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zicPixMini Eurorack Groovebox Module

apiel edited this page Sep 1, 2026 · 2 revisions

zicPixMini is a compact, performance-oriented Eurorack groovebox application designed for custom hardware built around the Raspberry Pi Zero 2W.

Featuring a vertical 240x320 portrait display, 4 push rotary encoders mounted at the four corners of the screen, and 6 dedicated navigation buttons arranged in 2 rows of 3 (A, S, D on row 1; Z, X, C on row 2), zicPixMini inherits the aesthetic and parameter design of zicPixelDrift.

Drums View Synth 1 View Synth 2 View Master Mixer View Step Sequencer View


UI Layout & Sound Engines

  1. Top Parameter Grid (Y = 0..68):

    • 4 active encoders arranged as 2 rows of 2 parameters using #include "ui/uiParams.h".
    • Enc 1 (Top-Left): X=0, Y=0
    • Enc 2 (Top-Right): X=120, Y=0
    • Enc 3 (Bottom-Left): X=0, Y=34
    • Enc 4 (Bottom-Right): X=120, Y=34
  2. View Title & Pagination Dots (Y = 68..84):

    • View title centered in part theme color with page indicator dots ([page / total]) on the right.
  3. Middle Visualizer Area (Y = 84..260):

    • Drums View (VIEW_DRUMS): Intentionally kept empty for a clean aesthetic. Parameters cover the 4 drum volumes (Snare Vol, Closed HH Vol, Open HH Vol, Clap Vol).
    • Synth 1 View: Render waveform morphing geometry, resonant SVF filter curve, LFO routing icon & dotted line, pitch ribbon.
    • Synth 2 View: Render 3D perspective wavetable waterfall mesh, filter response curve, pitch ribbon.
    • Master View: 4-channel VU level meters & scope ribbon.
    • Sequencer View: 16-step pattern grid across 4 drum lanes & 2 synth tracks.
  4. Bottom Control Bar (Y = 264..320):

    • Row 1: [A] DRM | [S] SYN1 | [D] SYN2
    • Row 2: [Z] MST | [X] SEQ | [C] PLAY

Control Mapping

Navigation Buttons (2 Rows of 3)

  • Button A ('A'): Drums View (VIEW_DRUMS - Snare, CHH, OHH, Clap volumes)
  • Button S ('S'): Synth 1 View (Cycles Pages 1-3: Osc/Flt, Env/Morph, Mod/Crush)
  • Button D ('D'): Synth 2 View (Cycles Pages 1-3: WT/Flt, Pitch/Env, Mod/Send)
  • Button Z ('Z'): Master View (Toggles Page 1: Mixer Volumes / Page 2: Master FX & BPM)
  • Button X ('X'): Step Sequencer (Multi-lane step pattern editor)
  • Button C ('C'): Play / Pause transport toggle
  • Press 'P': Open Raspberry Pi shutdown confirmation modal

Building & Running

Desktop Emulation (SFML)

cd zicPixMini
make build_zic
./build/x86/zicPixMini

Cross-Compiling for Raspberry Pi Zero 2W

cd zicPixMini
make buildPi

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