The tl;dr version of the project I have in mind: a larger-format clone of the Teenage Engineering PO-12 that uses user samples.
My question is this: would this work on a single Axoloti, or would it work better to pair with an additional microcontroller to handle the user interface?
I'm sure horsepower won't be an issue, as I'm only after sample playback, no synthesis, and just some basic effects. What gives me pause is the I/O and interface design. I would like to be able to connect to:
- 16 "drum pad" buttons, with indicator LEDs
- Approximately 5 additional control buttons
- Approximately 3 additional indicator LEDs
- One rotary encoder
- A basic screen to display one or two short lines of text
And that would come with some slightly complex UI functionality, such as button combinations, on-screen menus, and saving/loading of patterns.
I'm completely new to Axoloti and I'm not that familiar with its capabilities. Most of the examples I've seen have had fairly simple user interfaces. Is the patcher capable of building more complexity into the UI without the layout becoming too unwieldy? Would it be better to try to have the Axo talk to a separate microcontroller which talks to all of the controls?
Thanks for any advice.