September 26, 2023

Sapiensdigital

Sapiens Digital

Arduino Lo-Fi Orchestra closeup thumbnail

Lo-Fi Orchestra Learns Tubular Bells

Hardware jobs frequently fall into a few categories: Those that flash lights, these that make sounds and people that shift. This virtuoso efficiency by [Kevin]’s “Lo-Fi Orchestra” manages all three, while carrying out an exceptional work of reproducing the 1973 musical typical Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield.

Generating respectable polyphonic appears of distinct timbres at the same time is a obstacle for straightforward microcontroller boards like Arduinos, so [Kevin] has embraced the “More is more” philosophy and break up up the task of audio generation in substantially the exact way as a traditional orchestra might. Entirely, 11 Arduino Nanos, 6 Arduino Unos, an Arduino Professional Mini, an Adafruit Feather 32u4, and a Raspberry Pi functioning MT32-Pi make up this digital ensemble.

Arduino servo drumkit
Arduino Servo & Relay Drumkit

The servo & relay drumkit is a individual emphasize, offering some bodily seems to go together with the usually reliable-condition generation.

The complete challenge is “conducted” around MIDI and the flashing sequencer in the center provides a visual indication of the audio that is nearly hypnotic. The effectiveness is split into two movies (following the split), and will be common to supporters of 70’s songs and typical horror flicks alike. We’re astonished how properly [Kevin] has captured the mood of the original recording.

If this all seems to be slightly familiar, it may perhaps be due to the fact we have covered the Lo-Fi Orchestra in advance of, when it entertained us with a rousing rendition of Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite. If you are additional intrigued in real Tubular Bells than synthesized ones, then check out this MIDI-controlled set from 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/view?v=Tzg2lfzM19Y

https://www.youtube.com/observe?v=AZrojHfWbts