I create music and video with a variety of controllers: lots of knobs, sliders, drum pads, qwerty buttons, mice, and, of course, synthesizers and keyboards everywhere.

My main working programs are Max/MSP/Jitter and Live 5. All the controllers above are useful in my production methods with these two apps, but I've been wishing for something closer to perfect for what I do.

The Monome 40h may be the ticket:

The above shot is cropped from a pic on the Flickr feed.

The 40h is described by its developers as "a grid of internally lit tactile pushbuttons." The 8 x 8 lights are under software control, and can be uncoupled from button presses for visual feedback in any fashion. I could stay up all night describing uses for this device in my studio: sequencer, beat pad, video launcher, interactive composition tool giving me feedback on repetition count and blink-suggesting alternatives, one half of an incredible opto-theremin bank with just a bit of soldering and rigging...

I've been following the Monome interface's development since the first prototype, The Box, and have been lusting after one for a good year. Not only is the 40h looking like my favorite controller for its vast functionality, its developers have designed with high-quality, environmentally conscious components and local industry.

Release date is theoretically in March, so close I can already feel those 64 buttons beneath my fingertips.