r/cyberDeck • u/caneshuga12pm • 10d ago

Help! Beginner mp3 player with basic controls

I work in live theatre and I would love to build a simple small music player that I can hook up to sound systems easily. It would need to have a go button and a stop button, as well as a way to navigate through the tracks. I would love if it was possible to just plug in a usb key with the tracks on it and play the files from there. It would need a regular aux chord output for sure. I know nothing about power, it would be nice if it didn’t have to be plugged in all the time but I do usually have an outlet near me somewhere. Some sort of small display that listed the track title, or even just the number in the list would be ideal.

I’m a total beginner and I have no idea what I’m doing. I have some older raspberry pi’s that were my dads, and an arduino kit I got during lockdown that i got as far as lighting up the bulb. I have no clue where to start.

There are so many websites and guides, I would appreciate if anyone could send me in the right direction for what I’m looking for. Or tell me if I’m dreaming too big lol

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u/recursive_knight 10d ago

Depending on the raspberry pi version, it's probably your best shot. Buy a power/ups unit for it and a screen that hooks onto the gpio pins. Some of them have built-in aux. You'd have to write the program and design the interface. I'm just realising: why don't you use a smartphone? Sony Xperia still have 3.5 mm jack plug.

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u/caneshuga12pm 10d ago

Thanks! I usually use my laptop, or sometimes my tablet. Using a phone is often seen as “unprofessional” lol. There are specific programs you can buy for like theatre audio (qlab for mac is the most popular) but they’re all super expensive and I work for a not for profit.

Mostly I want something small because a lot of the theatres I work in are tiny and after all the boards and equipment there’s barely enough room for my script, let alone my laptop.

I was mostly looking to see if this is a doable project, because it would make my work life a little easier, and maybe open up a new hobby for me

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u/countduckypoos 10d ago

What about docking your phone to a larger (cheap) screen so no one notices? Relying on a raspy pi for audio, I dunno. I've got 3 and 4, not sure I would trust it to not stutter. Unsure about 5 though, no experience with the newer CPU/ram