Power Up Your Sound Game, Without Draining the Grid!

Hey Groovy Peeps,

I'm the music-loving tech rebel with a newfound mission.

Here's the scoop: I've seen folks rock out on ginormous stages, surrounded by flashy lights, amps cranked to eleven, mixers, guitar pedals, and mics. But guess what? We're guzzling energy like nobody's business, all for the sake of looking cool and flaunting our talents. It's a wild ride, but it's time for a change.

"Alright, let's face it - our world's had enough of this whole 'look-at-me-I'm-the-best' gig. It's high time we get back to the basics. I mean, if we're dead-set on needing a computer to whip up demos, lay down some tracks, or whatever floats your musical boat, why not give an open-source OS a whirl? And why not take a shot at crafting our very own low-impact, earth-loving machine to do the job? I mean, really, what's the worst that could happen?"

First Steps looking for the perfect OS

On my initial foray, I experimented with various operating systems, from Ubuntu (which held its own) to Debian. However, the one that truly hit the sweet spot for me was ARMBIAN with the XFCE environment. Let me tell you, it's a speed demon. What's more, just installing Ardour covers all your bases. You can load up FluidSynth, and pretty much all the features you'd find in LMMS. Plus, it gives you the option to break free from the jack server, which is fantastic, but a touch too hefty for a lightweight, low-power system like mine.

Consideration

"While I was assembling the machine, I encountered issues with the updates; Ubuntu kept flickering incessantly. On top of that, it would sporadically freeze or shut down without any warning. It dawned on me that the culprit was the power bank. Imagine this: our petite board couldn't quite draw the power it needed from the station to handle the tasks at hand.

That's when it hit me – we're using way too much energy for what often feels like no good reason.

We tend to take it all for granted, don't we? But truth be told, we could wake up one day in a world where energy is scarce. And then what? Maybe it's high time we started teaching our kids not just what to do, but how to do it, and most importantly, how to navigate a world with essential technology."

How we waist our energy

To give you a practical example, consider the relentless onslaught of advertising that inundates us through the various browsers we use, from Google to Firefox. It's an absolute energy drain. And let's not even get started on spam mail. Every day, we're bombarded with trillions of useless messages, a blatant waste of essential energy. And those pop-ups? Don't even get me started. And what about those flashy, gold-plated, eye-catching graphics strewn across websites to captivate and dazzle the user? Hold on a sec, I need the internet for information. Why in the world should I expend all this energy for what seems like 'nothing'?

Up until now, there haven't been many artists dedicated to finding a 'budget-friendly' way to express their music. On YouTube, I've come across plenty of musicians using expensive software and high-end machines for a standard sound. What's the point?"

Check out this video. Not only was I unable to catch the basics, but look at how many 'devices' she's using to create some decent music. I'll give it to her, it sounds alright, but it's coming off like a karaoke board. There's no drive, no real feeling, no gut-level intuition. It's just flat. Is it really worth it?

Now, on the flip side, there were artists in the past who could craft music with next to nothing - profound music that digs deep into your soul and really makes you reflect.

Take R.L. Burnside for example.

Another prime example is Van Halen. Take a gander at this 'performance' and ask yourself if you could pull it off with the same 'tools' they had back in the '90s... Got it? So, before you start constructing your mansion, learn how to build a humble hut from scratch.

My question is; Where did your creativity run off to?

As an artist, it's my damn responsibility to tackle this issue head-on, before any jackass in a suit up there makes decisions for us... don't you think? It's about extracting the damn best from your surroundings, molding them into a symphony of harmony.

Instead of flooding the world with rubbish and debris just because you have to perform on a beach (which happens to be a natural reserve where turtles go to nest), all to line your label's pockets with nearly 80% of your hard-earned royalties, while you're left famous but broke, forever bound by their rules... does that make any damn sense to you?"

So, I pondered,

let's hit the reset button. Imagine living in a world where playing your guitar on a computer is banned because politicians are off to yet another 'conference' on climate change. What then?

Consider being on a Pacific island where 'goods' can no longer be delivered due to climate shifts. What's your move? Give up? Or adapt? My project centers on just that - adaptation. It's about learning to find joy in the knowledge we acquire, not in the possessions we amass."

CONCLUSION

Alright folks, let me give you the lowdown on this project. I set out to create a one-board computer loaded with all the stage-worthy sounds I'd need. After some serious code-cracking and a few frustrating days, I managed to put together a slick, lightweight OS. I even got the web browser in there, though I was hoping for Lynx - turns out it's a no-go on Raspbian. If any volunteers or experts out there know a workaround, drop a comment!

So, about this little machine – it's been given a boost, running at CPU 900 and ARM 1950, with an overvoltage of 5. I've also installed Pi-apps, which is a goldmine for snagging all the compatible apps I need to deck out my desktop. The idea is to create a desktop environment that's stacked with all the tools I need for some killer live performances and recording sessions.

Now, here's the plan: I'm gearing up to open a link page for downloading the image as it stands. And soon, I'll have it available as an ISO too. Feel free to tinker around and keep an eye out for the next page on Patreon. Here's the link – bear in mind it's still a work in progress, but hey, we're getting there. Enjoy!"

Mario Marco Farinato

More information about the project can be found at Patreon or directly on this page

https://www.patreon.com/mmfarinato

It's a work on progress

Experimentation with sound on one board computer available on my YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@MMFarinato/featured

My songs are distributed by VSAdviceMusic