Critter & GuitariSynths
Pocket synth with swappable Pure Data and Faust modes and patterns on microSD
The 201 Pocket Piano is a handheld synthesizer from Critter & Guitari in an aluminium case with a keyboard, knobs, a sequencer, presets and MIDI. It has six synth engines or sampler players, called Modes, and six arpeggio and note-repeat Patterns, each a folder on its microSD card, and runs on batteries or USB-C power. Critter & Guitari now lists it in its Museum of Retired Instruments.
Connecting USB-C to a computer opens Disk Mode, where sample files and the Pattern and Mode folders on the card can be added, replaced or reordered; folders are named with a number 1 to 6 and a hyphen. Modes and Patterns are written in Pure Data and Faust, and some Patterns are plain pattern.txt files that need no programming. The README says modules follow the Orac module format, but a module from Orac needs changes to run here. The operating system is on the card as well; writing the disk image from the manual with balenaEtcher resets the unit and erases the card.
Open source software for the 201 Pocket Piano: the mother Pure Data patch, the six pattern and six synth or sampler module slots, and the C controller program that reads keys and knobs.