Pico Pi Stuns with Unexpected MIDI Capability
The Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller is at the heart of an impressively streamlined MIDI looper project, created by [oyama]. This device offers a straightforward approach to MIDI music creation, using minimal components.
The project interfaces with a range of synthesizers through the MIDI-BLE standard, which can be found on professional equipment or smartphone apps. The Pico W's bootselect button serves multiple functions, allowing users to choose among four tracks (each featuring different drums), set the tempo, and add notes to the selected track.
Simplicity is the key to this looper's operation. By tapping out rhythms for each track, users can create an endless loop - until a single button press alters the sequence. Moreover, it features a user-friendly serial interface for real-time monitoring through UART or USB.
With just one component making up the Bill of Materials (BOM), the Pi Pico W, this project showcases unrivaled simplicity. While extending the build with components such as a speaker or additional buttons could lead to further functionalities, it would deviate from the project's minimalist essence.
However, the versatility of the ADC on the Pico hints at potential modifications to create a standalone, single-button synth.
The MIDI-BLE standard employed in this project has been utilized in other open-source endeavors, such as adapting it for a Eurorack modular synthesizer setup. For those intrigued by the intricacies of synthesizer design from scratch, details about the process are available online.
All aspects of the Pico MIDI looper project are open-source and can be found on GitHub, under the BSD license. Forking and further development are encouraged, making it an exciting opportunity for enthusiasts to tinker and expand upon the original design.
For those interested in exploring open-source MIDI projects related to the Raspberry Pi Pico or other microcontrollers, various resources are available on platforms like GitHub. Examples include the pico-midi-looper-ghost project, which aims to create a minimal MIDI drum machine suitable for educational and artistic use, or the picoDexed project, which replicates the MiniDexed EuroRack PCB for the Pico while adding a display and encoder for a broader range of musical projects.
Arduino-based MIDI projects are also worth investigating, as they share similar concepts and can potentially be adapted for use with the Pi Pico. Lastly, there are experimental projects like midi2hamlib, which repurpose MIDI input for amateur radio transceivers on platforms like the Raspberry Pi, demonstrating the wide range of applications for MIDI technology.
The Raspberry Pi Pico W's simplicity in MIDI music creation opens doors for potential hacking projects, such as modifying its ADC to create a standalone, single-button synth. Additionally, the pico-midi-looper-ghost project, an open-source MIDI drum machine developed for educational and artistic purposes, is just one example of various Raspberry Pi Pico or microcontroller-based MIDI projects readily available on platforms like GitHub.
