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:

Ozy at LessOnline!

I will once again be a guest at LessOnline, alongside many other writers whom you no doubt like less than you like me: Scott Alexander, dynomight, Georgia Ray, David Friedman, Nicholas Decker, Jacob Falkovich, Kelsey Piper, Alicorn, Aella, etc.

via Thing of Things March 23, 2026

Daycares and the Brown School

As someone in Somerville I notice that there are quite high prices regarding childcare. The average family in Somerville pays $1,100 to $3,500 for daycare per month, and I want to make the costs more affordable. I have also noticed that housing is quite …

via Lily Wise's Blog Posts March 22, 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

more     (via openring)