ambient talkie: ep 33 - NORNS standard vs shield

[@432vibes]

Thanks for the video. i have a shield XL kit on the way to expand the shield family. i'll let you now how it is to build and use. Have a nice week!

[@tworoundrobins]

Please do :)

[@-umbrarium]

Great to see you have three Norns now.

[@tymaraist9729]

feeling lucky that my shield doesn’t doesn’t have noise issues, just jumpy encoders. i have standard norns on the way this week that i bought second hand, and i’m very excited for it. it’s black and wondering if it’ll patina in the same way as your grey one. i think that’s just gorgeous, but maybe polarizing like brutalist architecture itself 🤷🏻‍♂️. great video! my favorite way to unwind on sunday afternoons

[@tworoundrobins]

I especially went for grey but am curious of its black gets the patina treatment :)

[@deaftone]

Very nice comparison, thank you. Just wanted to add that Shield XL is a serious step up for Norns Shield! Proper stereo I/O, low and slick profile, much lower noise when powering form a computer or usb outlet and! something OG doesn't have is a proper MIDI TRS I/O :)

[@casbahrockin]

I've got an XL as well and it's ace.

[@tworoundrobins]

Yes, I had a pleasure of seeing it in Berlin and it does seen to offer quite a lot!

[@lesjamusic]

Looking forward to this one!

[@tworoundrobins]

see you on the premiere :)

[@lesjamusic]

@@tworoundrobins Excellent video thank you. I have a standard on the way soon but might keep the Shield as a backup, or simply as a 2nd instrument

[@tworoundrobins]

@@lesjamusic oh second norns is a must tbh, it opens everything up

[@casbahrockin]

For the jumpy encoders, you can fix that with a couple of capacitors across the encoder pins.

[@tworoundrobins]

You mean reflow them? I’ve heard this can be due to overheating when soldering

[@casbahrockin]

@@tworoundrobins literally just soldering a 100nF cap (0805 smd ones work great) between each of the middle and outer pins. They act as bypass caps and filter out noise that causes extra jumps of the encoder.

[@talimn]

Personally, I think the patina on the standard case is absolutely gorgeous. It’s no different than tools - a well used and well loved tool has marks from its user which give it character and life.

[@tworoundrobins]

indeed! i guess i just need to get used to it :D my plumbutter has a sharp crack on the av dog and it looks like a relic - i slowly learned to love it

[@NicolasMelis]

Great video! Thank you

[@claudemurder8413]

thanks for the video : )

[@Ludo---]

Seeing this machine made me want to build one myself. The PCB is currently being manufactured at JLCPCB, and the components will arrive in a few days. I have a PI 3B in stock, and I hope to be able to assemble all the SMD parts of the 28/10/2021 version with the CS4271K-CZZ codec. Fingers crossed that I can create this gem... Thank you for sharing this project, which only gives one desire: to have one... ;)

[@tworoundrobins]

Good luck and enjoy the process 🙏🏻

[@Ludo---]

It's done, and it works, phew. It wasn't working at all, but I had the wrong firmware. With the right one, it started up on the first try. I just have one thing to say: thank you for introducing me to this little gem.

[@coolo73]

I use a 2021 Shield bought directly from Monome with a Pi3b. No noise to speak of whatsoever. From what I understand the earlier 2019 factory Shield was the noisy one. The only difference between 2021 and 2022 codex was because of global parts shortage.

[@tworoundrobins]

the big problem from my side was just that I used Pi 4b - which because of the usb hub switch (different from 3b) it sits right under the wifi antenna, thus interference noise was far more present. The other problem was a little screw on the bottom of the case - this was probably more to do with PI and not shield :)

[@jordanguzak7532]

Would have liked to see shieldxl in this comparison, it's got the best of both worlds imo

[@oldmancolin]

There is a link to Denki-oto in the description, at least

[@tworoundrobins]

Yes, maybe in the future! It does seem really great especially with the trs midi inputs…although my workaround is 2host again made by Steven from denki-oto

[@BobCharlotte]

Really nice comparison, thanks for the video! I have the Shield version but the noise is quite remarkable (even with wifi disconnected, compressor and reverb off), it's always noticeable when recording some quiet music... From what you mentioned, I guess the Standard is better in terms of noise, specially when not using the wifi.

[@tworoundrobins]

Definitely, because the wifi antenna on the shield is too close to the usb ports…although this is more of an issue for 4b as opposed to 3b

[@BobCharlotte]

@@tworoundrobins thank you for the insight. I'll try to go for the standard in the next batch!

[@The_Sound_Technician]

Andy thanks matey, as per usual excellent video…. So all in all not much difference….. do you know of a video that explains how to get good audio levels in and out of the norns…. I don’t really get all the different level screens… which is master in and master out? Hope you are well mr? Matt 👍🏻

[@tworoundrobins]

I suggest diving into the monome norns documentation that is easily available on their site - this will tell you what the different level screen mean. As for getting good audio levels, I suggest running anything through a preamp first but any normal line level should be fine without an additional preamp.

[@ScottRobinson23]

What IS the difference? I guess we will find out

[@margaritaulokina7985]

Wonderful! ❤️

[@ozymandias404]

So what was the problem with Your unit? I’m also facing some issues with noise in my shield, especially while using Pools script.

[@tworoundrobins]

I figured out that it was the top left screw on the bottom of the case. I have no idea why but I assume that it might had something to do with connection/grounding of the Pi but I could ne wrong

[@ozymandias404]

@@tworoundrobins Sure, I’ll check it out, thanks!

[@patrickreardon5022]

What script do you have on the screen?

[@tworoundrobins]

It’s Messiaen - my script that’s in the works

[@Freakydile]

I. Look. SO. Forward. To. That!!!!!! Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii@@tworoundrobins

[@famtange]

I wonder what the price is like building your own shield compared to buying it from the Norns people ??

[@tworoundrobins]

huge difference... however you cannot buy a DIY shield from Monome any more and standard takes the cake when it comes to built quality

[@famtange]

@@tworoundrobins thanks mate. I have a shield and it’s one of those bits of equipment I want a back up one just in case.

[@Paolo_Pino]

great comparison! I have a Fates (another Denky Oto Project) and its knobs are not only very loose but after 2 years of intense usage, they become laggy and jumpy... Does the knobs on the regular Norns have stepped/clicked behavior? One day maybe I could find a good deal on a used one, or like you with a b-stock. Btw can't wait to try your new script!💛💫🐦

[@tworoundrobins]

it has infinity type encoders that are quite smooth. with a new batch this is supposedly going to be even improved, so could be worth a grab!

[@t0mcat23]

@@tworoundrobins I have a sheildxl as my first (oh how I waited!) and I quite like the encoders, very smooth, they feel great. Just wish the sheildxl came with nuts for the 1/4" jacks. I like the big square buttons on it too. they feel nice.

[@s21825]

Wondering if you could clarify something for me: are the audio outputs on the full norns 2x stereo outputs or 1x mono left + 1x mono right?

[@tworoundrobins]

hi, they are two mono inputs (left and right) so in this way its quite similar to the shield but does give you option to easily separate the signal

[@s21825]

@@tworoundrobins thank you! most of my audio stuff atm is 3.5 mm trs, so I am look for which adaptor I'll need. Thanks for clarifying!

[@PetersPlaceToBe]

You made me speechless… this made my day!! 🤍

[@The_Sound_Technician]

Also another question….. why 3 machines???

[@tworoundrobins]

more possibilities of running different scripts at the same time :)

[@mechtai.7511]

❤️

[@HousePlant_Ambient]

I’m considering the Norns as it is going to be on sale again

[@tworoundrobins]

new norns unit will have even better encoders and clearer screen - so good timing!

[@LarryTru]

My experience has been that care must be taken in assembling the Shield to make sure there are no shorts between the shield and the raspberry Pi. I separated the two with an extra washer (and modified my case to accommodate that) and have never had any noise problems since.

[@tworoundrobins]

yes, even when taking them apart, it can be quite fragile