[Microbit-Python] My visit to the BBC today

[David Whale]

Just some random thoughts....

Background music would be awesome (in the same way that Damien has surfaced
background animations).

I reckon if you could find a way to use the internal fibre scheduling
safely, you could have 3 channels running, one on each pin, and "externally
mix them" with resistors or capacitors into a single speaker. This would
give you 3 channel sound just like the original AY-3-8910 chip on the BBC
Micro!!! My ultimate test here would be to play "Eurythmics: Sweet dreams
are made of this" and "Stranglers:Golden Brown" in the same arrangements as
the original ones done on the BBC micro!!!

The other thing that would be cool is an external tool that converts a MIDI
file into the python data structures that plays that same music. That would
then be a really easy way to bring in other pieces, as there are plenty of
MIDI editors and sources of MIDI on the internet.

Envelopes - the AY-3-8910 on the beeb had ADSR envelopes. You loaded 4
numbers into registers and it did the attack, delay, sustain and release
for you automatically, and this made it possible to do really nice phrasing
and expression.

The touch sensing works great now - how about something akin to the new
PiPiano that Pimoroni made for the Pi based on Zachs original Pi Piano???

All of these are a *bit* 1980's demo (Nicholas will understand that quote!)

There is a really awesome opportunity to implement MIDI or OSC support for
linking to external devices and using the MicroBit as the programmable
sequencer or controller for them. Python support for either in some way
would be a "game changer" (not my words, someone else's words!) - think
micro:bit gestures controlling an external soft MIDI synth on a bigger
computer. Think linking that to DMX lighting and controlling the school
stage lights with it too in sync with the music - the micro:bit as a
performance device!

Just random ideas. Shoot them down.

D




___________________________________________________________
David Whale, B.Sc (Hons), MIET
*Software Engineer and IET Schools Liaison Officer, Essex*

email:  dwhale at theiet.org
twitter: @whaleygeek
blog:  blog.whaleygeek.co.uk

Co-author of the new book "Adventures in Minecraft" <http://amzn.to/ZGfxZG>
- lets get kids coding!


On 24 September 2015 at 23:07, David Whale <david at thinkingbinaries.com>
wrote:

> It was indeed an awesome demo Nicholas - well done all!
>
> David
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________
> David Whale, B.Sc (Hons), MIET
> *Software Engineer and IET Schools Liaison Officer, Essex*
>
> email:  dwhale at theiet.org
> twitter: @whaleygeek
> blog:  blog.whaleygeek.co.uk
>
> Co-author of the new book "Adventures in Minecraft"
> <http://amzn.to/ZGfxZG> - lets get kids coding!
>
>
> On 24 September 2015 at 22:23, Michael <sparks.m at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> That's no moon...
>>
>> Michael.
>>
>> (all good news BTW :-)
>>
>> On 24 September 2015 at 22:12, Nicholas H.Tollervey <ntoll at ntoll.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Folks,
>>>
>>> So I demoed MicroPython to quite a full room of BBC people and other
>>> partners in the project today. It seemed to go quite well and people
>>> were positive about the work done so far.
>>>
>>> Happily, I spent some time chatting with Fiona and Jo in an effort to
>>> get the BBC to see our PoV about openness and I think I made progress.
>>> It is my hope that we will be able to work "in the open" soon - although
>>> it won't include the DAL library we rely on.
>>>
>>> The music got a round of applause. Well done Matthew! :-)
>>>
>>> I even had someone in charge of the launch event come over and chat to
>>> me asking what the musical capabilities of the device might be. I told
>>> her anything is possible with Python, but it mainly depends on how big a
>>> moon you want on that stick in the given time frame.
>>>
>>> :-)
>>>
>>> N.
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Microbit mailing list
>>> Microbit at python.org
>>> https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/microbit
>>>
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Microbit mailing list
>> Microbit at python.org
>> https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/microbit
>>
>>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/private/microbit/attachments/20150924/ab3a13ca/attachment.html>