New Open-Source MIDI Meta-Synth System, Nallely
Developer Dr Schlange has introduced Nallely, a MIDI companion, designed to help you map MIDI controllers/instruments together, create/use virtual devices (LFOs, EGs) and more.
“About a month ago, I started writing a small Python abstraction to control my Korg NTS-1 via MIDI, with the goal of connecting it to any MIDI controller without having to reconfigure the controller,” notes Schlange. Things quickly got out of hand. I began extending the system to introduce virtual devices—LFOs, envelopes, etc, which could be mapped to any MIDI-exposed parameter on any physical or virtual device. That meant I could route MIDI to MIDI, Virtual to MIDI, MIDI to Virtual, and even Virtual to Virtual. Basically, everything became patchable.”
“It’s now turning into a kind of organic meta-synthesis platform—designed for complex MIDI routing, live-coding, modular sound shaping, and realtime visuals. “
Features:
- Programmatic seemless API to your MIDI Device
- Vvirtual devices (LFOs for example) you can connect to your MIDI devices (as source or target)
- “Introspective API” for auto-adaptive virtual modules
- Links are formally defined and are entities of the domain
- “Bouncy links”: links can trigger target port associated link to have reaction chains
- Python API code generator for your device if it is listed by the MIDI CC & NRPN database project
- Bind/unbind control/pad/key of your MIDI devices between each other or virtual devices, converting the CC between source and target if required
- Bind/unbind the velocity of the pad/key of your MIDI devices to any CC control
- Bind/unbind pad/key individualy to any control, note, parameter of MIDI devices or virtual devices
- Bind/unbind a key/pad to another one (even if not the same note, you can map a note to its octave on the same device or another one)
- Scaler for the values that goes from a source to a target: you can restrict the range of values that will be sent to the target,
- Auto-scaling: if you want the source to adapt to the range of the target without setting the range yourself
- Websocket-based bus on which external services can auto-register and expose parameters to which you can bind your MIDI/virtual devices in a seemless way
- LFOs composition with mathematical expressions
- Envelope Generator
- A web interface relying on a websocket protocol (named Trevor) which allows you to do graphically what you would ask Nallely to do in normal time (map devices, parameters, scalers)
- Interactive code playground in the browser (through Trevor UI) inspired by Smalltalk playground
- Small web-based widget oscilloscope integrated in the web interface
- Save/reload preset for any MIDI device
- Save/reload patch for full connection between MIDI devices and virtual devices
- Random preset generator for MIDI devices and virtual devices
- Full random patch generator (basic at the moment) with auto-generative capacity as virtual device (you can control it from MIDI devices or other virtual devices)
Nallely is free, open source and available now
