Monome
Monome is an Upstate New York-based company, founded by Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain, that produces sound modules and MIDI controllers. Also the name of their initial product, a grid-based controller that is now sometimes simply referred to as grid.
Monome
Matthew Davidson · Flickr: grids and arcs · CC BY 2.0
- Field
- open hardware and MIDI controller.
- Period
- 2005.
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Monome. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 1074873823 · wikidata · Q3321167 · wikipedia · Monome
In this article
Design
Design
The Monome has a minimalist design, and has been complimented for its interface design. It is a box with a grid of back-lit buttons, with no labels or icons.
Functionality
Functionality
A core design principle of the Monome is that it is not intended for any one specific application — the function of each button and the decision as to which lights are lit are completely up to the software communicating with the device over the Open Sound Control protocol. The creators of Monome said: "The wonderful thing about this device is that is doesn't do anything really... It wasn't intended for any specific application. We'll make several applications, and others will make more. We hope to share as many of these as possible."
Models
Models
Since 2006, several models have been produced, with typical sizes ranging from 64 to 256 buttons — plus a very limited run of 512-button devices. In 2011, the first non-grid controller in the Monome family was introduced, the Monome Arc. The Monome Arc consists of two aluminum knobs mounted on a rectangular walnut box. Each knob is surrounded by a ring of 64 LED lights, and similarly to the Monome, affords function only by USB connection to an application. In September 2013, Monome introduced another open-sourced music device, the music computer called Aleph. Aleph contains four digital inputs and outputs, four control voltage inputs and outputs, multiple optical encoders, a display screen and USB - all of which can be completely reprogrammed at the software level. Full release and distribution was planned for late Fall 2013.
Notable Users
Notable Users
Pretty Lights Flying Lotus Imogen Heap (on the Late Show with David Letterman) Daedelus (musician)
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Monome, revision 1284690028 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Donald Bell. SoundSquare standoff: Monome vs. Tenori-On. CNet News. 2007-08-23.
- 2.Ryan Block. Music Thing: Monome Controller. Engadget. April 14, 2006.
- 3.James Lewin. Monome 512 Available Via Limited Auction. Sonic State. May 4, 2010.
- 4.Joseph L. Flatley. Monome Arc OSC controller is simple, elegant, and expensive. Engadget. January 24, 2011.
- 5.Jordan Rothlein. Monome readies Aleph. Resident Advisor. September 27, 2013.
- 6.Frere-Jones, Sasha. Heavy Water: Steven Ellison's atomization of hip-hop. The New Yorker. January 12, 2008.
- 7.Ben Rogerson. Imogen Heap plays Monome on Letterman show. Music Radar. September 9, 2009.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- monochordTerminology
- MonochromaWork
- Monochrome RacingWork
- MonoliskWork
- MonopolyTerminology
- Monopoly City StreetsWork
- Monopoly DealTerminology
- Monopoly Here and NowWork
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Monome?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.