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comrade_zero
Joined: Mar 05, 2009 Posts: 63 Location: arizona
Audio files: 4
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:13 am Post subject:
Getting your hands dirty... |
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This post is for all of you members (or lurking guests) out there who:
a) already own an Arduino
or
b) are thinking about getting an Arduino
and want to know:
"What synthesizer applications can I reasonably make with this development board?"
In other words, I've got this microcontroller, now what am I gonna do with it?
So, let me offer a few project suggestions, hints, really, based off of a few projects I've built and played with, and some that I'm in the process of prototyping at the moment.
1) MIDI in functionality. Arduino can handle MIDI reasonably well, and while not a trivial undertaking, it is certainly viable. You will need to build a simple circuit (optocoupler etc.) but it is well worth the effort. Using a simple sawtooth VCO (the super-simple vco from Nicolas, here on the forum) and MIDI in, you can build a simple mono bass synth. (Add a simple sallen-key filter and an LED/LDR attenuator for some resonance and AM, and you have a nice little synth!)
2) Create a DCO. You can use the "tone" command to output square waves at a certain frequency. You can play with transistors and capacitors to create sawtooth waves based on your square wave. You can build a simple rudimentary DCO in this fashion. (I haven't gotten this one 100% yet, but check out Francois Best's site and his mixed control oscillator.)
3) Wavetable oscillators. There are a few projects around the web. Not for beginners, but well worth exploring.
4) Automated filter. Using LED/LDR combinations instead of OTAs in a wasp-style cd4069 resonant filter. Use pots and analog inputs to control attack/realease times...
5) Powerful analog step sequencer (currently in development). Use the Arduino as the "clock" to control two binary-to-decimal counters hooked up similar to the baby-10 sequencer. Allows for 16-step sequencing with voltages up to 15v.
soooo, what else are you using your Arduino for? I've seen a lot more activity surrounding it recently, which is great. The more project options the better.
Anyway, I hope this is food for thought,
c_z |
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elmegil

Joined: Mar 20, 2012 Posts: 2019 Location: Chicago
Audio files: 16
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 5:37 am Post subject:
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My first (and so far only) project was MIDI -> CV.
I have ideas (posted here: http://electro-music.com/forum/topic-54108.html) for a more complex MIDI -> CV scheme, and I think using SPI I can still use Arduino. But that's currently in my backlog . As is potentially working with mrkva's auduino ideas. |
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garcho

Joined: Sep 28, 2011 Posts: 40 Location: Richmond, VA
Audio files: 2
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 2:09 pm Post subject:
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YES!
I'm interested in any goofy cv-out patterns. I'm just starting to make a multi-LFO box and want to use Arduino for more complicated patterns than just square, triangle, ramps, saws - things that are simple enough to make with opamps, transistors and OTAs. So how about sample and hold? or random wave shape or morphing wave shapes, etc.? Does it make sense to use an Arduino for that kind of crap? All I've done with mine is make a light blink with an LDR. Woot woot! _________________ "The life of a repo man is always intense." |
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Mdashdotdashn
Joined: Aug 21, 2012 Posts: 2 Location: Berlin
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Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:19 am Post subject:
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Right now I've used it exclusively to build little synth engines.
My first attempt was to do an engine for the late critter and guitarri arduino pocket piano.
http://www.marc-nostromo.com/?page_id=14
And then moved on to 'augmenting' the midivox with LCD & potentiometers.
http://www.marc-nostromo.com/?p=134
I also have my hands on a SJS-1
http://devsound.se/2012/sjs-one
But didn't have too much time to spend my time on it.
Right now, I think I'll try to externalise the filter so I don't have to compute it in the arduino (and it'll be an interesting exercise to control the filter from there) and get more room for oscillator computations.
/M |
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