A MIDI (Digital) Steelpan (Steeldrum) (Synth), built using an Arduino microcontroller. By Caesar Passée (pitchoilcan at gmail dot com)
Spring 2016
up to 48 INPUT (Piezo) sensors (1 per NOTE)
up to 48 NOTE activity indicating LED's (1 per INPUT sensor)
MayhewLabs Mux shield
MCP23017 - i2c 16 INPUT/OUT port expander
SparkFun MIDI Shield - MIDI-IN . MIDI-OUT ports
Arduino MP3 shield board with TF card - Headphones audio OUT , Microphone IN , micro-SD card
HD44780 16*2 LCD
8 ControlChange pushbutton switches
8 controlChange indicator LEDs (1 per CC pushbutton)
Piezo buzzer/8ohm speaker OUTPUT
3 foot pedals (SUS and CC )
Volume control potentiometer
An Arduino Mega
Modern steeldrums have a maximum range of two OCTAVES, plus or minus a few NOTES (no more than five) 24+5. A pan (a.k.a steeldrum) with 48 notes? WTF! Oh the possibilties.
A multiplexer or demultiplexer enables you to expand the in-and outputs on your Arduino board.
EPISODE: Start with Ardunio Knock code (how to use a Piezo element to detect vibration)
A piezo is an electronic device that generates a voltage when it's physically deformed by a vibration, sound wave, or mechanical strain. Similarly, when you put a voltage across a piezo, it vibrates and creates a tone. Piezos can be used both to play tones and to detect tones.
READ up to 48 Analog pins for INPUT from PIEZO SENSORS and TRIGGER an EVENT (NOTE_ON NOTE_OFF) based on a SET CONDITIONS (STICK_ON,STICK_OFF). Each NOTE of the instrument is assiggned a (PIEZO) TOUCH SENSOR, VELOCITY is determind by how hard or softly you TOUCH the SENSOR.
WRITE/Prints and auto analyse what you play (NOTES) (INPUT) to LCD and via serial port.
WRITE/OUTPUT MIDI DATA to midi-module, midi-keybord or computer
WRITE/OUTPUT AUDIO to onboard GM wavetable(vs1053b) via builtin and external speakers
LED NOTE and activity sensor (one per NOTE)
Pedal INPUT for SUSTAIN, REVERB, etc and for changing voice/instrument types
Tuning is key! This is where it gets interesting
In music theory, a diatonic scale (or heptatonia prima) is a scale composed of seven distinct pitch classes.
The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone above or below another.
Pentatonic five note sclaes
Ten tone scales
Other scales and modalities.....
tuning is result of the number of divisions of the octave
Steeldrum are musical instruments of FIXED or definate pitch. They are also the only musical instrument that I can think of on which the tones are not arranged in linear oder. TO BE CONTINUED....
(1 NOTE at a time, = Melody, more than 1 NOTE a time = Harmony, Time = Rhythm;)
You've heard it said that music is all numbers. Midi notes are numbered 0-126, 60 being middle C. likewise volume is scaled from 0-127. Frequencies in Hertz.....
Different members of the steeldrum familly use diferent tone cycles.
Cycles of fifths
Cyces of fourths
Cycles of thirds
Cycles of seconds
Dividing an octave:
One notable characteristic Cycles or cyclics is that they end where they began.
Tone library //
A sound synthesizer (usually abbreviated as "synthesizer" or "synth", also spelled "synthesiser") is an electronic musical instrument that generates electric signals that are converted to sound through instrument amplifiers and loudspeakers or headphones.
pitches.h // https://github.com/arduino/Arduino/blob/master/build/shared/examples/02.Digital/toneMelody/pitches.h
(other libraries)
Adafruit_MCP23017 // Port expander //
MusicPlayer.h // VS1053 //
LiquidCrystal.h // LCD //
MIDI.h // MiDI-IN //
EEPROM.h // Memory // Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
Wire.h // I2C //
SD.h> // VS1053's SD card
SPI.h // VS1053 //
DIY INPUT TRIGGERS
Ingredients: (Per INPUT SENSOR) 1 PIEZO , 1 resistor, 1 capacitor 1 schottky diode;
Tunability (various (editable)tone cycles)
Adjustabe INPUT SENSIBILITY.
Visual indicators
Sampling capabiities
Effects
Stay tuned!