Selectable recorded tones, possible to diy?

[347sixtyseven]

Hi all,

Wondering if the following is possible and what type of circuit would give this result.

I would like to record/store a few seconds of audio and be able to replay it at will via switching.

For example, 4 x switches, each one with audio of different guitar chords associated. I had a crazy idea for a toy for my great nephew that has switches associated with chords that I would pre-record. With output into a small amp circuit (gem or ruby possibly)

Is something like this possible?

Cheers

Gary

[smallbearelec]

I would like to record/store a few seconds of audio and be able to replay it at will via switching. For example, 4 x switches, each one with audio of different guitar chords associated.
Is something like this possible?

I think it possible using an answering machine chip, but Not a simple project. A number of people have designed loopers for this purpose. Here is mine:

http://diy.smallbearelec.com/Projects/Loopster/Loopster.htm

As shown, the Next button cycles through the recorded segments in sequence. To do what you describe, I think you'd have to tap into the SPI interface of the ISD17xxx chip in order to be able to select a segment at random. Comments welcome from other residents here who may have gone this route.

[Brisance]

Since arduinos don't have enough memory, how about using a Raspberry Pi? or even an Intel Edison. Given some basic programming skills, would be easier to hack some answering machine chips(altho less cooler)

[347sixtyseven]

Thank you for the replies guys, looks like this one is way beyond my ability

[Mark Hammer]

Plenty of yard sales, thrift shops, and Craigslist ads will have old Casio sampling keyboards for sale, like the SK1 and SK5, or their Radio Shack Concertmate equivalents.

These will hold 4 recorded samples, that can be played back at will.  The shortcoming is that the samples aren't long, and aren't the highest fidelity.  BUt they do stay stored.

Alternatively, there are probably some loopers that will do what you want, and permit storage/playback of full passages.  You'll need to look around for what will let you have random access to sample A, B, C, or D.

[cloudscapes]

Since arduinos don't have enough memory, how about using a Raspberry Pi? or even an Intel Edison. Given some basic programming skills, would be easier to hack some answering machine chips(altho less cooler)

memory is never a problem to arduino/microcontrollers as you can always interface some external memory to it.

[Jdansti]

Buy four of those greeting cards that allow you to record your own message. Record a different chord or whatever on each. Remove the circuits from the cards and mount them in a box with a switch for each. You could experiment with running the ouputs directly to a small speaker to see whether you'd need an amp to get the volume you like.

[347sixtyseven]

Thanks guys, some great ideas there.

I will look around a bit and see what I can come up with

[Processaurus]

Here's an interesting little board for sale that does that:

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12897

[bool]

Or try to hack a Velleman K8094 recorder kit?

[FUZZZZzzzz]

1. record the samples on your computer.
2. buy 4x http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200s-STICKON-USB-MP3-device-voice-module-music-sound-loud-speaker-small-program-/261736431135?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cf0b4fe1f
3. put the sounds on the devices.
4. make a simple 4 channel mixer.

that's how i would do it and for under 10 bucks (well.. if you, like most of us, have drawers full of pots and parts)

[Jdansti]

^+1

If you want to add some additional features, think about something like a very basic PT2399 delay with either a toggle switch or a momentary contact switch.

[PRR]

I recall a Fisher-Price kiddie-toy, 30+ years ago, which did essentially what you want.

The guts would have been a phonograph. Several separate grooves/tracks (quack, moo, oink, etc). A selector picked the track, and a gizmo dropped the needle in that track then lifted it after the track played. Needle worked a plastic diaphragm.

If you have a PC and can find a working 8-track recorder: loop the chords on the PC, play into recorder. Repeat with several chord-sets on different tapes, change tapes as desired; or bugger the track-switch and record 4 chord-sets on the 4 stereo tracks and use manual track-switch to select the set. Dunno where you would find a happy 8-tr recorder today. We had a half-working one here, tried to eBay it, but comparables were not getting much.

[Nasse]

If you have some old pc and Microsoft Power Point, you can make a drawing with some objects, just assign sound files on objects and whatever.In the old version I used,  it did not play all files, cant remember if they need to be mono 16bit or something. It could be set to play sound when hitting mouse button over an object and such

[tubegeek]

If you have a PC and can find a working 8-track recorder: loop the chords on the PC, play into recorder. Repeat with several chord-sets on different tapes, change tapes as desired; or bugger the track-switch and record 4 chord-sets on the 4 stereo tracks and use manual track-switch to select the set. Dunno where you would find a happy 8-tr recorder today. We had a half-working one here, tried to eBay it, but comparables were not getting much.

Watch out!

PRR is trying to get you to re-invent the Birotron, which was supposedly responsible for bankrupting both Rick Wakeman and inventor David Biro. It's said to be the rarest musical instrument, too. Crazy story here:

Birotron article on Wikipedia

[FUZZZZzzzz]

That Birotron is pretty cool love those kind of inventions.. Have you guys met the melloman? A mellotron that works with cassettes
http://mysterycircuits.com/melloman/melloman.html

[tubegeek]

Have you guys met the melloman? A mellotron that works with cassettes
http://mysterycircuits.com/melloman/melloman.html

Thank you for the link, FUZZZZzzzz: I now have a new hero. The Drumssette is very impressive, too.

For the Drumssette he's using similar counters and hard-wired logic to a Nixie clock I once built, so I kind of even almost understand what he did.