Raspberry Pi Synthesizers – How the Pi is transforming synths

https://www.gearnews.com/raspberry-pi-synthesizers-how-the-pi-is-transforming-synths/

28•zdw•4h ago

Comments

charcircuit•1h ago

What if instead it ran on a macbook which you plugged the keyboard into. You could still make the software open source if you want.

snom380•1h ago

Arturia does that, and Korg did as well (making controller keyboards specific for emulating a synth, with the software running on a Mac or PC.

Downsides: - if the software doesn’t get updated, you’re stuck running an old OS an old Mac that supports it. - you can’t just turn on the synth and use it, you need to find a cable, connect it to the Mac, launch the software, etc

m_kos•13m ago

What I don't quite get is why manufacturers of midi controllers (Arturia, Novation, NI, etc.), with the exception of, possibly only Korg, don't release any of their digital instruments as mobile apps. After sitting the whole day in front of my computer, the last thing I want to do is to swap VS Code for Ableton or Kontakt and spend a few more hours in the glow of my monitors.

(I do get that if you are very serious about making music you need a proper computer set up. I am just a mere amateur hobbyist.)

lolive•1h ago

I discovered by pure chance the vast ecosystem of iOS synths apps. And I was absolutely blown away. 90+% of the synths of the past century are available for ~5-20€ each. Connect that to a basic KORG MicroKeys Air [extra cheap, but includes Bluetooth]. And you are the next Jean-Michel Jarre.

[Note: and the amount of tutorial videos on YouTube is huge.]

lolive•1h ago

Additional note: synth emulation is also available in the Bristol Linux app, or in the [proprietary but very complete] Arturia VST.

rjh29•1h ago

For some synths like Blofeld, you're paying $10-20 for something that used to sell in a box for $300. And it's the exact same synth (100% digital) often with a better UI.

The iPad is a great choice for music - you get the variety of hardware synths with none of the annoying setup (power, midi, audio routing), at a cheaper price, but it still feels more immersive than sitting at a desktop PC and a daw.

lastdong•38m ago

GarageBand is free on every iPhone and has a good selection of starter synths, with added DAW capabilities. Bluetooth midi controllers are supported (via bluetooth midi connect App). Using a pi or Arduino to build a midi controller can also be great fun.

bartvk•1h ago

Typical how they first let Korg do the talking, when actually, Korg is much slower to innovate. With one line, the article mentions Tasty Chips synthesizers (who are friends of mine), but as far as I know, they were actually the first, just check their Kickstarter campaigns which go back ten years.

Note that using RPi is not all sunshine and roses. There were times that compute modules were extremely hard to get.

4k93n2•50m ago

theres also things like the M8 tracker from Dirtywave which uses a teensy board and sounds really good for a chip of that size

m_kos•29m ago

The m8 and the recently, heavily promoted Woovebox 2 are the Emacs/Vim of grooveboxes. They hide a vast amount of functionality behind what initially seems like an impenetrable jungle of button presses and shortcuts; a system that ultimately proves* to be highly ergonomic.

*Based on what I read. Sadly, I don't own these devices.

youngtaff•37m ago

There’s quite a few Eurorack modules that use the RP2040 too

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Raspberry Pi Synthesizers – How the Pi is transforming synths

Comments

Social media promised connection, but it has delivered exhaustion

Legal win

Qwen 3 now supports ARM and MLX

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