Activity Contact: James Mealy  | bmealy@calpoly.edu

Non-Music Related 

RISC-V Otter Assembler & Simulator: This project entails writing an assembler/debugger and hardware simulator for the RISC-V Otter. The new semester version of the course will teach assembly language without actual hardware. This project will provide a graphical display that simulates the input and output hardware found on the Basys3 board. This is a multi-person project based on the overall scope of the project. The final result of this project will be primarily used by students in the new semester version of this course, but also can be used by current CPE 233 and CPE 333 students.

Music-Related

Automatic Guitar Tabulature Generator: Many guitar players do not read music but do know how to read guitar tabulature. Generating tabulature is a tedious process at best which means most people don’t do it which results in less tabulature being out there. This project would automatically generate tabulature as the player played the instrument. This project would require somewhat extensive digital and analog circuit design, which would mean two people. The output could be a third SP, primarily software-based.

Automatic Guitar Strummer: Many guitar players develop repetitive stress injuries caused by strumming a guitar. The project would entail developing a mechanism that “strums” the guitar. Button presses directed from the strumming hand could actuate this device. There are many possibilities and features possible from such a mechanism, particularly it gives some handicapped people the ability to play guitar.

Guitar Bowing Device: Instruments such as violin and cello are bowed; the bow is made from horsehair, which provides a constant agitation of the string. This device would provide constant agitation of string based on which string are being played. I envision this as working in two modes: a single-string mode and a multiple string mode. There are several issues to work out on this project but it should create a rather cool and versatile addition/effect to a guitar.

Music Meter Measurement: Live music always has an issue of “changing meter”. The sign of less than skilled musicians is to start a song, they change the meter once the song starts. This device would note the starting meter and finishing meter of a song. This device would also indicate how the meter is changing as the song progresses. This function would be similar to electronic tuners that indicate real-time whether a given tone is more sharp or more flat from a target tone. This project requires a modest amount of intelligence programmed into the device as it would need to detect the main beat of music from the various sub-beats in music.

Foot-Pedal Controlled Electronic Metronome: This device would have all the features of a normal metronome, but it would have the meter controlled by a foot-pedal. This would allow musicians to practice with a meter that would be changing based on user input (namely, the foot pedal). This would be a great practice aid for repetitive type practice such as learning new techniques such as alternative strumming styles.

Personal Minimalistic Metronome: This device would be a blinking LED that could be mounted on a instrument. This device would be small, battery driven, and would have a minimum of controls (in an effort to keep it small and thus mountable on an instrument). There would be no sound output associated with this device.

Programmable LEDs for Guitar Fretboard: This device would have one LED per fret and could be used to show scales or new riffs on the guitar fretboard. There is a guitar out there with these features, but the implementation is not efficient. This project would require extensive modifications of a guitar fretboard and would necessarily be MCU-based.