MIXI - Lazarus Model
Sound Mixing MIDI Controller
The MIXI is a MIDI controller that controls sound outputs from AudioTool, a free music mixing website. A PCB board with spaces for the MIXI's various components was created using EasyEDA, and assembled using through-hole soldering. The board itself was programmed using with the Arduino IDE and an Arduino Pro Micro, and it features four potentiometers (three knobs, and one sliding potentiometer) and eight light-up, elastomer buttons. Three states that controlled musical instruments in AudioTool were created in the Arduino code: a drum state, a tone state, and a sound effect state.
Various angles of the MIXI's laser-cut enclosure. The enclosure sports a number of custom made vinyl stickers; the stickers that are not in full color were hand-drawn with a fine point Sharpie.
Fusion 360 renderings of the MIXI's enclosure prior to laser cutting. A 3D model of the PCB was used to create a box that would perfectly encase the various knobs and buttons of the real board.
The MIXI board was created using EasyEDA. The physical board within the enclosure pictured above gained the nickname "Lazarus" after its USB port broke off and was successfully repaired. The USB port would prove to be an ongoing point of issue for this project, so it was reinforced with additional solder and epoxy resin.
A sound-reactive visualization was also created for this project, to serve as a backdrop for a concert that showcased the MIXI's capabilities. The visualization was created in Processing, and it changes size and shape based on the volume of the sound being detected by a laptop's microphone. This "laser show" was displayed on a matrix of ten thousand NeoPixel LEDs for a crowd of over one hundred students.
As the MIXI cycles through its states, its LEDs change color to signal what state it's in. When first starting the MIXI, the buttons start as yellow, with an animated red LED flashing through each button. The animation runs once before starting in the drum state.
The code for both the MIXI board and the sound reactive visualization can be found here: https://github.com/ComicSabs/MIXI---Lazarus
