Synthon: The Dynamic Python Synthesizer 🎹🎶

Synthon transforms your MIDI inputs into a symphony of synthesized sounds, all powered by Python. Dive into a world where digital audio meets creativity, with a synthesizer that's as versatile as it is powerful. Whether you're a musician, a hobbyist, or an audio enthusiast, Synthon offers an immersive experience in sound synthesis.

Key Highlights

• 🎚️ Customizable Timbre: Craft your unique sound with adjustable ADSR envelopes, vibrato, tremolo, and harmonics.
• 🎧 Real-Time MIDI Support: Connect any MIDI device and turn keystrokes into music.
• 🔊 Robust Output Pipeline: Direct your audio masterpiece to speakers or record it seamlessly.
• 🛠️ Fine-Tune Your Experience: Full control over sample rate, chunk size, and volume, all through an intuitive command-line interface.
• 📁 Template-Based Configuration: Easily set up and reuse configurations with JSON templates.
• 📁 Save Your Creations: Output your audio directly to a file for easy sharing and editing.

Features

• Output Pipeline: Direct audio output to speakers or save it to a file.
• Synthesizer: High-quality sound generation with adjustable sample rate and chunk size.
• MIDI Compatibility: Use any MIDI input device to control the synthesizer.
• Customizable Timbre: Fine-tune the sound with adjustable ADSR envelope, vibrato, tremolo, and harmonics.
• Template-Based Configuration: Simplify setup using customizable JSON templates for different sound configurations.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x
• MIDI input device (or use our companion project to turn your computer's keyboard into a MIDI device)

Dependencies

pip install mido sounddevice numpy

Usage

Run synthon.py with the desired arguments or use a JSON template for quick setup. For example:

python synthon.py --volume 0.5 --attack 0.01 --harmonic 2,0.5,None --harmonic 3,0.3,0.8

Or using a template:

python synthon.py --template my_config.json

Command Line Arguments

• --template: Path to a JSON template file for predefined configurations (default: 'default.json').
• --volume: Set a note's volume (default: 0.3)
• --sample_rate: Sample rate for the synthesizer (default: 44100)
• --chunk_size: Chunk size for the synthesizer (default: 512)
• --attack, --decay, --sustain-amplitude, --sustain, --release: Configure the ADSR envelope.
• --vibrato-rate, --vibrato-depth: Configure the rate and depth of vibrato.
• --tremolo-rate, --tremolo-depth: Configure the rate and depth of tremolo.
• --harmonic: Add a harmonic in the format "multiple,amplitude,sustain duration (None for infinite)". Repeatable for multiple harmonics.
• --disable_speaker: Disable output to speaker.
• --output: Filename for the output file.
• --port_name: MIDI input port name (default: 'IAC Driver Bus 1').

Templates

Templates are JSON files that pre-define configurations for Synthon. They can specify any command-line arguments. Place your templates in the templates directory of the project root. By default, Synthon uses default.json from this directory.

No MIDI Keyboard?

If you don't have a MIDI keyboard, check out my other project which allows you to turn your computer's keyboard into a MIDI device.