Whistle Synth Pi

July 8th, 2021
music, tech, whistling
I made my whistle-controlled synthesizer into a stand-alone device:

Melody example:

Bass example:

Playing bass by singing falsetto:

It consists of:

  • Raspberry Pi 3 computer ($35)
  • Case ($7)
  • USB sound card ($8)
  • Keypad ($10)
  • 3.5mm to 1/4" cable ($4)
  • XLR to 3.5mm cable ($7)

It also needs a micro SD card, power (2A, USB), and a microphone. I'm using ones I already had, but it doesn't need anything fancy. If you wanted to make a special-purpose device, I think you could get the materials down below $20; there is nothing especially expensive here, and I'm not using most of the features of the Pi.

The code is open source: github.

Referenced in:

Comment via: facebook, lesswrong, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Shoshannah Tekofsky on how AI agents suck at personality tests, don't express surprise, and lie to themselves

Can you introduce yourself for people who don’t know who you are?

via Thing of Things February 11, 2026

2025-26 New Year review

This is an annual post reviewing the last year and setting intentions for next year. I look over different life areas (work, health, parenting, effectiveness, etc) and analyze my life tracking data. Highlights include a minimal group house, the usefulness…

via Victoria Krakovna January 19, 2026

Why I Don't Think My Braces Were Worth It

A couple weeks ago, I got my braces off. I kind of wish I had never had them, though. When I was younger, two of my teeth were sticking out, and they looked kind of funny. I thought that my teeth were just fine, and I didn't want to get braces. But s…

via Anna Wise's Blog Posts January 3, 2026

more     (via openring)