Hello Blokas community!
For a while now I have been beta testing Pisound Micro in my project. Since it was finally released I thought I would share my journey.
Firstly, I have programmed as a hobby and a bit for 3d tools for my job, but nothing professionally. So if you decide to use my code, have that in mind: )
I wanted to have a simple groovebox to practice piano, play a metronome, maybe record something, without turning on a PC. Raspberry Pi + Pisound was a great solution, but sadly, most Linux audio software with GUI is not optimized for a small screen.
So I decided to make an app for this purpose from scratch. I used minimal libraries and an interface that could work from the command line (ncurses).
As soon as I could load lv2 plugins I started prototyping cases, soldering stuff. I had to disassemble Pisound, de-solder the inputs, outputs, and its header. When Blokas sent me the new Pisound Micro I could make some serious upgrades to my box. I made a PCB, designed and printed a case.
Currently it is possible to load lv2 plugins, there is a metronome, a super simple synth, even a more simple sampler (just a template for one really) and a possibility to load CLAP plugins. The latter I am actively developing right now - it’s already usable but some critical aspects like preset loading are still missing.
Big features that i want to implement - recording and some kind of a MIDI sequencer that does not need an interface to function.
You can check some photos and videos here brumakes
The source code for the app is here GitHub - Andzelmas/smp_groovebox: Simple groovebox for linux based systems. Works on rpi too.
There is also a daemon I made to make pin data into keyboard shortcuts - I use this to control the smp_groovebox with encoders. You can find it here GitHub - Andzelmas/pinKbd_daemon: Daemon that converts Pisound-Micro and Raspberry Pi GPIO pin info to keyboard events
Hopefully some DIY enthusiasts find this info useful! But do have in mind that I made this for myself as a fun project - don’t expect a polished product. It is weird and buggy right now: )
