14 Track Drum Machine with 32 Steps + Groove Note Sequencer

Wusik Drum Machine (Hardware Arduino Project)

Edit: now with Groove Note Sequencer, 2 tracks for Bass and Synth lines! :grin:

Dear Users, this is a special side-project that I - WilliamK - am working on. Please, visit the following link for a special YouTube feature video, or use the other link below.

http://arduino.wusik.com/

Previous forum post: http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1294154967


Cheers, WilliamK and MoniKe @ Wusik Dot Com

And here's another video:

Hi there

A very impressive piece of electronics and Arduino. You might consider showing this at the electromusic.com website. Specifically this link, to the DIY section -

http://electro-music.com/forum/forum-112.html

I am sure it will be well received by the members there, of which I am one. You will find many other DIYers who have also developed their own systems and designs, many using traditional analogue electronics, some of which are made available as kits or PCB only. Good luck with it!

regards

Fenrisulfr

Ah, good to know, thanks.

BTW: the previous forum post link is this: http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1294154967

The Multi-Buttons on the Analog Input Pin doesn't behave that good. So I'm adding another C165 shifter to support 8 more inputs, sharing the same clock from the 16xButtons. This will free the Shift button pin. Also, it will allow more key combination for future usage. EG: left+right, or up+down, or anything, as the 8 buttons can be pressed in any order. I will update the specs when possible.

The project is running much slower now, waiting to get more feedback from users first. :wink: I also have a surprise thing to tell but soon, not right now...

Wk

Another video:

Wk

Hi there

It's an impressive piece of kit :smiley: I reckon you'll get some very positive responses from the EM forum, I see you've joined, I'll be watching this with great interest.

regards

Fenrisulfr

thats really impressive.

i want one.

Update: I finally received the EEPROM chips, will do some tests with it this weekend.

Also, I'm changing the interface buttons design. Currently it uses a single Analog Input for the Up/Down/Left/Right/Play/Stop/Rec and one Digital Input for the Shift. But its not working correctly in some situations. So I'm adding another pair of C165 shift-registers and adding all buttons in parallel. Making it possible for future shortcuts such as up+down or left+right... also, it will leave 8 free button inputs for future usage or custom additions.

Wk

Whohooo, tonight I decided to continue with the project instead of watching TV... :grin:

Ok, I added the external EEPROM 256k chip (32,768 bytes) and its great. It can hold 250 patterns on a single chip. So maybe I will add the option to divide into a few pattern songs instead?

The code now accepts internal or external eeprom.

Wk

Guys, we just announced something that may be related to this project. So, please, be sure to check this out too.

Wusik's Present - Important Announcement. Before, there was the Future, but now, lets talk about the Present: Wusik needs your help. Visit the following page or our website for more information:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4411538

This project is BOSS! 8)

ohh haven't checked in a while, as i'm still missing some parts!
great changes!

has some of the hardware changed too? btw what Atmega is recommended, 328 or the bigger guy, 644? and the uno board i'm sure.
well, seems like i won't make a final frontpanel too soon :slight_smile:

Hey, nice to hear that. Yes, there were some changes to the hardware and the project, we will post those when possible. It should work on the Uno board, I got a 2009 to test later this month just in case.

One change I'm doing is add 2 extra C165 shifters and make the interface buttons use those extra pins instead. Right now the single analog input with multiple buttons doesn't work the way we want, and its not multi-press compatible, something that is nice for future updates.

We also added the EEPROM, which the code already uses without any problems.

Once more people start following this idea, we will have more details about this, and maybe even some nice surprises. :wink:

well, a very nice surprise is already the note sequencer!!

i guess i just build it following the docs in the download. and as i'm doing it on perfboard, it should be easy to make changes/upgrades once it's running.
nice to see the project develop!

Guys, check this out!

http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,52008.0.html

"MIDI Apps - who want some ?"

Dear Users, thanks to a collaboration between Wusik and Rugged Circuits, we will be able to turn our Drum Machine + Groove Box project into a real Arduino Shield. :grin: But now we need everybody's help in order for this to really happen! Spread the word around, include the link below, contribute to the project so we can order the initial PCBs and have Rugged Circuits take care of the hardware portion of the project.

Best Regards, WilliamK from Wusik Dot Com


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ruggedcircuits/arduino-drum-machine-step-sequencer-groove-box

The Arduino Drum Machine is a 14-track Drum-Machine Step Sequencer with 2 accent tracks and 32 steps. Check out the videos -- it's a lot easier to understand when you see it:

The Arduino Drum Machine is like the classic Roland TR707 but with some twists, as it actually has 32 x 1/32 or 32 x 1/64 steps. The 2 note-step sequence feature allows you to do bass and/or synth lines -- it's a MIDI groove-box!

This project is a joint collaboration between Wusik.com and Rugged Circuits. We're going to take the breadboard prototype of the drum machine shown in the videos and make it into a proper Arduino shield that plugs in on top of an Arduino Uno, Duemilanove, or Mega/Mega2560 (not included). The software performs all the drum machine functions, but you can always tweak it to do whatever you want (with the source code reward levels).

We're also going to add EEPROM, FLASH, and expandability options and connectors. Suggestions from backers are welcome too (as long as they don't break the bank!)

Here are the project specs:

  • Arduino shield (we're aiming for about 8" x 3") that plugs on top of an Arduino Uno, Duemilanove, Mega, or Mega2560

  • 14 Drum Tracks + 2 Accent Tracks (a total of 3 MIDI-note velocities can be sent from each step)

  • 2 Step-Sequence Tracks (each step has its own Note selection, Velocity is set by the accent tracks)

  • Multi Pattern and Song Mode

  • Number of Patterns and Songs depends on the total amount of system EEPROM -- the base system will have 32kbytes of EEPROM (enough for 99 patterns and 99 songs), expandable to 128kbytes by adding more EEPROM chips

  • 16 buttons for sequence programming, with LED for each button

  • 8 buttons for control functions (up, down, left, right, shift, play, stop, record)

  • 16x2 LCD with backlight

  • Each pattern has 32 x 1/32 or 32 x 1/64 steps and 14 tracks + 2 accent tracks

  • Each track has a note-number and MIDI-channel number, so you can also use tracks to output regular notes (one note fixed per track)

  • MIDI Input and Output connectors with MIDI Echo

NOTE: International backers (outside the USA) PLEASE ADD USD$10 to your pledge for any reward levels that require shipping physical items (that is, $50 and up). These items will ship by US Priority Mail International and usually take 6-10 days to arrive (though it is not guaranteed). Shipping by courier companies like UPS or DHL is much more expensive but allows for shipment tracking -- please contact us for prices. Also please contact us for combined shipping prices for group buys and multiple-order pledges.

Update: KickStarter URL:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ruggedcircuits/arduino-drum-machine-step-sequencer-groove-box