I can confirm this. I have multiple USB to DIN midi adapters on both Norns and they work perfectly.
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Btw, since this thread is getting some activity, hereās my most recent ig post of some cheat codes 2 jams (for anyone who has ig and is interested)
I havenāt used this script in a while, but Iām rediscovering how awesome it is. It really justifies the use of a grid (official or alternative) :
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-9kNdyRGpY/?igsh=aHFxMXB6ZDk2a2Rp
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Such a deep script but one I havenāt explored nearly enough
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Yeah, I havenāt explored it enough either. I am finding though that what I had previously learned has stuck with me. The main grid layout is just really memorable (at least for an arrangement of nondescript lights)
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Iāve been wanting to check norns out and am getting some GAS as a new batch of the official monome version is releasing this Tuesday.
I should just get a Shield from ebay I guess but the official one just looks so nice. Iāve looked through the code of some patches and it looks really fun to delve into and make stupid silly game/music things on, whereas with something like the organelle I get a headache from looking at the PureData. Never been a fan of visual coding interfacesā¦
I have an Oxi One so that should be decent enough as a Grid, at least to start with.
Is anyone using their norns with the M8 Tracker? It sounds like it works pretty perfectly according to M8 Tracker - #223 by 2197 - Equipment - lines
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I use the two together quite a bit. They pair nicely for a portable setup, especially since they both have internal batteries and donāt require a lot of juice when you want to power them off an external.
I donāt play a lot of shows but Iām pretty sure the next time I play Iāll be using the M8 with a Norns + Grid running Cheat Codes 2. I have some abstract rhythmic ambient sort of stuff that Iāve been composing on the M8 and Iāve been using CC2 to play synced micro loops and glitches on top. The only thing I need to figure out is how to send program changes to the Norns to change presets. I believe someone made a mod for this, but I havenāt tried it yet.
Anyways, you have a version of a grid already, and youāre curious about Norns. Iād say go for it! If youāre thinking you want grab an official Norns from Monome though, just make sure that youāre around a solid internet connection. Monome stuff can sell out quick since they typically release in small batches.
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Thanks for the very detailed reply! 
Will definitely get at least a shield, maaybe sell off a piece or two and get the official one.
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No problem! Iāve had a renewed interest in the Norns recently, so i enjoy talking about it with anyone who brings it up hahaā¦ if you end up getting one Iād love to hear what you think.
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Iām back on the monome norns again (donāt ask), and this is my first track, made with the Otis script only. Field recordings were done with the TP-7 and then added in Logic when I mastered the thing. Which didnāt take long, since thereās not a lot going on here really. Itās just a piano and Otis in full swing -
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beautiful!
And sir, We infact have to Ask!
I thought you had sworn of hardware, what happened? Are you using Grid as well?
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Theyāve been available for a few weeks and theyāre still not sold out this time.
Where are you based?
One thing to consider if youāre not in the States, is that import taxes and shipping adds quite a bit to the cost of one.
When I bought Norns and Grid, it was almost $500 extra on top of the price of the machines to get them shipped and pay taxes to the UK!
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I had.
As usual, I was wrong. As in, not just partly but entirely.
Having said that, Iām using Logic for lots of things now, so it was a journey and a mindset that gave me something in the end. But two things I realised that made me go back in my always so definite statement -
First, Iām not a professional. And I was starting to reason and approach my music as if I was. Had I been, I believe my approach wouldāve remained unchanged. But now, my quest for perfect workflow and sound was a bit in vain, since the end result wouldnāt make a difference anyway.
Second, I didnāt realize until Iād gone cold turkey on hardware for some time, how much the process of writing music mattered as having all the options available and the end result. It was, is, literally a meditative experience for me to sit down and play and write. I kind of knew that somehow, Iād expressed it before in many threads and forums, but it wasnāt until I removed myself entirely from it that I realised how much Iād actually meant it to myself. And writing music on a computer is a lot of things but for me, a tranquil and meditative experience, it is not. Most of the time, itās quite dull, actually. For me, that is, and through the lens of my own subjective experience.
Sampling and audio processing is where itās at for me, though. Synths and instruments are just a means to get there. To that end, I remember norns being quite the beast as a platform for audio mangling and manipulation, one of the most flexible and creative tools for sampling and audio tweaking, out there.
So here I am again 
and yep, I got a grid, too. Though so far, the scripts Iām using, the gridās not really helping. Itās not nearly as clever an interface as some would make it out to be 
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Iām assuming you meant to tag @neontropics with this bit of info, but yeah Iām in the states and havenāt considered the possibility that they might be somewhere else where there would be additional costs.
Thatās interesting about Monome not selling out. I guess the demand isnāt as high in our current economic climate, or now there are less barriers for obtaining materials so Monome was able to make more than usual, which could be a good thing!
Side note:
Summary
That being said, it definitely feels like the electronic instrument market is strained. Thereās just too much of everythingā¦ it has to be hard being a small developer selling niche instruments.
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It sound to me you had to make that journey to figure that out. I personally agree with your end thesis, itās a hobby, Itās fun, itās relaxing if it ends up sounding good or even great then that is a byproduct of everything else.
RIGHT!! I had norns standalone and really enjoyed it, I sold it just to try other stuff and after a while I came by a Norns Grid combo and I got so annoyed by how obtuse and mystical it was that I sold them almost immediately. It looks flashy and cool but itās super annoying to use. For me Octatrack is still the greatest for weird soundscapes and thatās from someone who has a Torso S-4 (which Iām thinking about selling if youāre interested 
)
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I said it to you in lines too, but Iām glad youāre back! I hope your interest is sustained for longer cuz I always enjoy hearing your thoughts about your experience with particular instrumentsā¦and of course the recordings that come along with it.
The grid is certainly not well utilized in every script but I couldnāt really imagine having much fun going grid-less with the more performative ones like Cheat Codes or MLRE. Those scripts find the right balance of menu navigation and immediacy, and the Grid and Norns combo is what makes that experience work, at least in my opinion.
Navigating the Norns is probably the least interesting aspect of the experience for me, but there are definitely some scripts that work best as set-and-forget audio processors.
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Iām sad to hear that youāre thinking of selling you s-4! I really love what you were making with it, although I understand if youāve become disenchanted with the experience since itās still pretty underdeveloped and bug-ridden.
I found a nice looking Shield on ebay and got that instead of the official one:
Really liking it so far, the screen, knobs and UI are a lot more inspiring than Organelleās. Only really played with awake, fall, amenbreak and goldeneye so far, but theyāre all fun to doodle with. Oxi One works great as a grid so far (esp since it has a battery itās very quick to hook it up). The built in recorder is a great way to move audio between scripts too.
I want to make a snowfall version of the fall script in time for December, and itād be fun to make a dice roller app with som crunchy sci fi sounds for tabletop rpgs.
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Thanks for saying that, i really appreciate it!
In not reallyvthere yet, but its getting close!
I think i can pretty much do What the S-4 does already, the S-4 just streamlines the process basically. But like i Said, Im not fullt There yet
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That said, yeah itās hardware but the community developed software and integrations are pretty sweet.
Iām not picking up one anytime soon but I do think it would be a nice gift to myself whenever Iāve hit a point at which Iām doing well with everything I have.
Thank you I actually find the norns to be the most inspiring part. Iām approaching it more like a pedal and fx unit, and less like a comprehensive environment for full body work, even though I know it can pull that off, though mostly among the loopers - which are all confusingly similar, by the way. It seems more about how you want to approach it rather than one being better than the other.
I get that the grid in all its non-cluttered approach is supposed to be a place of serenity. But once it lights up and you look at the combination of buttons lighting up or not, and realize youāll get absolutely nowhere without reading something or watching something, it breaks the immersion.
I think thereās a case to be made for this kind of instrument, but I think you need to think further than applications that do things you can do on other platforms as well, but now with an interface that only is leds and lights. Itās an interface made for an experience that hasnāt been created yet, Iād say.
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