music-thing-modular-radio-music

Music Thing Modular Radio Music

Open-source virtual-radio SD-card sample player

4 HP Eurorack module

Radio Music is an open-source 'virtual radio' from Music Thing Modular - a sample player that behaves like a radio dial rather than a conventional sampler. Audio files stored on an SD card are organised into 16 banks of 'stations'; the Station knob (or CV) tunes between them, and like real radio the files keep playing in the background so re-tuning drops you into a different moment. The Start knob sets a playback point recalled by the Reset button, which doubles as the bank selector when held. Built on a Teensy microcontroller, it is endlessly hackable, with a 2017 firmware adding wav and pitch support and many alternative firmwares (including Chord Organ).

Features

  • Virtual-radio sample player: tune between audio files like radio stations
  • 16 banks, each holding many station files (up to 75 per folder)
  • Plays audio straight from an SD card, so very long files stream easily
  • Station knob/CV tunes stations; files play continuously in the background
  • Start knob/CV sets a playback start point applied on Reset
  • Reset button: tap to restart, hold >200ms to change banks
  • Top LEDs act as a VU meter and show bank number in binary
  • Reset trigger input for clock-synced loop restarts
  • 0-5V CV inputs on Station and Start (added to the knobs)
  • AC-coupled modular-level audio output with rear level trimmer
  • Open-source DIY design built on a Teensy 3.1/3.2 microcontroller
  • Hot-swappable SD card (module reboots when card is removed)

Controls & Jacks (10)

  • Station
  • Start
  • Bank LED
  • Bank LED 2
  • Reset LED
  • Station In
  • Start In
  • Reset In
  • Out
  • Reset

How-To Guides

  • Tune in a station
  • Switch to another bank of stations
  • CV-scan through stations
  • Sync a loop to your patch clock
  • Long-form ambient drone

Explore the interactive Radio Music panel on BleepDex — tap any control to learn what it does.

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