Im looking to make a microcontroller that has one stereo 1/8inch input and one stereo 1/8inch output and a processor that can effect / filter the audio. Im looking around for microcontroller tutorials and can't find anything that would tell me, really, the first step on how to find which components I need. I would really like to by a breadboard and find the components myself and do it all without a dev board microcontroller like a arduino or raspberry pi just so I can see and understand how all the individual components work together from the ground up.
Maybe the processor may be a little more than I know how to do right now, but would anyone be willing to step me through the process of building something like this or a online / book reference for tutorials that will show you how to do this? Or maybe just tell me where I can get the parts and resources to put it together so I have some starting place.
I appreciate any information, I would post stuff I've found but all I can find are literal schematics rather than a step by step type tutorial.
Any good audio microcontroller tutorials for beginners or any advice on how to start gathering information on this in general?
Thanks again in advance!
Best Answer
For your purposes, an arduino board is as good as bare microcontroller. But what you want is a DSP, a digital signal processor. Lowly 8 bit microcontrollers are not ideal or recommended for audio processing. And an rpi is a full blown computer. Doesn't have audio in, but a simple usb-sound card works. As for the 1/8" jack requirements, the jack is just a physical connector. You can use adaptors to 1/4" or larger if needed, or whatever.
For the rpi, you could use an extra dsp, but why? Do it in software. That's what I meant by "it's a computer". Software audio processing is very common. But since you want to eventually develop a full product, and not just software (which is an option btw, think about it), a DSP development or evaluation board is better.
Dev boards are for prototyping and learning. Once you figure out what you want, and how to do it, you design a custom PCB with the chips at the heart of the dev boards. But one step at the time. Each step in your goal of scratch to end product is long and hard. You want to learn and design a real time Digital audio processing box. The first is finding a simple DSP dev board, and learning how it works.
Final thought, you seem to be leaning to full blown high quality digital signal processing, plain stereo analog audio over 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 connectors isn't what most would think as HQ. Your product, especially in the future is better off with digital signal output. Again, a dev board can show you that.