.php?p=8325836&hilit=custom+scales#p8325836) that leverages the Linnstrument's ability to receive MIDI CC to change note lighting dynamically, but I don't own an iOS device. Maybe there's another app or firmware update that provides this?

[Roger_Linn]

Hi tobblestop,

I think you're asking whether it's possible for LinnStrument's rows to contain consecutive pitches of a specific scale, skipping over pitches that don't exist in that scale, for example the consecutive pads in a row would play C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, etc. If so, LinnStrument's rows aways consist of consecutive semitones and that cannot be changed. The reason is given on the LinnStrument FAQ page, "General" tab, first FAQ:

"LinnStrument's rows always contain consecutive semitones (chromatic scales). Is it possible to set LinnStrument so that the rows contain consecutive notes of a specific scale,( for example only major scale notes while skipping over the accidentals?"

However, you can tune the rows however you like, just as you tune a guitar however you like. Also, you can light any scale you wish; for each pitch within a scale based on 12 EDO, you can turn the light on or off in either of 2 colors. To learn more, visit my site's LinnStrument Support page and select the Panel Settings page. Then click the "Global Settings" tab and read the sections Note Lights On/Off and Row Offset.

Note that in the above-referenced FAQ, there is a link to a third-party Mac/Win app that permits LinnStrument's rows to contain consecutive scale notes instead of consecutive semitones, but then LinnStrument's pitch slides won't slide to the correct pitch.

I hope this is helpful to you.

[tobblestop]

Thank you Roger for the quick reply! I agree with the design choice you've made not to be able to change consecutive semitones and don't desire to change that. What I'm looking for is something that might streamline what you describe in the third paragraph. I can change the note lights manually, but I'd like to have the thought 'I'd like to play Lydian in D' and not have to remap note lights manually, which makes me think I'm looking for an app that would let me specify this and communicate over MIDI to the Linnstrument to dynamically change them. Other than the iOS app I don't think this app yet exists?

[tobblestop]

Here's a video of how the Deluge provides this note light switching (starting at 6:25):

[Roger_Linn]

Ah, I understand now. Recently someone created an app that does that or something close and posted in on this forum somewhere, but I can't find it. Does anyone know where that post is?

[tobblestop]

Are you thinking of this one? https://patchstorage.com/linnstrulights-101/ (It's the one from the link in the topic starting post)

[Roger_Linn]

I don't know. I was looking for a forum post about an app that someone wrote that included a video of the app creator playing chords and the lights changing in response to what he was playing, or perhaps they were changing from messages sent from a backing track sequence. I was tight on time when I saw the post and don't recall the details.

[John the Savage]

[...] but I'd like to have the thought 'I'd like to play Lydian in D' and not have to remap note lights manually...

I always say this and get lambasted for it, but I'm going to say it anyway...

Have you considered just, you know, learning to play D Lydian, relative to whatever lights you have lit? It's just one note different from the major scale: i.e. simply raise (augment) the 4th degree by a semitone, and you're there. No app required... Sweet freedom!

Cheers!

[Roger_Linn]

Tobblestop-- sometimes if I want to play for example in Lydian mode, I play the default C major scale lights but starting in F, and perhaps change the transposition so F becomes C. But you're interested in changing musical modes/transpositions in real time based on the chords you're playing, which can be useful for example when modulating keys. I suspect that some computer app exists that attempts to do that, and if it works with MIDI piano keyboards it will also work on LinnStrument because LinnStrument is also a MIDI keyboard with the pitches in different locations. If you find such an app, please post about it here so others can benefit from it.

[TigerBalm]

Hi tobblestop, have you tried scale select mode?

Global settings -> far left column -> press pad in the third row up from the bottom

Now the Linny is in scale select mode

Now each pad in the first four rows of columns 2-4 correspond to a scale. I use the bottom row of buttons, which correspond to major, minor, and harmonic minor from left to right.

I’m not sure what scales the other 9 buttons provide. It should be described in the manual.

[Tj Shredder]

I found less lights are less disturbing! But I have a tritone layout which is easier to grab visually. I light the C and the A in different colors…
Learning the scales is just learning shapes and transposing is easy on an isomorphic layout…
Changing lights would be even more disturbing than too many…
Try less lights…

[troojg]

viewtopic.php?t=582460
If you're connected to a computer you can use this in conjunction with geert's sendmidi. Basically, I keep sendmidi in a folder with all the txt files of scales I've made. Then I just drag and drop whichever scale onto sendmidi.exe and I'm ready to go. You just have to remove the last line which saves the scale to one of your 3 slots.

For your use case, it might be best to create a file for each mode, and then use linnstrument's transpose feature to get you to the right key.