MIDI Record/Looper enhancements...

[hotchk155]

V1.00 of the firmware only allows pitch recording via MIDI - this means you need to add gates using the panel controls, although I do think it is a fun way to play as you don't need to be precise with keyboard timing.

I plan to extend the firmware to allow an external MIDI keyboard to create trigs and ties as well as pitch. When looping over a pattern, the issue is that keyboard play is always additive to the pattern, so eventually the pattern ends up cluttered and full of notes. The current pitch only mode therefore always seemed a lot more playable.

I think this would work if there was an easy to use "erase" feature, like maybe holding down the CV button while pressing any MIDI keyboard note would erase all gate/pitch info at the current step

Interested to hear other ideas to solve this issue

[fjl]

The current way to record MIDI is a bit weird and I didn't find it useful at first, will have to explore it more. The FN+XX button combination isn't super easy to reach single-handed and recording in real time doesn't make a lot of sense with short loops, especially since everything is quantized to the grid.

I kind of think that for the way NoodleBox works, it makes a lot of sense to treat MIDI keyboards as an input device for pitch, with less of a focus on real time recording. Here's an idea: the recording shortcut could change to record while you hold CV. This should also work while the transport is stopped, i.e. pressing CV and inputting a MIDI note should be just like pressing CV and rotating the encoder to that note.

For gates, non-realtime input via MIDI doesn't make any sense, but maybe holding GATE while inputting MIDI notes could record the gates (and only gates). CV+GATE+note would then record both.

I think this would work if there was an easy to use "erase" feature, like maybe holding down the CV button while pressing any MIDI keyboard note would erase all gate/pitch info at the current step

Clearing out information is so easy on NoodleBox already!

[crstffr]

I recently hooked up a MIDI keyboard to input notes into my NoodleBox and was surprised to find that it doesn't record the gates or ties. I like to find bass lines and melodies on a keyboard and it would be great to be able to play them in.

In regards to recording loops in realtime: I agree that it can be difficult to get the start timing right, but NoodleBox has a great feature to correct that: Horizontal Shift. I can play my bass line on the keyboard and then shift the notes horizontally so they start on 1. When I screw up, I just clear it and start over.

I think it would be a nice enhancement to add gates and ties via MIDI.

[LA84]

For me, recording both gate and pitch information in real-time from an external midi keyboard would be a very valuable addition. It makes more sense to me... To be able to record a melody in real time (and tweak it afterwards) is a way of working I am currently missing. I don’t see an issue in a page getting ‘cluttered’ as I won’t overdub that often and clearing notes is easy. However, you could add a ‘replace’ recording mode next to the ‘overdub’ mode. Also a record only once (=1 page) vs record until stopped could be useful in this regard. Anyway, I hope real-time recording of both gate and pitch ends up high on the priority list :)