I recently discovered this open-source synth / micro-daw and the idea of open-source / open-hardware really excite me, also being a great fan of DIY I really like the idea of “assemble your synth before using it”
Unfortunately the V5 kit is sold out
Is it expected to have it available again? taking a look in the forum, I understand that there is a new V5.1 kit with the RPi5 on the way soon, are there any time estimate for when it will be available?
Another question: does the “complete” kits are a sort of “limited edition”? ie. there is only one batch and when then they get sold out they are only restocked on each new kit version
Or is it generally always available until the next one comes out?
I know I can can buy a separate RPi and build it from scratch, but I prefer to have one of the “official” kits (mainly because I love the design )
The kits are available and restocked throughout the life of each version. You happen to have discovered Zynthian between versions. The RPi5 came out recently so it made sense to adjust the hardware to accommodate it.
@tunagenes yes it was the topic I’m referring and I already read it
I just wanted to know if there was a more precise time
I saw “few weeks” sent in June, so maybe it is expected by end of July / August?
yes, I understand that giving ETAs are always a nightmare because then users treat is as a commitment and wont stop nagging you until the project is done
So if you prefer to not give me a precise answer, I’m ok with that. I will wait
Hi @Laura I wish you the best in Zynthian’s world.
If you are really in a hurry, you can try Zynthian without any special gear: a raspberry pi, a basic HDMI display and an USB keyboard/mouse are enough.
First off, it is good to have more ladies around, who are finally taking a growing interest in what has been until now the basically “civilised men’s cave” world of music technology and synthesisers (there have been notable exceptions, of course).
Yes, as @le51 rightly says, you can build yourself a Raspberry Zynthian experiment, with just:
The single board computer,
An HDMI display or a Raspberry-ready HDMI touchscreen,
USB mouse and keyboard (if you don’t have a touch display),
An USB audio interface.
I recommend installing the new OS Oram, which is more optimized, better laid-out, faster and close to stable release. I also would advise to get the Rpi 5, not only because is significantly more powerful, but also because you will then be able to recycle it (as it is sold separately) in the forthcoming V5.1 official kit, which is based on the latest Raspberry iteration.
In the meantime, if you want to try a simple computer-based Oram, make sure to set in webconf (the ethernet configuration panel accessed from an external PC - search the wiki and this forum for details):
Generic HDMI as display hardware,
Generic USB as audio hardware,
In the UI options, on-screen buttons and visible cursor, if you use a mouse.
Also, be aware that at first startup, with all peripherals connected, the system will return a red audio/midi error, to overcome which you will have to set temporarily the audio hardware to “Dummy” in webconf.
Looks like I’ve done a similar thing, it seems each time I have spare funds available to buy the kit coincides with a model change.
Have been running a bare RPi 4 for over a year now and it’s great fun but I really haven’t put enough time into learning the platform.
Just ordered a 10.1" Touchscreen with mounting for the Pi on the back which I plan to spend more time using until the V5.1 kit is out.
I can only talk for the audio interface that I am using for a temporary Pi5 setup, but my Presonus Studio 26c - which has a fairly common features set (close to similar low-cost but reliable devices from Focusrite, Mackie. M-Audio and Native Instruments) - worked straight away with Raspi 5, both on Raspberry OS and Oram.
I guess that this might be variable from device to device, although everything produced today is class-compliant, and should work once plugged-in, but… we are in Linux lands here, and let us not give anything for granted!
Anyway, my Presonus functions like a charm with the webconf “Generic USB Device” audio hardware setting, which also offers sample rate and buffer size (in bytes) fine adjustments if required.
Welcome to zynthianland! I would like to have a more accurate estimation for the release date of V5.1, but we had some production problems with the control board and everything is delayed. We prefer to be sure before giving a date. Anyway, we are doing our best and our goal is having it for September.
Hi @stub ! I don’t think there is any type of list you can join, although I speak as an observer, not for Zynthian Labs.
What you can do is use the discourse features including monitoring a topic and email notification, to hopefully know when Zynthian V5 is available again, or V5.1 is available.
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