I want to make a hardware MIDI step sequencer

#1

Hey folks.
Just wondering if the Axoloti can be the brain for what I want to build:

An 8-track polyphonic pattern-based MIDI step sequencer with 8-16 buttons and knobs, and an OLED screen. Mostly based on the Zaquencer and Elektron sequencer designs. It must be able to send out MIDI CC messages. The user should be able to do pattern editing while the sequencer is running, and jump the playhead around the pattern or change loop start/end points without the sequencer losing timing, and it should update stuff on screen in near real time. And send out a solid MIDI clock. And allow user to assign names to tracks and CC messages.
I am a man of modest needs! :smile:

Is this doable with the Axoloti?

Thanks
(I'm not allowed to post at The Lounge)

#2

mod note: @Treebee, Ive moved to 'patching' , as this seems mainly " Can I ...."

Is this doable with the Axoloti

yes.
sure the axoloti has GPIO , so can drive an oled, buttons/knobs, and also both USB and MIDI DIN input and output.
it has modest CPU and amount of memory (see specs) , but if the design is carefully done this should not come into play too much (midi 'juggling' is not particularly cpu intensive)

but I suspect that, 'is the hardware capable' is not really the question...
rather its down to how long would it take you to make this!? is it easy?

thats an impossible question, as it rather depends on your skill set... do you have DIY electronics knowledge? do you have previous patching experience? C++ experience? midi experience?

you don't need any of these, you can learn along the way, but the more you need to learn, the longer it will take.

I'll be honest here, if you are dreaming of a sequencer of the complexity of an Elektron (I dont know the Zaq), then thats a lot of work, its taken Elektron a long time (thousands of man hours) , and they are professional software and hardware engineers , so no dummies.

but if you have realistic expectations, not only of Axoloti , but for yourself (time, commitment etc) , then you can build a custom sequencer that suits your needs, and works the way you want it to.

so my advice is go for it, because it'll be fun to do as a project, and you might learn new things along the way, and end up with a sequencer you know intimately, and so can continuously tweak to make perfect for you.. if that doesn't sound like fun - then perhaps this is not the best route for you.

#3

:disappointed_relieved:

I was hoping you wouldn't say that... and that it would be doable on the Axoloti using a higher level language of some kind.
I approached an acquaintance who is an embedded systems software engineer and he suggested I get started using UML to sketch out the sequencer first... but he doesn't know much about MIDI tech and Axoloti.
Is there like a library of related projects I could use as a base or to learn how things work, rather than starting from scratch? A friend has been working on a sequencer using Pure Data so that may be a starting point?

#4

As I said, you don’t need C++....
My point was what you are capable of, and how long it will take depends on your skill set - which you didn’t mention in your original post.

You can do this with Axoloti, or a host of other platforms depends on your final goal.

Probably Axolotis main advantage (for this project) is it’s cheap, and makes the hardware side relative easy - it’s disadvantage is there’s not as much example code as (eg) pure data on a rPI.

I’d not recommend UML unless your a software engineer, but you would be wise to write down exactly what you have in mind, and how you think you would write it - basic software design/architecture really.
and also be very clear what’s essential, what’s core, what’s the priorities.
I find it’s when I do this the projects starts to move away from a ‘daydream’ into something I can commit my time too - because I know exactly what steps I’m going to do.

If you find it difficult to ‘design’ as you not sure what’s required (this is not uncommon), what this means is you just need to start experimenting, and building up experience - this you really do on any platform.
So just pick one any start playing :slight_smile:

( I’m sure there are other approaches, this is just what works for me :))