Pensacola Maker Faire 2023: pico_synth_sandbox Demonstrations

A collection of pico_synth_sandbox demonstrations for the 2023 Pensacola Maker Faire.

General Features

Each program features the following functionality at minimum.

• Recursive menu system with extensive parameter control
• JSON patch reading & writing with 16 available presets (can be expanded to allow more)
• MIDI implementation with support for note on, note off, sustain, pitch bend, and program change messages

Menu Control

The menu can be navigated using the rotary encoder with the actions outlined in the preceding table.

Action	Parameter Unselected	Parameter Selected
Increment (Rotate Right)	Next Parameter	Increase Value
Decrement (Rotate Left)	Previous Parameter	Decrease Value
Click	Select Parameter	Exit Selection
Double Click	Skip to Next Parameter Group	Reset Value to Initial Value
Long Press	Save Current Preset	Save Current Preset

Available Programs

Monophonic Synthesizer

A fully parametric dual-oscillator monophonic synthesizer.

4-Voice Polyphonic Synthesizer

A parametric polyphonic synthesizer with 4 voices and 1 oscillator per voice.

Installation

Currently, installation is only detailed for linux-based devices. The installation process should be similar on Windows or Mac, but may require different command line procedures.

1. Follow the installation guide for pico_synth_sandbox to get your device set up with CircuitPython and all library requirements.
2. Ensure that your CircuitPython device is connected and mounted.
3. Copy this repository to your computer using git clone https://github.com/dcooperdalrymple/pcolamakerfaire2023.git and enter the root directory of the repository using cd pcolamakerfaire2023.
4. Run the default action of the provided makefile to compile shared libraries and upload them to your device by running the following command in the root directory of the repository: make.
5. Upload the desired program to device as code.py either manually or by using the provided makefile with the name of the desired program, ie: make monophonic. The following programs are available:
   • monophonic
   • polyphonic
6. Perform a software/hardware reset or use a REPL client such as Thonny to run the program.