LOLShield MIDI Step Sequencer – Part 2

I wanted to experiment with different scales and tempos with my LOLShield MIDI Step Sequencer but naturally didn't want to keep having to recompile and redownload sketches onto the Arduino, so some kind of control was in order. However the LOLShield uses all the IO apart from RX/TX, which are used for the MIDI, but I … Continue reading LOLShield MIDI Step Sequencer – Part 2 →

LOLShield MIDI Step Sequencer

One of the things I always do when I get a new LED matrix style display is run Conway's Game of Life on it, so having recently played with some MIDI step sequencers, I thought it time to put the two together. This is the result. In a follow-up post, I add some simple MIDI … Continue reading LOLShield MIDI Step Sequencer →

Arduino MIDI Multi-Tone Module

I've not done anything with the Arduino's built in tone() for a while so thought I'd revisit something I've wanted to explore for a while - Arduino tone() polyphony! But not of the sort I explored in the Arduino Multi MIDI Tone Module which stacked up several Arduino MIDI Tone Modules together. Instead, I wanted to … Continue reading Arduino MIDI Multi-Tone Module →

Arduino MIDI 7 Segment Controller – Part 2

As mentioned in my previous post, the Arduino MIDI 7 Segment Controller is ripe for turning into a self-contained module. To keep it all relatively small, I opted to build an add-on board for an Arduino Nano. Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I am not responsible for any … Continue reading Arduino MIDI 7 Segment Controller – Part 2 →

Arduino MIDI 7 Segment Controller

An Arduino is quite capable of driving a seven segment display directly without additional circuitry, but it does use a lot of pins. But the advantage is that you have a much larger range of displays to choose from and you have the option to include it on your own board or shield in the … Continue reading Arduino MIDI 7 Segment Controller →

Simple Potentiometer Breakout

I've been using potentiometers quite a bit in recent projects and now have two boards that include options to link out to potentiometers to control boards too, so thought it useful to have another, smaller, breakout to make experimenting easy. Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I am … Continue reading Simple Potentiometer Breakout →

Arduino VS1003 Drum Machine

I picked up some cheap matrix button boards a while back and wanted to use them as some kind of MIDI controller, so linked up with the Arduino MIDI VS1003 Synth I thought I'd make a self-contained simple drum machine. https://youtu.be/xzDqOiP5L4g Warning! I strongly recommend using old or second hand equipment for your experiments. I … Continue reading Arduino VS1003 Drum Machine →

Arduino MIDI VS1003 Shield – Part 2

Having left a good half of a proto shield free in my Arduino MIDI VS1003 Shield I thought it would be useful to add in some potentiometers, a MIDI link and an optional indicator LED. This documents the build process continuing where the previous project left off. Warning! I strongly recommend using an old or second hand … Continue reading Arduino MIDI VS1003 Shield – Part 2 →

Arduino MIDI Button Controller

Having spent some time recently playing with synth modules it reminded me to revisit my MIDI Patch Button and Arduino Simple MIDI Controller to produce something a little more useful. As a start I wanted up/down buttons to change the patch number and ideally a display to show which number is active. This is how I did … Continue reading Arduino MIDI Button Controller →

Arduino MIDI VS1003 Shield

I've put together a simple shield to hold my VS1003 modules. This documents the build process so far. In the next part, I'll add some potentiometers for control. Warning! I strongly recommend using an old or second hand keyboard for your MIDI experiments. I am not responsible for any damage to expensive instruments! These are the … Continue reading Arduino MIDI VS1003 Shield →