Community News: Picotracker update, Windows BLE MIDI, Steamdeck Synths, Dronage Term, PS Vita Drums!

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Here's some stuff my viewers came up with!

00:00 overview
00:46 Dronage Terminal for Linux, Windows, MacOS
04:36 Fantasy Synth on Steamdeck
08:41 DS8 on PlayStation Vita (TR-808/909 style drum computer)
13:15 MIDIConnect by Wavy Industries - new MIDI BLE for Windows
15:42 Picotracker Advance: New sample instrument engine
18:38 nOb status update


Where to get it:
Dronage Terminal https://boorch.itch.io/dronage-terminal
Fantasy Synth on Steamdeck https://store.steampowered.com/app/24...
DS8 https://intermynd-instruments.itch.io...
MIDI connect https://wavyindustries.com/MIDI-connect/
Picotracker: https://xiphonics.com/pages/picotracker
nOb: https://tidd.ly/49pImPW , or 1.46" version https://tidd.ly/4u51ZEi
Firmware: https://floydsteinberg.gumroad.com/l/...

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intech's GRID MIDI controllers can be hardware sequencers with LUA scripting #review #tutorial

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Intech's GRID controllers are #MIDIcontrollers that can be snapped together magnetically in any layout you like. In this video, I take a look at the 'KNOT' #USBMIDIhost and the VSN-1 and PBF-4 controllers and turn them into hardware sequencers using the built in #lua scripting language. Table of contents:

00:00 DEMO 1
00:19 hi, what's this?
00:44 hardware overview
01:40 old vs. new
02:14 VSN-1
02:53 profiles
03:24 Two real world use cases: Sending MIDI CC
05:05 DEMO 2: Yamaha Montage M8X
05:45 NRPN and SysEx
06:21 beyond MIDI: Controlling a Laser
06:59 KNOT: turns the controllers into standalone devices
07:33 Real world use case 2: Creating a hardware sequencer
14:03 quick summary on coding
14:34 proof of concept/ DEMO 3: battery powered standalone hardware sequencer with VSN-1
16:06 Conclusion / my thoughts / DO THE YOUTUBE THING

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Using an EWI in a home studio: Some examples (Greaten AP500pro)

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"So you've got an EWI ( https://greaten-music.myshopify.com/c... ) or considering one. How can you use it to create music at home or in a band, or even in sound design? This video tries to provide some answers.

00:00 what's in this video?
00:29 a typical recording setup
01:15 Audio vs. MIDI
01:37 capturing audio with a multitrack recorder or audio interface
03:20 what is audio latency?
04:01 USB OTG recording
05:30 best practices
06:08 capturing MIDI
06:43 MIDI controller assignment
07:36 using different plugins
08:07 control a hardware synthesizer - creating a breath pressure sensitive sound
10:28 BLE MIDI (bluetooth)
11:03 conclusion"

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A $29 polyphonic hardware synth - AMYBOARD sounds great!

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"AMYBOARD ( https://www.amyboard.com/ ) is a polyphonic hardware synthesizer eurorack module that also has USB-C and TRS MIDI (so you can use it as a desktop module). This if a spinoff of the Tulip Music Computer that focusses on sound exclusively, and boy, it sounds really good. Table of contents:

00:00 multitrack demo ( generation TikTok repellent )
00:29 hi, what's this?
01:18 hardware overview
01:44 the Amyboard web page
02:32 virtual analog engine walkthrough
02:51 oscillator shapes / PWM
03:33 tuning
03:51 LFO
04:24 effects (chorus, reverb, delay)
04:42 filter
05:50 amp envelope & equalizer
06:20 demo: plucked sound
06:50 some things to consider
07:17 filter sweeping
07:41 Micropython integration: multitimbrality, sequencing, fm
08:39 a multitrack demo (with MPC Live 3)
09:59 conclusion: a no-brainer. really
10:42 do the YouTube thing!

BTW, if you recognized the piece of music that opens the video - welcome to the club. ;-)

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Some superb Superbooth booths ( 2026 )

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Here's my Superbooth 2026 walkthrough."

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FM synthesis using only samples - Yamaha EX5

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Until the Waldorf Quantum and Iridium came along, the Yamaha EX5 was the only hardware synthesizer that could frequency modulate samples with other samples. In this video, I use this to turn a sample of my own voice into a somewhat synth-brassy sounding patch using a sine wave sample as a modulator.

00:00 intro
00:09 hello, what's this?
00:29 setting it up
01:05 simple example: a typical FM piano patch using sine wave samples
04:42 build a brass pad with a sample of my own voice
07:54 result
09:28 conclusion

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Greaten AP500pro: Every menu option explained with examples / Tutorial part 3

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"In part 3 of the Greaten AP500pro tutorial series, we'll walk through each and every menu option and see what it does with examples."

You can find additional parts/posts here.

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Timestamps:
00:00 Hello, what's this?
00:28 Summary of what we've learned so far
00:43 How to operate the menu and screen
01:00 Sound button: adding a second instrument

CLICK FOR MORE »

Watch this before buying: MPC Fabric Vintage Synths

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"These sound great, but you'll regret buying the bundle. Table of contents:

00:00 demo 01 00:21 hi, what's this? 00:58 demo 02: JUP 8, Glory Pad 01:51 demo 03: JUP 8, 80s Harp 02:53 demo 04: JUP 8, It's a classic 03:53 demo 05: JUP 8, Knee Jerk Acid 04:25 demo 06 04:58 demo 07 05:30 demo 08 05:59 synth engine walkthrough, drawing some conclusions 09:50 the point 10:46 the result 11:38 demo 09 11:55 demo 10 13:02 demo 11 13:46 demo 12 14:36 demo 13 15:54 demo 14 16:17 bye

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Greaten AP500Pro tutorial: playing half tone steps, choosing sounds, playing growls and more!

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Here's part 2 of the Greaten AP500pro tutorial. This time, we learn how to choose an instrument, how to play half tone steps and growls, how to pitch bend, how to adjust sensitivity, what the bite sensor does, and more."

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You can find additional parts/posts here.

EWI beginners tutorial with the Greaten AP500 Pro (Part 1)

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"You're considering an EWI, for example the Greaten AP500 pro (https://www.greaten-music.com/)? This series of tutorial videos explains what an EWI is and how to get started.

00:00 whom is this series for?
01:00 what is an EWI?
01:48 why should I play an EWI (if I already play saxophone / flute / clarinet)?
03:02 charging the battery and getting started
03:36 finding your way around: EWI parts and keys explained
05:08 switching on
05:25 holding the EWI correctly
05:52 hand and finger positions explained
06:29 play a note and try different playing techniques
07:23 play an octave!
07:52 a helpful manual: looking up the fingering tables
08:06 play a childrens' song: All My Little Ducklings
08:42 play a childrens' song: Mary Had A Little Lamb
09:05 don't rush it and don't waste your strength
09:27 conclusion

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You can find additional parts/posts here.

MicroDexed has evolved! It's very effective. #groovebox

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"'Navipanel V3 for MicroDexed' (or MicroDexed Desktop - https://www.musikandmore.net/shop/ ) adds a nice user interface and many connections to the open source synth. Here's an overview.

00:00 demo
00:11 hi, what's this?
02:23 building it
07:44 hardware overview
08:52 software overview
09:30 synth modules: Dexed
14:12 Electric Piano
17:09 Microsynth
19:05 Braids
20:58 Granular Synth
25:35 Multisampler
27:19 Drum Sampler
27:47 Noise Maker
29:18 Sequencers
33:00 Conclusion
34:07 Help!

Links
New Firmware (works on existing devices as well) https://codeberg.org/positionhigh/Mic...
MicroDexed V3 - https://www.musikandmore.net/shop/
That electronic parts identifier: https://arnowelzel.de/en/m-tester

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FM isn't hard on the M0SS 416 synthesizer

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Creator Andrew March sent me a prototype of his new M0SS 416 FM synthesizer, which is a DX7 in a guitar pedal (in simple words). See https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

Table of contents:
00:00 demo
00:41 hello, what's this?
01:09 hardware overview
02:23 some patch demos
04:27 typing in a Brian Eno patch from Keyboards Magazine 1987-02
06:09 creating my own patch: bell + sweep pad
11:36 the sweep pad
14:50 demo (with ZOOM MS70CDR)
16:30 conclusion, some thoughts
17:40 do the YouTube thing!

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Playing Vangelis on Zynthian "Vangelis"

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"It's not recommended to install Zynthians https://zynthian.org upcoming OS update 'Vangelis' yet, but I did it anyway to play 'Chariots Of Fire' from memory. Table of contents:

00:00 intro
00:56 what is this?
01:18 that saw wave pluck
03:39 strings / pad
06:24 snare drum
08:52 piano (bass)
10:59 CS80 brass
13:12 recording the main motif in real time
14:13 playing a 'performance' using the pattern screen
16:26 some thoughts

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Dug up the EX5 again (only music, no talking)

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Playing my Yamaha EX5 like it's 2016 again or something, haha!"

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Every command on PicoTracker/LPGT explained with examples

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"If you're trying to understand what all those commands on Picotracker do, this is the video for you. Table of contents:

00:00 introduction: what are commands?
00:35 start with an empty song
01:41 note and command columns on the phrase screen

02:07 how to enter commands
02:22 ARP | arpeggio
02:44 CSH | bitcrush and drive
03:21 DLY | delay
03:49 FCT | filter cutoff frequency
04:24 FLT | cutoff and resonance
04:44 FRS | filter resonance
05:04 GOF | gate off
05:18 GRV | select groove template
05:51 HOP | move to row x in next phrase
06:46 PEP | increase numbers
07:01 RTG & IRT | retriggering notes
08:35 KIL | note off command
08:50 LEG | legato / note slides
09:12 LOF | adjust loop start & range
09:54 MIDI commands:
10:09 MCC | send MIDI CC
10:30 MCH | MIDI chord
11:03 MPC | MIDI program change
11:27 VEL | MIDI velocity
11:41 PAN | stereo panning
11:55 PFT | pitch finetune
12:09 POF | sample play offset
12:50 PSL | pitch slide
13:16 STP | stop table playback
13:39 TBL | select and play table
14:12 TPO | set song tempo
14:32 VOL | set track volume

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Moving from MPC One to MPC Live 3: the good and the so-so

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"I have some thoughts after upgrading from MPC One to Live 3.

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An eyebrow-raising MIDI controller for $35

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Mediapipe + OpenCV caused a big stir some 4 years ago, but I never got around trying it myself. Until today, and of course I'm sharing my results with you. This Open Source software can detect gestures, poses and facial expressions and transform them to so called landmarks that can easily be used for all kinds of shenanigans (in this example: controlling your synths).

00:00 introduction: what's this?
00:38 demo 01: playing chords + bass + controlling filters
01:32 hardware needed
02:12 installation
02:56 what are OpenCV and Mediapipe?
03:55 this example explained: reading landmarks, converting to MIDI
06:35 demo 02: controlling an arpeggiator
07:37 demo 03: controlling filter cutoff frequency and pitch bend with my eyebrows
09:21 demo 04: playing pads on Akai MPC Live 3 with backing track
10:10 conclusion / do the YouTube thing!"

Where to get the stuff: [affiliate links]
Mini camera: Amazon DE | Amazon US
RasPi Zero 2: Amazon DE | Amazon US
SD card: Amazon DE | Amazon US

Installation instructions

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
pip install mediapipe opencv-python --break-system-packages
git clone https://github.com/mrfloydst/eyebrowr...

then python3 ./hand.py or python3 ./eyebrow.py

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Picotracker Advance review: Bigger, better, faster, more! - MIDI and sample sequencer/tracker

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"Picotracker Advance ( https://xiphonics.com/ ) is the readily assembled, much more powerful hardware of last years DIY Picotracker. This is a tracker-style sample and MIDI sequencer that now has audio in and microphone, and now has a sample editor and -slicer. Learn more in this video!

Table of contents:
00:00 demo
00:07 hi, what's this?
00:39 hardware overview
01:35 music trackers: songs, chains, phrases, events, instruments and tables
02:37 use a good SD card!
02:54 screen map and basic navigation
03:15 using the audio in port to capture samples
04:07 adding chains and phrases and instruments and notes
04:44 adding more instruments (on the same phrase)
05:23 new firmware: sample slicing
06:27 more tracks!
06:47 using tables per instrument
08:00 using the mixer
08:27 single cycle waves
09:09 arpeggiators, filter- and pitch slides
09:50 MIDI instruments & chords
10:56 arranging phrases in a chain, using empty phrases
12:06 demo track: some effects created on PT:A (noise riser, stutter,...)
13:49 my thoughts on PT:A
15:33 finished demo track (Picotracker + XSynth)
17:43 do the YouTube thing!

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Making ANOTHER $75 synth! (MT32-pi)

video upload by Guinan

Follow-up to this post.

"I made ANOTHER Raspberry Pi-based $75* synth to pair with my Circuit Tracks.

(*approx price depending on a whole bunch of local factors...)

The commentary is long and unscripted (full of ums & errs!) so if you want to jump to a particular section the sections are as follows,

00:04 Intro
00:21 MicroDEXED synth
01:00 MT32-pi
01:52 Why emulate the Roland MT-32?
02:55 General MIDI vs. MT-32
04:03 Soundfonts (.SF2)
05:21 MT32-pi bootup
05:55 JV-1010 emulation soundfont demo
08:23 Using the Circuit Tracks Mixer and Effects on the MT32-pi
09:55 Selecting presets from the Tracks
12:00 Conclusions

This time I've used open-source hardware and software designed around the MT32-pi project. See link here,
https://github.com/dwhinham/mt32-pi

There's a very excellent detailed build and demo video from ‪@mr_floydst‬ here, • MT32-Pi DIY synthesizer: bare metal 80s no... [below]

Oddly the hardware worked out cheaper (despite a bigger display) as this is a commoner target build.

This excellent project uses any Pi from the Pi Zero 2W upwards to recreate a multi-timbral emulation of the Roland MT-32 synth and also act as a player for soundfonts in the .SF2 format.

Roland MT-32,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_...

Editing software and library of downloadable soundfonts,
https://www.polyphone.io/en/soundfonts

I used a pre-assembled hardware kit from Ebay with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W (with header). The assmbled complete hardware can also be bought from sites such as Etsy etc."

MT32-Pi DIY synthesizer: bare metal 80s nostalgia

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"This week, let's build and take a look at the #MT32 PI, another "bare metal" synthesizer running on #RaspberryPi. This is an emulator for the late #80s Roland MT-32 sound module, which was used by a lot of games for their sound track. The MT-32 PI can also load soundfonts, so you can use it as a ROMpler in your setup. Table of contents:

00:00 introduction
00:36 hello
01:28 hardware needed
02:34 breadboard explained
03:09 building the UI
03:28 wiring
03:55 LCD setup
04:32 software installation, ROMs and soundfonts
05:04 config file setup
05:31 using the device, soundfont editing
06:31 important considerations
06:48 demo 1 (MT-32 emulation)
08:43 demo 2 (soundfonts)
09:45 bye-bye

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PGB-1: A powerful Groovebox / MIDI sequencer the size of a credit card by Wee Noisemakers

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"The Wee Noisemakers PGB-1 (https://weenoisemakers.com/pgb-1/) is a credit‑card‑sized groovebox — but as we all know, size doesn’t matter. With 16 tracks, 16 patterns, and a song editor to tie everything together, you can create music not only with the internal synths and samplers but also with external MIDI gear. In this video, I try to give a solid overview of what to expect, though I don’t go into every detail. If you have questions, feel free to post them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

For this video, I was provided with a review unit. Other than that, no money was exchanged.

Table of contents

00:00 hi, what is this?
00:50 hardware & architecture overview
02:15 creating a new song
02:32 song, tracks, patterns, and their roles in a song
03:11 bass drum track
03:35 synth parameter setup, using the touch strip and the arrow buttons
04:55 parameter locking: synth parameter control, repeats, and more
05:25 snare and hihat
05:52 bass track
06:22 custom oscillator shapes!
07:26 chords
08:12 sampling (here, using the internal microphone)
09:15 adding a chord progression
10:22 adding more patterns and adding them to your song
11:40 pattern chaining
11:56 live effects: stutters, filters, repetitions...
13:02 conclusion: wow
14:04 demo track: PGB-1 internal synths while sequencing XSynth
16:58 price, where to get it, and some thoughts
17:29 do the YouTube thing

Get the PGB-1 here: https://weenoisemakers.com/pgb-1/

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