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Topic starter
I have updated the "NucleoSynth" project to be directly driven by the sliders and keyboard of the Yamaha Reface CS.
Here is the link to the project.
NucleoSynth Virtual Analog Synth Project
The project can be loaded onto either NUCLEO-F746ZG or NUCLEO-F767ZI STM32 Nucleo-144 development boards, and the Reface can be plugged directly into the USB port on the boards.
I chose to purchase the Reface CS because of it's portability, playability, and abundance of slider controllers, making it a great controller keyboard to use with the NucleoSynth project.
As an extra bonus, I can unplug it from the NucleoSynth board, and play the absolutely wonderful AN sound engine that the Reface CS contains. As a past owner of the Yamaha AN1x, I still have not heard a more convincing Virtual-Analog synthesis engine anywhere.
The NucleoSynth project is just that, a project. It is not a replacement to any synth on the market, it is merely an experiment in what a $23 development board can accomplish. It has obvious limitations (6-voice polyphony, Saw/Square waves only for all 12 oscillators, no FM, no hard-sync, aliasing on the top octaves, etc.), but it does have Key-Follow for VCF and ENV, and also responds to the Reface's Velocity-Sensitive keyboard.
Thanks!
Posted : 04/10/2017 6:06 pm
Hi!
This sounds extremely interesting! I like to combine the sounds of Reface CS with other synths. With this experiment you can combine the CS and Nucleosynth together in realtime with the CS sliders?
Is it possible to buy this synth in the near future? 🙂
Best regards,
Magnus
Posted : 05/10/2017 7:43 am
Topic starter
The Reface CS sliders are mapped as close to the NucleoSynth parameters as they can be, but the NucleoSynth has parameters that the CS doesn't have, so there are some sliders that are re-purposed. For that reason, the only way to use the CS and NS together would be to turn the controller changes off on the NS so that you can set the sound on the CS separately. That's an easy thing to do in code.
It's easy to order a Nucleo-144 board from STMicroelectronics. The board is $23, and I think there are many different vendors to choose from. The only other things that are needed are a PC (desktop or laptop) with a USB port available for downloading the project to the board, a USB adapter cable (to plug the reface into the NS), and some jumpers to tap the DAC outputs on the board and send it to an amp or mixer..
I don't know if I will ever make this into a standalone synth module in the future. It is more of a DIY thing, to have the abilities to change the code to suit the users individual needs and tastes. It can't compete with any store-bought synth on the market now, but then again, it is fun to experiment with a completely open synth engine instead of the proprietary synths on the market now.
Posted : 05/10/2017 1:00 pm
Topic starter
Here is an updated link to the project on STM's new website.
Posted : 29/12/2018 8:49 pm
