Single Pin MIDI Channel Selector

One thing that has been missing from all of my MIDI projects so far is some means of configuring the MIDI channel without having to reload code. There are a number of approaches, but I wanted one that used the minimal amount of IO. This documents one option. In part 2 I build this into … Continue reading Single Pin MIDI Channel Selector →

Arduino Tone Polyphony

I've been reading about the Oskitone 555Poly which looks like a lot of fun. It is a fully polyphonic sound generator based on one 555 oscillator circuit per key, each one individually tuned to the note you want it to play. Unfortunately my budget for making is unlikely to be able to justify getting one … Continue reading Arduino Tone Polyphony →

Pi Pico MIDI Matrix Decode

Having had a first play with my new Raspberry Pi Pico, I thought the next step was to make a simple MIDI controller with some IO. So I thought I'd get a simple music keyboard up and running. In part 2 I build this up on stripboard. In part 3 I expand it to four … Continue reading Pi Pico MIDI Matrix Decode →

Arduino MIDI VS1003 or VS1053 Synth

This is a minor update to my Arduino MIDI VS1003 Synth and Arduino MIDI VS1053 Synth projects. I mentioned that as part of the VS1003 support the code should be configurable for either the VS1003 or VS1053 modules, but at the time the VS1053 support was untested, It is now tested! Read on for details. Update: Also … Continue reading Arduino MIDI VS1003 or VS1053 Synth →

MIDI, CircuitPython, CPX and Pi Pico

Inspired by my initial play with the Raspberry Pi Pico and MicroPython, I wanted to also see what I could do with both the Micro:bit and my Adafruit Circuit Playground Express MIDI-wise too. Both are 3.3V boards and both can run a variant of MicroPython - either native or using the Adafruit version - CircuitPython. … Continue reading MIDI, CircuitPython, CPX and Pi Pico →

MIDI, MicroPython and the Raspberry Pi Pico

It was an exciting day on Thursday this week on Twitter. I was able to watch the release of the Raspberry Pi Foundation's new microcontroller board, the Raspberry Pi Pico and it looks like it will have lots of features that will be of interest for Simple DIY Electronic Music Projects. And the best bit? … Continue reading MIDI, MicroPython and the Raspberry Pi Pico →

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 →