Westbound Sounds - Meaningful Music for Businesses.

Pi Zero Synthesizer in Linux Console (No Xorg)

Published on September 19, 2018

Description: In this video I will be demonstrating how to get SunVox to work in the Linux Console on a Raspberry Pi Zero W without needing Xorg thanks to some neat tricks for compiling libSDL, modifying DBUS settings, and using JACK commands without Qjackctl. To help us on our quest of minimizing the amount of system resources being used, eliminating Xorg out of the picture is certainly helps.

Watch the video below and feel free to follow these steps to copy/paste what you need.

If you found this guide useful, consider a friendly donation via PayPal. It really helps me out with creating future videos.

Install Raspbian Lite on an SD Card and boot up your Pi.
Run raspi-config
Connect to WiFi, enable SSH, change screen resolution, change localisation options/keyboard layout, and Autologin Console options.
sudo apt-get update
sudo rpi-update (then reboot)
sudo apt-get install libudev-dev
sudo apt-get install links
links http://www.libsdl.org/release/SDL2-2.0.8.tar.gz
gunzip SDL2-2.0.8.tar.gz
tar vfx SDL2-2.0.8.tar
cd SDL2-2.0.8
./configure --host=arm-raspberry-linux-gnueabihf --disable-video-opengl --disable-video-x11 --disable-pulseaudio --disable-esd --disable-video-mir --disable-video-wayland
make -j 4 (takes a while)
sudo make install
ldconfig
nano ~/.bash_profile (create if doesn't exist)
Paste in: export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:path=/run/dbus/system_bus_socket
nano /usr/share/dbus/system.conf (add the lines below to an empty area outside of existing policies.


	<policy user="pi">

	     <allow own="org.freedesktop.ReserveDevice1.Audio0"/>

	     <allow own="org.freedesktop.ReserveDevice1.Audio1"/>

	     <allow own="org.freedesktop.ReserveDevice1.Audio2"/>

	</policy>

usermod -a -G audio pi
sudo reboot
links http://warmplace.ru/soft/sunvox/ (Download SunVox)
sudo apt-get install jackd2
sudo apt-get install a2jmidid
nano ~/.jackdrc
Paste in: /usr/bin/jackd -P70 -p16 -t2000 -dalsa -dhw:2,0 -p256 -n3 -r44100 -s &
Run SunVox and set JACK as your Audio Driver.
Restart SunVox and set JACK as your MIDI device.
While SunVox is running, SSH to the Pi from another device and run: a2jmidid -e &
Then run jack_lsp
Take note of your MIDI device and copy/paste the entire device name in a text file for later. It should start with "a2j:"
jack_connect a2j:'MPK mini [20] (capture)':' MPK mini MIDI 1' SunVox:Keyboard1
nano ~/.sunvox_start.sh (create script)


#!/bin/bash

/home/pi/sunvox/sunvox/linux_arm_armhf_raspberry_pi/sunvox &

sleep 5

a2jmidid -e &

sleep 1

jack_connect a2j:'MPK mini [20] (capture)':' MPK mini MIDI 1' SunVox:Keyboard1

#killall -9 a2jmidi

chmod +x sunvox_start.sh
nano ~/.bash_profile
Paste in: ./sunvox_start.sh (at the end)
Reboot and pray that everything starts up automatically.

Products I used:

AKAI MPK Mini: https://amzn.to/2xnZKl0
Raspberry Pi Zero W: https://amzn.to/2xifaY9
Raspberry Pi Zero WH: https://amzn.to/2xlokmL
Sabrent USB Audio Adapter: https://amzn.to/2xlp5fB
USB to Micro USB Hub: https://amzn.to/2xvez6v

Outro Song: Mark Anthony Shaw - Old Man
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/old-man-single/id1281894515?uo=4&app=itunes&at=1001lry3&ct=dashboard
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2nOe9F7szDxPVIOvKpqGc4
Google Play Music: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Mark_Anthony_Shaw_Old_Man?id=Bugifejzbhtpgdmwvp5ft3nsau4

Touch Screen Installation for Raspberry Pi 3 Synthesizer Project

Published on December 10, 2017

Description: In this video I'll show you how to install and configure the touchscreen as well as setup SunVox to automatically start when you boot up the Raspberry Pi. This will make it seem more like a single-use appliance, yet have the background power of the Pi that can be further customized at any time.

Local Campgrounds Using Custom Music for Video Promos

Published on November 20, 2017

Description: I was very excited to get a phone call from one of my clients needing a handful of custom tunes for some video promotions they're releasing over the Winter to drum up business for next season. I'll be sure to post their actual video once it's released. In the meantime, enjoy this nice tune about slowing down and taking time with your family to enjoy the simple things in life.

Raspberry Pi 3 MIDI Synthesizer with Low Latency and Cheap Sabrent USB Audio (DAC Comparison)

Published on November 19, 2017

Description: In the battle of DACs and Audio Interfaces for the Raspberry Pi, we have a new contender! I had a cheap little Sabrent USB Sound Adapter laying around from a different DJ project I was working on, so I decided to throw it in the Pi and do another comparison in SunVox vs. the Behringer UCA202 and the HiFiBerry DAC+ Standard. The results were amazing!

Raspberry Pi 3 SunVox Synth HiFiBerry DAC+ Standard vs. Behringer UCA202

Published on September 14, 2017

Description: This episode is a continuation from my previous video on the Raspberry Pi 3 and SunVox. Previously I was using Raspbian Jessie Lite, and I ran in to latency issues with the Behringer UCA202 device, so I compiled RT support in the Linux kernel which made some improvements, but not a whole lot. I thought I could solve my latency issues by getting a DAC+ to hook up via the GPIO headers on the Pi however it was quite a challenge and I ran in to many road bumps. Click play to see how it turns out! Check out this video to view a demonstration of the differences between the 2 audio interfaces in playability.

Eastern Shore Guitar FX Pedal Manufacturer - Overdrive Review

Published on September 4, 2017

Description: Local Guitar FX Pedal Manufacturer, Tommy Riebel @ fx.transposed.net is creating some amazing things right here on the good ol' Eastern Shore. Watch this video to learn more about the cool electronics he creates and hear a demo of his OverDriver pedal.

Yamaha PSR-12 Keyboard Review and Song (1987 YM3812 Synth Chip Sound Blaster 2.0)

Published on August 21, 2017

Description: The spirit of music lives in all of us. You can make awesome music with just about anything. Especially vintage keyboards from the 1980s. Take a look at this cool piece of history and learn about the things you can do with yesterday's instruments in today's world.

Sea Rocket Adventures in Ocean City, MD - Custom Music for GoPro Videos

Published on August 21, 2017

Description: The fine folks at Sea Rocket Adventures in Ocean City, MD called up Westbound Sounds needing a handful of simple tunes they can use as background music for the sweet GoPro camera footage they release weekly. What better way for their patrons to remember the super fun times they had parasailing, fishing, and going on boat rides than to have a nice video and custom music that caters to their clients.

Simple Raspberry Pi 3 Synthesizer with SunVox, RT Kernel, and JACK

Published on Jul 22, 2017

Description: Since the early days of computing, tech geeky musicians have wanted to figure out how they can use electronic tools to help them create music. The Raspberry Pi has already shown to be a valuable tool not only for people who like to leisurely listen to music, but especially music creators that like to discovery new ways to make noise. Check out the video below for the items I used to make my own Raspberry Pi 3 Sythesizer using free open source software and some inexpensive hardware.