Discover some of the most iconic Raspberry Pi music projects

Discover some of the most iconic Raspberry Pi music projects

Not to be confused with a sweet, sticky desert, Raspberry Pi is a super versatile computer board. No bigger than two boxes of matches, Raspberry Pi plugs into your computer or TV and allows people of all ages to explore computing and programming.

But did you know that one of the ways in which it has been hugely influential is when it comes to music projects?

To find out some of the coolest ways Raspberry Pi has been used in the music industry, read on.

1. Creating your very own musical instrument

Yes, you heard it. One of the crazy ways Raspberry Pi has been used is by using it to make a complete audio workstation.

As the interface comes complete with Hi-Fi stereo input and different ports and buttons combined with software, it means that you can control all elements such as volume, gain levels and synth through the touch of a few buttons.

The result? You can create music virtually anywhere! From musical instruments to radio stations – the only limit is your imagination.

2. Party Jukebox

Rather than passing around the Spotify playlist, Raspberry Pi was used to create a Partytube jukebox. Based on Youtube, party goers can scan a QR code and add a song to the party playlist.

Pretty neat, right?

3. Play one song only

More of a practical joke, Raspberry Pi has been used to create a Pi Single Song Player (PSSP for short).

Once you’ve set up the right triggers, Raspberry Pi will play one song every time you trigger it. So, for example if anyone ever says Happy, you may get Pharrell Williams played repeatedly…

4. Learning to code

On a more serious note, Raspberry Pi is one of the best ways to teach both adults and children alike to code. By learning coding fundamentals through music using sounds, scales and chords, you can layer the sounds through code.

As well as open doors to careers in tech, coding is a great way to problem solve. In fact, coding has been known to help kids solve some of life’s most difficult problems.

5. Multi-room speakers

Fancy installing Sonos speakers into your house but don’t fancy forking out? Enter Raspberry Pi.

A cheap alternative to an expensive speaker system, Raspberry Pi can be used to set up wireless speakers in different rooms of the house. Although you may seem put off by the sheer amount of code in the tutorial, it’s actually pretty simple to master once you’ve got the hang of it.

Although traditionally music and coding aren’t put together, they are more intertwined than you’d think. In fact, it’s thought that Raspberry Pi might just be the music computer of the future.

As an open-source platform that can be modified by anyone, the potential for innovation is endless. Although audio professionals may be deterred by the fact it’s easy to hack, it has the ability to become the next biggest thing in the music world.