Planet Arduino

Musicians have an array of electronic tools at their disposal to help make music these days. Some of these are instruments in and of themselves, and [Wai Lun] — inspired by the likes of Choke and Shawn Wasabi — built himself a midi fighter

Midi fighters are programmable instruments where each button can be either a note, sound byte, effect, or anything else which can be triggered by a button. [Lun]’s is controlled by an ATmega32u4 running Arduino libraries — flashed to be recognized as a Leonardo — and is compatible with a number of music production programs. He opted for anodized aluminum PCBs to eliminate flex when plugging away and give the device a more refined look. Check it out in action after the break!

[Lun] designed the project in Fusion 360 and KiCad with plenty of room to spare for some electronic art — gotta love Daft Punk. He’s using Sanwa OBSC 24mm arcade buttons for their premium quality and two SK6812 mini LEDs apiece for a slick lighting effect when they’re pressed.

After receiving the manufactured boards and parts, a quick test fit flowed right into final assembly. With the ATmega32u4 flashed and programmed, he was ready to rock. Down the line, [Lun] wants to have a GUI to configure the notes each button plays without tinkering around in the code, but it works great for now.

For an astounding acoustic to electronic instrument conversion, check out this MIDI accordion!

Everyone has a Maker in them. We make for fun and exploration, we make to test ideas, and we make to solve real-world problems. Ponytrap wasn’t intended to be a Maker band — we just seemed to have a difficult time finding a drummer that wanted to play the classically-inspired tribal rhythm industrial music that […]

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The post How to Make a Robotic Drum Using Arduino appeared first on Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers.

How about a new way to make music? [cpeckmusic] has it’s way to do it, with is project Sharpy.

Sharpy is an electronic instrument that was designed and built by composer Charles Peck. The instrument utilizes three infrared distance sensors to control the sound, which is produced digitally with an Arduino board and GinSing shield. So as users interact with these sensors, there is a clear auditory connection to their physical actions.

Despite having only three sensors, the instrument is capable of a variety of sounds. This is because Sharpy has three possible operating states, each of which assigns a different set of parameters to the three sensors. State 1 is initiated by covering the sensor on the user’s left first. The instrument will then stay in State 1 until no sensors are being covered. Therefore, the user must completely remove their hands form the instrument in order to change states. Concordantly, State 2 is initiated using the middle sensor and State 3 using the sensor on the right. The short improvisation in this video demonstrates a few of these sonic possibilities.

I suggest you to watch the [video] of the live performance. If you’re interested in more works check his official [website]