New to Zynthian, RPi, and related .. could use some advice re: build options

Building Zynthian
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Hi, all. I started looking into DIY multi-effects and sound modules in recent months. Someone at the Electrosmith Daisy forums reminded me of Zynthian a few weeks ago, which I’d forgotten about and didn’t really “get” when I first came across it. Now, after some time and a bit of additional research and learning, I think I’m ready to take the Zynthian plunge.

To reduce my initial investment and hopefully give myself more flexibiity in the future, I am leaning towards a headless or stripped-down Zynthian instead of the v5 kit. For me, that likely means starting with just a RPi5 and a Hi-Fi Berry DAC2 ADC Pro, perhaps with a HiFi Berry steel case.

As an “upgrade,” I’m thinking I could add a standard RPi 7" touchscreen and put everything into something like this KKSB case. I imagine I’d need to get an extension cable to “unstack” the RPi and the HF Berry and also drill/cut the case for audio I/O connectivity, but I’m also hopeful I could fit some kind of battery in the case for portable power.

There’s also part of my brain that thinks I may as well DIY the case by putting the above goodies into one of the cigar boxes I have laying around. However, that starts to exceed my soldering and electronics equipment, skill, and knowledge. But I like the idea of having 1/4" connectors for audio I/O. I’ll probably try to leverage USB for MIDI I/O, but standard MIDI ports might be nice, too.

SO … Does anyone have any thoughts re: pros, cons, pitfalls of the above aproaches? I’m hesitant to go to far, too fast, with any of this due to money, time, and skill/knowledge constraints. But I LOVE the idea of Zynthian and DIY effects/sound, and I’d love to learn from and contribute to this community as I hopefully move forward with this project in the months ahead.

FWIW, my goal with project is to have a lighter-weight, dedicated, and more portable music-making setup than my current “rig” – an aging MacBook attached to an external thunderbolt dock, couple of hard drives, more-channels-than-I-need Fireware audio/MIDI interface, etcetera. I have a Polyend Tracker that I’m hoping to use as a sequencer and MIDI controller, a MF Twister and KMI Softstep for additional knob/button and pedal controls, and a bass guitar that I really want to run through multi-effects and do live looping with.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

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Hi @bkbigfish , a warm welcome in Zynthianland, a place where quiet everything is possible :wink:
I mean, possible regarding hardware setup and use cases.

I will start from the end:

bass guitar that I really want to run through multi-effects and do live looping with.

You’re in the right place, Zynthian ships this features.
But, as is, the Hifiberry ADAC is not taylored for this kind of audio input. An input buffer is recommended.

standard MIDI ports might be nice, too

it’s a simple circuitry, that you can easily build yourself with through hole components on a veroboard; it’s a good starting point for a beginner in tinkering imho :wink:

this KKSB case.

Good catch ! It’s a really nice product. And yes there’s enough room for an audio hat, like the hifiberry. I believe, you will not be able to stack it on the Pi, but a couple of wires will do the trick.
Additionnaly, I think there’s also enough room for a input buffer for your bass/guitar between 1/4" connectors and the audio hat.

7" touchscreen

it covers most of the front panel surface, so it will be hard to add encoders and switches.
Zynthian workflow is organized around this hardware controls but can also work without: touchscreen only (and a 7 inch display is quiet comfortable for this approach) or even headless. But the latters can be sometimes a bit akward.

To reduce my initial investment

Before going into this kind of investment, I would say, if you already have a Pi lying around, just download the Oram image, burn a SD card and give it a try.
Zynthian works also with basic HDMI display + mouse.

Do not hesitate to ask for more infos.

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Hey, thanks so much @le51. Glad to know I’m not too far off in my understanding of how this all could come together. To start at the end of your response, I don’t have a Pi lying around and have never worked with one. I am truly starting from ground zero with most of this barring one soldering project --wiring up the control cavity on my bass – years ago.

So, a few follow up questions, since you offered:

  • Input Buffer. Is the buffer a requirement or a recommendation? Also, could the input buffer could be external to the Zynth build itself? I’m thinking an active DI or something. Ideally, I suppose building a buffer into the Zynth would be ideal, but I don’t really know where to begin with that.

  • Veroboard. I’ve read a bit about breadboards, perma-proto boards, etcetera. Are veroboards similar in prototyping intent and execution but with soldering required? Pros and cons?

  • “Unstacking” the audio HAT. I was thinking that the easiest path would be to use a ribbon cable to conect the Pi’s GPIO pins to the DAC/ADC as if it were mounted. Sounds like I could, as an alternative, just solder a couple of wires in place? What would the pros and cons be to each approach?

  • Encoders and switches. The MF Twister I mentioned is a 16-knob USB MIDI device with configurable endless encoders; each knob can also be pressed/clicked for button functionailty. Really hoping I can attach that via USB instead of adding knobs and switches to the build. Viable?

THANKS!

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Stray thought: I also came across the Pi Audio Drive recently. Seems like it covers basic high-quality audio I/O while also adding some additional, interesting capabilities. Curious to know if @le51 or anyone else has thoughts or experience with it. Thanks again!

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  • look at here for an idea:

and comments above / below :wink:

  • veroboard/protoboard/breadboard are mostly the same thing: support for components that have to be soldered.

  • For the DAC/ADC, while looking

    DSC02949_960x640
    DSC02949_960x640960×640 97.5 KB

maybe just Dupont wires can do the trick.; power, SDA/SCL for I2C (pins 3&5) and 4 pins for I2S (pins 13,35,38,40).
I find the 40 wires ribbon cable complicated to manage.

  • 16-knob USB MIDI: it will be recognized as is: like any onother controller. You will have to assign each control to the function you want with the “MIDI learn” process
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Yes that"s interesting but if tou want to use it in the 7inch metal case they are some flaws