Yes, using just one controller works fine, but I wanted to be able to use both the LP and Geoshred at the same time. I couldn’t figure out a way to do it on Mac OS X. But I was able to connect the LP to my iPad and then, using AUM, have the midi signals from both Geoshred and the LP be sent together to the Network Session (which for some reason has to be named the default “Session1” name to be recognized by Melodics).
Now, although that technically worked, I couldn’t yet find out if it’s a practical layout for learning Keys with Melodics, since I’m such a N00b anyways.
Techicalities aside, and now that I’ve been able to test it for real, I’m wondering if this is indeed a good setup. I like the fact that the scale keys are highlighted, and on Geoshred I even have the name of each note written on the “pads”. But that means that I need to be in the correct key for each tune, which I’d have to figure out by myself in Melodics since, AFAIK, it is not mentioned anywhere in their software. I could of course stay in the key of C Major and use the pads as a regular keyboard of course, but that isn’t doing honor to the isomorphic layout.
Also, it looks – but I’d have to research that further, that playing chords on the pads is in fact harder than on a conventional keyboard, where the 12 semitones are at the very least all reachable with one extended hand. I’m not saying that it cannot be achieved with the pads, but even so I find that the position of the hand can easily feel “crippled” as you have to get your fingers to be all on the same line. I see the Launchpad’s Chord mode as a nice alternative, but then it becomes potentially harder to understand what keys to hit than to learn to play a normal keyboard… But that remains to be seen.
So in conclusion, maybe the trickery of the Launchpad can be a good way to play some basic tunes, but I’m guessing: at the expense of the expressiveness that playing a real keyboard is bringing.
That said, it could be more than enough for note entry and experimenting for those of us who just want to learn some basic composition and then have their DAWs play what has been recorded (and then possibly edited). Or maybe it can be enough for the harmonic part of some musical genres.
IMHO, it is however not going to cut it for playing jazz or classical music, since those have been written on and for the classic piano layout.
Now that doesn’t mean that intricate, interesting music cannot be created with the pads and all the smarts that come with using them in combination with software, but I think that music doesn’t exist yet, as it has to be created with the instrument that goes with it. That may be exactly the point.
I am thinking about seeing how far I can go with “hacking” the Melodics lessons with the Launchpad. By “hacking” I mean using a minimal set of keys for playing chords with my left hand only. I would really like to combine that with using Geoshred with my right hand when that becomes relevant.
The only problem I have with that is that it would require unplugging my LP and then going through all the necessary steps to create a Midi Network Session and all that in order for Melodics to see my iPad as one big midi input device, which is not very practical to say the least.
So I’m still on the lookout for a quick and easy way to create an aggregate Midi device on Mac OS X.
…although I haven’t found a way to create such an “aggregate” MIDI instrument, one that would be recognized by Melodics… If you have the solution, I’m up for it!
It’s always been a dream of mine to be the music teacher equivalent of a dude selling you a cheap tv in an abandoned alley somewhere.