[sdiy] Programming Language Recommendation

[Shawn Rakestraw]

Thanks for the clarifications Spiros and Jason. I have an Uno and plenty of
breadboards. I also have some old GMSN! modules like the 8 step sequencer
Rob made. I might pull those out again and dive a little deeper into the
Arduino side of things. I'll continue learning the C language also and move
up toward teensy or STM32 once I understand all of that better. I think the
main point of me posting this question originally is that I would like to
learn more about programming for eurorack. I know I need to start at the
beginning with the absolute basics. What I do not want to do is spend time
learning C and then find out I should have been learning Java, Python, C#,
or something else (essentially just wasting my time). I think I know the
direction I should head in now.

On Fri, Dec 4, 2020 at 1:26 PM Jason Proctor <jason at redfish.net> wrote:

> Emilie (not Emile, oops, sorry) is an expert at organising her projects.
> Admittedly I've been dealing with code for a long time, but I found the
> Braids code base straightforward to navigate.
>
> Seriously, if you're at the level where you are asking about C pointer and
> address operator syntax, then I would advise starting with a Euroduino.
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 4, 2020 at 10:13 AM Shawn Rakestraw <shawnrakestraw at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Jason, that's a good point about Braids. I have 5 of them....lol
>>
>> Now I feel like I should explain that. I have 1 real one and I built 4
>> Antumbra Knots, in part to try them as 4 voice polyphonic oscillators with
>> an expert sleepers ES-3.
>>
>> I could easily try that out. I will admit though that the code for Braids
>> is so complicated that I don't know where to begin.
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 4, 2020 at 1:04 PM Jason Proctor <jason at redfish.net> wrote:
>>
>>> This. The Arduino is perfectly capable of doing CV based stuff - and a
>>> vanilla one could send MIDI fast enough to crash my MIDI interface.
>>>
>>> I built a 5U shell around an Arduino with MIDI and CV ins and outs
>>> (proper DAC etc) and it was my Swiss army knife for MIDI and CV processing
>>> (sometimes at the same time). I was hoping to build a standard sw/hw
>>> platform with a community development of sketches etc, but then the
>>> Euroduino came along.
>>>
>>> If you're just getting started in doing this, don't really know C yet,
>>> and have a Euro case, I would advise finding a Euroduino and exhausting its
>>> possibilities before jumping in the deep end with STM32. It's quite a
>>> forgiving environment.
>>>
>>> Another shallow curve option would be buying a Braids and selectively
>>> modifying Emile's firmware.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Dec 4, 2020 at 9:55 AM Spiros Makris <spirosmakris92 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>> STM32 has its own libraries (nicknamed "HAL" - hardware abstraction
>>>> layer) which in many ways feels like an arduino; of course the names of the
>>>> functions and the structure of the whole thing is different, but the goal
>>>> is similar.
>>>> The controllers you're probably interested in all use C/C++ so as far
>>>> as languages go, that's the most obvious (and reasonable) choice. C can be
>>>> confusing but I think most of it should be within reach for anyone with a
>>>> programming affinity.
>>>> Don't get into the library trap that many Arduino developers seem to
>>>> fall. They are nice to kickstart a project and give you an idea of how
>>>> things work but don't be fooled into thinking that you can postpone
>>>> learning the "deeper" stuff forever. Hopefully, all the stuff you need will
>>>> be out there, maintained and working well; that has rarely been the case
>>>> for me, there's always something missing and you have to fill in the blanks.
>>>> Try not to think of embedded C like you would a high-level scripting
>>>> language like python. You are not commanding obscure black boxes around and
>>>> some manager just figures it out - you need to be conscious of what you are
>>>> asking the system to do and very specific as to how it will be done.
>>>> Abstraction, objects and other such features help you manage this
>>>> complexity, but it will always be there to an extend.
>>>> Arduino (atmega328p basically) is perfectly capable of doing lots of
>>>> stuff.  It certainly can't do DSP, but that's only a small part of what
>>>> digital modules do inside our synths. Unless you really are shooting for
>>>> sound processing or generation chances are an Arduino nano will do just
>>>> fine.
>>>>
>>>> Spiros
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Dec 3, 2020 at 4:49 AM Shawn Rakestraw <
>>>> shawnrakestraw at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Please don't go into extreme detail (unless you really want to). I ask
>>>>> too many simple questions and I feel bad that everyone spends great amounts
>>>>> of time with it.
>>>>>
>>>>> I am thinking about programming ARM chips like the STM32 for something
>>>>> like Braids. I know that I will not be making my own Braids module anytime
>>>>> soon, but I would like to start thinking about the language I need to
>>>>> learn. I know the most about C++. I also realize that my question may be
>>>>> better asked as what libraries should I load / study up on.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks guys/gals
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Synth-diy mailing list
>>>>> Synth-diy at synth-diy.org
>>>>> http://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy
>>>>> Selling or trading? Use marketplace at synth-diy.org
>>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Synth-diy mailing list
>>>> Synth-diy at synth-diy.org
>>>> http://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy
>>>> Selling or trading? Use marketplace at synth-diy.org
>>>>
>>>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://synth-diy.org/pipermail/synth-diy/attachments/20201204/aa9fa4bc/attachment.htm>