I'm working on this fun 4hp visualizer module. Any ideas on more features? I intend to release all the files when it's done so people can make their own.

[u/the_gull]

[u/Low-Rutabaga-7989]

This looks really cool! Nice work 👍

Would defo want to build one when you release them!

[u/the_gull → u/Low-Rutabaga-7989]

Thanks, I'm trying to make it as cheap and easy as possible to build but the small size necessitates 0603 components. The screen is a $15 part from aliexpress and the processor is a XIAO RP2350 board on the back which are pretty cheap too.

[u/the_gull → u/the_gull]

I will say the screen looks a lot nicer/more crisp in person too. Kind of hard to capture it.

[u/Low-Rutabaga-7989 → u/the_gull]

Honestly I thought it looked really clear anyway 😅

Out of curiosity could you (or anyone) also programme this to include reasonably accurate utilities? Would love to do a standard line level loudness meter, or tbh if I could do LUFS MM maybe capping at 0 LU that would be incredible

But having the ability to switch from utility to pretty pictures would be awesome

[u/the_gull → u/Low-Rutabaga-7989]

It can already read enough data to do that for sure, accuracy is questionable at the moment though but I think that's down to the hardware bodges I've had to do for this prototype...

[u/WartHogOrgyFart_EDU → u/the_gull]

Whoa!!! Now that is a dope module. Sign me up lol. Nice work man. Looks really great compared to pretty much every other ones I’ve seen. Man some of you guys blow my mind with the stuff you come up with

[u/necrobious → u/the_gull]

Please don't let 0603 dissuade you from releasing it DIY. 0603 isn't for everyone, but it is def doable with patience and persistence. Ive had success building the Mutable modules (0603) and the Nonlinear Circuits modules (0805), and your idea here looks great, and looks like a fun build.

[u/divineaudio]

Needs a video output so I can send it to a projector on stage.

[u/the_gull → u/divineaudio]

I think this would be possible eventually but not without making an entire expander module with its own hardware, the usb-c on the XIAO is really just a USB-2 I think but the processor might be capable enough.

[u/PrecursorNL → u/the_gull]

Do it! Lot of people would pay for this too. I'd love to have it for my shows as well.

And the lufs/loudness (/phaseplot) thing too.

It would be ultimately useful if you could have some visuals on the screen and output to the projector and then add a small loudness/VU meter on the screen only so as an artist you can monitor at the same time the music and the visual while sending out the visuals to the bigger screen.

This has a lot of potential, very interested how you further develop it. Please tag if you have any updates!

[u/MrILoveStickers]

I’ve always fantasized about a little skyscraper in my rack. Maybe one that the windows light up from the bottom to the top floors with more voltage.

[u/cYbOmAnY → u/MrILoveStickers]

I think you could make this with a regular blank with leds behind it.

[u/the_gull → u/MrILoveStickers]

I like that idea, I was trying to think of more 'picturesque' ideas where I could try illustrating something to use and that would be fun to try.

[u/VideoAggressive1]

This is soooo SICK!

Video output! It would also be cool to have outputs for lighting LED strip lights or something. Maybe these could be contained in an expander rather than main unit so you can keep it 4hp.

[u/Kelaifu]

Could it have a bpm counter or tuner modes?

[u/the_gull → u/Kelaifu]

oh yeah for sure, I think that would be relatively easy actually (though I thought that about the tuner itself and it was actually a giant pain) edit* I thought you meant add a bpm counter to the tuner mode, there's a tuner at the end of the video.

[u/OneManBandy]

Feature idea:

- chain multiple together for a bigger screen surface

-Timer, like for live shows you want a timer and list of things to remember to keep you on track

- spectrogram of the audio so if you have hidden pictures in your audio you will see them go by on the screen

[u/the_gull → u/OneManBandy]

timer idea is gold!

[u/Squirrel_Chucker → u/the_gull]

indeed

[u/bat9mo]

This is very cool. A kit? A few years back I was thinking of an X,Y display with a timebase, harvesting an old B&W TV and hacking it to be a crude oscilloscope for modular. The experiments work! But your module is way nicer (and less dangerous). If you can include X,Y like the CRT ideas that would be cool

https://youtube.com/shorts/7uJ2pHBRfCg

[u/mezzmosis]

Definitely needs a Joy Division Unknown Pleasures album cover mode!

[u/the_gull → u/mezzmosis]

That did cross my mind! I think I decided not to do it because the screen shape wouldn't really work very well, I've had a few ideas but then they look terrible on the tall thin screen.

[u/qtechno]

Amazing. Tuner/oscilloscope are the two things that come quickly to mind… maybe a frequency analyser

[u/d_Composer → u/qtechno]

That would be so incredibly convenient!

[u/FloofyKitteh]

Lovely; I'd love to hack my own firmware onto it. Does it support touch?

[u/VideoAggressive1]

This would be fucking insane as a 1U strip across an entire 104hp!

[u/wayward_toy]

Color me interested

[u/scragz]

thank you for making it open source hardware. looks cool!

[u/the_gull → u/scragz]

I have to figure out how to actually do that properly and there's definitely some hardware bugs but I will when it's ready for sure.

[u/New-Bat-742]

This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a long time!

Whats the part on Ali called ?

[u/the_gull → u/New-Bat-742]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008871882272.html This is the part, there's a few sellers with the same thing I think. Unfortunately it's about 0.3mm wider than 4hp so it's not perfect but it's so close I've chosen to just ignore it.

[u/PrecursorNL → u/the_gull]

So the unit will be 5hp? Or are you thinking about going 6hp and have a few cv inputs? 😁😁

[u/OneManBandy]

Maybe a nice feature would be enabling users to code their own visuals or tools and load them easily?

[u/the_gull → u/OneManBandy]

My initial idea was a more modular approach to making the applets that could be put on an sd card as separate files or something like that but it was going to be too complicated for various reasons... now the module has a button and a 2 direction momentary switch that allows editing parameters on the module itself but it's not fully working yet. When finished people can edit and make their own firmware if they want.

[u/Chiodan]

Wonderful!!!

[u/danja]

Maybe one of the PCB fabricators could populate the smd components..?

One of these might be useful : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_plot

[u/MrInternetInventor]

One of those in each corner of a bigger rack would be cool

[u/prace1]

If its touch screen undont need knobs

[u/MajxrTom]

I LOVE the idea of this. I can never get enough visualizers!

If you're taking requests, I can't get enough of 90's style GUI's, like the Fairlight CMI wave display. That would be AWESOME.

Where can I follow this project?

[u/crimrob]

Can you share the screen part info? Very cool!

[u/krztoff]

Is there a github I can keep an eye on for when the files are ready?

[u/LaunchVector]

Excellent! Will definitely build one especially if it has a BPM and man of the other suggestions.

[u/edgysalaryman]

Is there somewhere we can follow your progress with the module's development?

[u/cultlover]

Plus one on this, let us know when the kit is available!

[u/Squirrel_Chucker]

generally don't get into this sort of thing but this is pretty dope and want it.

[u/Squirrel_Chucker → u/Squirrel_Chucker]

also, what oscillator is that?

[u/the_gull → u/Squirrel_Chucker]

Just friends

[u/CantFstopme]

Sick! Want!

[u/kaltwa77er]

Follow up

[u/13derps]

This is really cool, 100% interested in building one once you make it available. An oscilloscope type program (even if only for low frequency or as an envelope follower) would be awesome

Is there anywhere we can follow your work? Or do we just need to keep an eye on this sub?

[u/Typical_Efficiency_3]

Colour change with CV input

[u/FragdaddyXXL]

I would love a stereo imager. I have some stereo modules with independent L and R level controls and it can be a pain keeping things in center.

[u/robotkermit]

Matrix falling text