ColorchordArduinoCoreEsp32s3

Demacritize. Thank you to https://github.com/cnlohr/colorchord. It’s pretty. Go star his repo and check out his YouTube channel.

first build pass Mar 6 2025 4pm

Go follow https://github.com/Charlatt :)

Current state

Currently built for esp32s3 but passes compile for esp32 and probably a lot of other boards.

there is a version for i2s PDM microphone and one for ADC input on pin 1. interrupt safe.

please contribute because it is very much a work in progress

Demo: https://youtu.be/9l3OOd5NJVg

Major improvement over esp8266 embedded is 1. 240mhz dual core vs 80mhz single core. 2. support more than 255 leds. 3. compatible with Arduino libraries and use fastled for ws2812 - so it is easy to support other addressable leds like rgb-yellow 4 color hue wheel

To do

Bug: CPU too fast - race condition for 300 ws2812 LED transmission if processing any faster than current versions

1. Overclock ws2812b led
2. Brightness equalization: at max brightness, changing color should not be schizophrenic.
3. Add real time pattern recognition and beat detection: dynamicly change how easy it is to update colors - to create a smooth wave feeling
4. Rewrite into full hue wheel form for color information. When combined with brightness equalization, we would have made the RGB-yellow/amber/warm white 4 color SK6812 version.
5. Split into 2x12 bins; do 2x audio processing; map warm colors(red yellow green) for chords <220Hz; cool colors(cyan blue purple) for chords >=220Hz.

Get started

Get vs code and install platform io, open folder of choice(downloaded from this repo above), it should auto-include all libraries so all you need is just click the -> arrow.

Tinker and post your improvements here

Ask chat for help

If you want multiple simultaneous audio outputs on windows computer with better control

Download voicemeter banana or similar audio routing tool

Set up A1 as your speaker, A2 as colorchord, and more as needed

Go to MENU -> System settings -> delay - and type in appropriate audioStreamDelay in ms.

Note to self

Don’t cook your microcontroller

Add a few strong blue or green led between ADC pin 1 and GND as overvoltage protection. If not - you will fry your micro.  

Also, Do not attempt to parallel off signal from your existing audio setup such as a speaker. If not - you will fry your micro. Always use mic or VoiceMeter windows app for audio stream duplication. If you’re set to use existing audio, the input signal must be a differential amplifier or galvanically isolated with a transformer. LED Vcc should be on a different power supply. Ideally, your micro is powered by a separate usb power adapter.

Should Read

1. it is very easy to crash because of race condition by refreshing LEDs faster than the transmission time of ws2812b led protocol - 300 leds is already maxed below 120fps(which is 16khz sampling, 1024 sample, 400Khz div clock the way it is rn). Loop and interrupts can - and must - run well above 300 fps. For that to work, we shall run wires to the middle of the led strip and drive the whole strip as 3 separate strips of 100 leds, for example. Failure looks like crazy jumping led color looping output or looping for a few seconds and get stuck and crash - even when input is constant zero. This is however easy to implement since we are already on FastLED library.

   Note this has nothing to do with CPU time. The leds bits are managed asynchronously. ESP32S3 has 8 dedicated RMTs supporting 8 strips in hardware - FASTled Library seems to have managed to make that number 16.

   Realistic max pixels supported to run 120fps is around 1000 for 8 strips or 2000 for 16 strips - if no overclock. It might have just been me but overclocking LEDs seems to kill ws2812b as well as ws2811 chips.

2. When prototyping, constantly check output with pure frequencies: https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

3. Timing for adc interrupt needs to be validated. I will setup a oscilloscope test for real world timings.

4. Right now the i2s mic version seems to have bad artifacts for unknown reasons - i.e. jumpy colors when input pure tones. Still need investigation.

5. Right now the ADC mic version seems to do best with 15-900Hz range - not right. Possible reason is any faster settings with sampling cause 300LEDs to race - solution is split strip add injection data wires.

6. Download a spectrometer and observe useful data range in the music you listen to: 100Hz to 4000Hz. Wider may actually make it worse.

7. Make it run RGB-Yellow asap.

license

Same license copied from Charles’ repo

Copyright (c) 2012-2022, Charles Lohr (CNLohr), et. al.

This license covers the core of ColorChord, but not the ESP8266 or STM32

embedded builds, for them, they have a separate license.

All major contributors have agreed to allowing ColorChord to be distributed

in either CC0, MIT-x11 or NewBSD license terms as of September, 2022.

Depending on the user’s preferences and needs.  You may feel free to copy

and use ColorChord in your project under ther terms listed below (NewBSD

license) or any of the afore-mentioned licenses.

All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without

modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

• Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this

  list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

• Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,

  this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation

  and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

• Any devices that implement ColorChord, or significant subportions have some

  indication on device or associated materials includes mention of ColorChord.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS”

AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE

IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE

DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE

FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL

DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR

SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER

CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY,

OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE

OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.