Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board Tutorial

[@SincereSunshine]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. I started this project in november and had to give up because of my lack of know-how about assembling circuits and the lack of available info online/on YT. Your video was EXACTLY what I needed to answer all my questions! When I saw that you even used the exact same boards and tools, I let out such a happy "YEEESSS" that my boyfriend thaught, I had already made the soundbord work. The rest was finding errors with wiring and soldering - in the end it worked wunderfully. Again, thank you! Advice I can give other people who have little experience: DO solder the pins to the board. It will not work by just putting the board on the pins. Check if your amp is connected to the right poles (pos/neg). If you power your sound board via USB cable from your laptop/pc, it might not work, because the cable is also serving as a data cable for files. Powering it via USB from a power bank will work. Take breaks, but don't give up.

[@hughqelliott]

This is fantastic advice and all correct. Thanks for taking the time to write these out. If you aren't comfortable with soldering you can thread a light-gauge fishing line into the header pin holes and that'll take up just enough space in the hole to push the pin against the contact. But yes, soldering the pins will guarantee consistent contact.

[@keagankieran6569]

not sure if anyone cares but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times you can stream pretty much all of the new movies and series on instaflixxer. I've been watching with my girlfriend for the last months =)

[@justiceelias9237]

@Keagan Kieran Yea, been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself :)

[@gaojen3365]

Thank you for this video. I used it as a base to create an imitation smoke detector for a son. I completed the project last night, and I am very happy with it. I hope this will suffice that I can stop testing my 9 smoke detectors twice a day every day. or more correctly, lifting him to test each smoke detector.

[@hughqelliott]

Perfect use case!

[@joshuadarretta5170]

I've never attempted a project like this before, or anything like this ever really, and this video is extremely helpful for a beginner like me. Thank you for taking the time to make it!! Hoping I'll be able to make it out with a successful little sound machine.

[@joshuadarretta5170]

If you're a complete novice like myself, is there an easy/cheap alternative to soldering? I'm assuming that the breadboard wouldn't be a great long term solution? I'm planning on putting this inside some sort of housing unit and having it on shelf or something like that (stationary). Not using it as a prop or anything along those lines.

[@marcosrivera9598]

I have successfully gotten this to work with 3 “AAA” batteries as the power source. But my speaker seems to be very quiet. I was wondering if there’s a way to make it louder? I’m running the board with the built in amp

[@nathanalaneller]

What do I label the track if I have a laser sound & want it to rapidly play the file over every time I press the button?

[@stevebigler]

Can you show us how we can attach a headphone jack to the little amp board to connect a speaker? Thanks.

[@shineboi4210]

Can adafruit circuit boards layer two sound effects at the same time? Like can I play one long sound effect and then play another short sound effect in the middle of the long sound? (All with pressing one button of course)

[@hughqelliott]

No I am afraid they are limited one sound per intereaction.

[@chieftain3588]

when i plug the adafruit into the pc do i need to remove power from the Vin on the side of the board? i dont want to give it double voltage and blow it.

[@hughqelliott]

Yes, correct! Remove the VIN

[@starbase101]

You connected the mono amp to the sound board's L channel. What if you want to also hear the R channel, but on the same speaker? Meaning, how do you connect up both the L and R outputs of the FX board to play on one output speaker? Thanks!

[@hughqelliott]

In this care, I am using mono tracks. Equally loud in either channel. I don't believe you can put two outputs through one speaker, though. Or at least shouldn't. www.quora.com/What-happens-if-I-send-the-left-channel-and-the-right-channel-into-one-speaker-Will-I-get-twice-the-power-Will-the-left-and-right-be-mixed-together

[@bobby50371]

I am trying to reproduce a sci-fi Prop that plays a sound when a button is pressed, but does this board have outputs to trigger an LED on? I want to press a button 1 and play sound one, and energize an LED, while another LED is always on when the circuit is on.

[@hughqelliott]

You could connect into the button and use the current powering the board to also turn on an LED when clicked. And again, for the main power indicator, run current to an LED (with a resistor for both of these LEDs) from the current that powers the sound board.

[@Sudhen]

Hi can you show us how to attach a mono headphone jack to the amp and connect to the speaker? Also for GND is positive or negative wire from the power supply (red or black from the battery)?

[@hughqelliott]

There is a board with a headphone jack installed. Saves you the headache of making one yourself. GND is the negative wire (black) www.digikey.com/products/en?mpart=2220&v=1528

[@ericlehman839]

Thanks for the super-helpful video. We're making a Halloween setup and needed something like this to play creepy sounds. So much better to see someone actually build this than to consult arcane data sheets...

[@geoffbarber2860]

Hi, Have you tried triggering the sound board from a transistor, for example connecting the collector and emitter across the input trigger pin and turning the transistor fully on with its base? I need a way of triggering a sound electronically and not with a switch.

[@hughqelliott]

The only other way I've triggered a sound with this board is using Serial and a microcontroller. I don't see why a transistor wouldn't work but I haven't tried it.

[@gitmac53]

Could one add this to the output of a car alarm system to make it play any sound when alarm is triggered?

[@JessopVTS]

Could i have an ON/OFF toggle switch making a sound repeat, then a push to contact on another input to play a second sound at the same time, or at least to play the 'push to contact' sound then when released it continues looping the on/off toggle as that would be a permanent contact made ?

[@hughqelliott]

This board will only play one sound at a time. If you have a simple four pin switch, you can set it up to be HIGH on one pin when open and HIGH on another when closed (clicked). m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dYysS29xL._SL1500_.jpg

[@jordanbrige8848]

I hope you reply but when you touch the wire to ground and then a number is that oke continues loop or do those wire go somewhere else

[@hughqelliott]

if you touch the wire to ground and a numbered pin, that sets the pin to HIGH. If you continue to touch that pin, it remains HIGH so the sound will loop. You're meant to use it a switch. Connect a simple switch to the pin and ground. When you tap the switch and release it, it sets the pin to HIGH to trigger the sound, then sets the pin to LOW again.

[@jordanbrige8848]

Thank you. I plan on putting different horn sounds in my truck and small circuits aren’t my specialty. Just trying to figure out what I need so I don’t waste a bunch of money. Or if it’s even possible

[@hughqelliott]

@@jordanbrige8848 have you seen this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ7Lfn-phZqZqa8

[@DJahop]

Beginner Question: Wouldn’t you need to calculate the power supply based on the needs (and limitations) of the components, then add resistors? In my case I’ll be looking to use some form of AA battery pack, so I’m also wondering how to achieve this for the same basic project.

[@hughqelliott]

I recommend grabbing a rechargeable power bank instead of a AA battery pack. They're inexpensive and easy to use. Both the sound board and amp run on 5V so a power bank (which generally operates at 5V is an optimal choice.

[@DJahop]

hughqelliott Great! Thanks for the reply.

[@johnmealer62]

I'm having an issue I was hoping you might be able to clear up for me. I've set mine up pretty much identical to yours. I can get sound via headphones all the way until I get to the speaker tie in...at that point I only get some high chirping or buzzing sounds and nothing from hooking up a small speaker. Any idea what could be causing that?

[@noneofyourbusiness42]

does it need the amplifier? or can i it be hooked up to speakers without it? i was under the impression this was included in the chip itself or that it could operate without it

[@Golf4org]

Can it play more than 11 Files by using Serial Mode?

[@hughqelliott]

Yes! As long as you have the space on the board.

[@TFJotin]

What voltage can the power supply be? I was just connecting this all like he had it to a bread board with a 12v power supply and it stopped working one I connected it. It no longer appears on my PC.

[@hughqelliott]

@justin i suspect you burned it out. based on the schematics, it's expecting a voltage range of 2.5 - 5.5V

[@TFJotin]

@@hughqelliott well fuck. thanks. I thought that this was able to ramp it down or something. I thought I remember hearing that somewhere. Well, I'll get the replacement tomorrow and I have a 5v. Now i'll just have to adjust the resistors on another part because I have some fading LED's. With the 5v they fade differently now :/

[@hughqelliott]

@@TFJotin very sorry that happened. The amount of magic smoke I've managed to get over the last while is extraordinary. I feel that frustration.

[@TFJotin]

@@hughqelliott I appreciate your video! I learned a lot. Before last week I didn't even know how to light up an LED.

[@hughqelliott]

@@TFJotin amazing! Keep it up.

[@kylekuhn5882]

I don't know what i am doing wrong, but i have mine wired the same and when i attach the power supply the soundboard doesn't show it is getting power ans i hear a squelling sound from my speaker

[@hughqelliott]

That has all the earmarks of a connection issue. A squealing sound from the speaker is a signal problem from the board. Is it possible you reversed the power connection to the amp with the signal connection?

[@kylekuhn5882]

@@hughqelliott I switched the power supply and it worked, I was trying to power it with a 3v coin cell battery so maybe that was the issue?

[@garethtilbury7594]

What plug do you use for your power supply? What I've read on the adafruit instructions talks about what battery/power packs to use, but they don't have advise on plugs.

[@hughqelliott]

In this situation I am using a basic barrel jack www.adafruit.com/product/368 and a 5V power supply. For any execution that involves closing one of these up, I use a basic USB cable, solder the power and GND to the board and plug it in to a power bank.

[@hughqelliott]

learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-audio-fx-sound-board/powering-it

[@garethtilbury7594]

Thank you for your time good sir. I already have a 5v barrel jack, but I got confused as to what to plug into it... I googled 5v plugs and there's loads of options. I think I was just experiencing beginners nervousness. Thank you for clearing it up for me.

[@hughqelliott]

@@garethtilbury7594 oh no problem at all. glad you're sorted out.

[@jamster2400]

Does anyone know if you can also run LEDs with this ?

[@fightno9u66]

How do you power the amp if your using the micro usb power supply?!

[@hughqelliott]

There are positive and negative pads on the bottom of the soundboard. You can solder wires to those and then to the amp.

[@jessemock]

This is awesome, thank you so much for filming this! if I want to run this on my large speaker can I use a bluetooth module instead of the amp and solder it straight too the board?

[@hughqelliott]

I don’t know. Do you have a link to the module.

[@justinnaramor6050]

so essentially this thing works like a sampler in a way? Like you put audio files onto it and each audio file is assigned to it's own button? Seams pretty similar to what someone would do with a Novation Launchpad or an Akai MPC or something like that, which would often be used to essentially make a live performance out of pre-recorded music like techno or hip hop. only difference is this sound board thing is a miniature version of that. Is my observation correct?

[@hughqelliott]

I don't think you'd get the same responsiveness out of this as those devices. It's not exactly built to interrupt itself. Once you start a track, unless you explicitly cancel it, it plays through.

[@justinnaramor6050]

@@hughqelliott Right, this doesn't really seam to be designed for that kind of use as a live performance instrument. But it seams to work in a slightly similar way to those devices I mentioned; that's due to the fact that each audio file is programmed to it's own button. That's different from your typical mp3 player where you have to essentially step through a list of files to find what you want; it's not like each file literally has it's own button assigned to it where you can literally press a specific button to play a specific audio file. That's where this sound board thing seams to be a bit similar to a sampler; a sampler allows different audio files to be programmed to different buttons, meaning you can quite literally trigger the audio with a single press of a button as apposed to scrolling through a list of files to find the one to play back. I guess you could think of it as being like a specially designed telephone that would have an audio file programmed to each number key on the keypad (in fact, I wonder if anyone has even made such a telephone!). Or, it's similar to typing on a computer keyboard, where each letter of the alphabet is designated to it's own key on the keyboard, as apposed to having to step through a list of letters to find the one you want (which, in my opinion, is why I sort of hate typing on a smartphone because I can't see the letters/numbers on the screen to know which one I want so I just scrole through the list instead. That's because I'm visually impaired to the point of being completely blind). I hope this makes sence, I just wanted to make sure I propperly understood how this works.

[@hughqelliott]

@@justinnaramor6050 that does make sense. I think the responsiveness is what makes this board most problematic. It simply won't react and change "directions" as quickly as you would want.

[@justinnaramor6050]

@@hughqelliott Makes sence. Do you still use/own this sound board, out of curiocity? If so, how is it useful to you? like what do you find yourself using it for? Some people use these sound boards to scare people or to do prank calls for example:) but I suppose one might find another reason to use it.

[@hughqelliott]

@@justinnaramor6050 I use this board all the time. I made a Darth Vader breathing loop for cosplayer Ebony Warrior Studios instagram.com/p/CKksFGbD1yV/

[@inspectormadshit151]

is this polyphonic? can u play more than one track at once?

[@RobertTheHaunter]

Are you able to latch a loop and then trigger audio over that? Like looping a song and then you press a button to interrupt it with a spiel and then resume looping?

[@hughqelliott]

You could, if using a standard tactile switch, run the connection through one pair that is NC then run the second connection through another pair that is NO. In a switch like that (four legs), NC is directly across from each other. NO is on the diagonal. Then connect the NC to the loop and the NO to the spiel. When the button is pressed, it'll turn off the loop and activate the spiel. It's an interesting set up. I'll have to find some time to try a test.

[@KieranMeadows]

That's really helpful, thank you for the time putting this video together. Very best to you

[@Hollow_Fang]

would there be enough power to use a Ir Detector inplace of a button?

[@hughqelliott]

I want to think probably not. I haven't tried it, though.

[@Hollow_Fang]

@@hughqelliott dang I was hoping to set up a starwars shelf proxy sensor to set off a ogg of ship alarms and tie fighter and laser fight sounds with all my ships on stands or hanging

[@seekertosecrets]

What if you make a mistake soldering? How do you fix it?

[@thefbicube112]

Thank you. This really helped.

[@JustinePacion]

how do i get an interrupting effect, like for example when I press trigger 1 and while it is playing I may be able to interrupt it by pressing trigger 2, is this possible ?

[@tooslinamino]

All depends how you name the sample files

[@codyfornof9811]

Thank you for the video, do you know is there a way I could play the sound with a speaker that is 3.5 mm auxiliary cord?

[@jhoodied4861]

I noticed you connected the mono amplifier to the left speaker off of the FX board at first, then you changed it over to the right speaker later in the video. Was there a reason for that?

[@hughqelliott]

i might have exported the audio to be right channel only. i don't recall, sorry.

[@mt9372]

No replies from the poster of this video. Lots of legitimate questions. It would be nice if they were answered. I have one: can you explain the entire column of pins on the board that you didn’t hook up to anything? What are they for?

[@hughqelliott]

Funny thing is, I had replied to every question but when I changed my channel from a personal channel to a brand channel, my replies were removed. Any older question had been answered when it was asked, I promise. The row of numbered pins are triggers for audio. You ground that pin and any file properly named will play. Pin 1 will trigger a file starting with "T01", for instance.

[@alexs1112]

Has anyone had issues getting the board to play your own wav files? I can only play the demo sounds, when I upload my own they won't play no matter the file format and whatever I name it Txx won't work. Thanks ahead of time.

[@hughqelliott]

This might be a format issue. From Adafruit's learn post "22Khz (or lower), 16 bit PCM, mono .wav file" learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-audio-fx-sound-board/creating-audio-files

[@alexs1112]

@@hughqelliott The actual problem was the file names HAVE to be Txx.wav or .ogg. I had mine named something like T01Ducksound.wav and it wouldn't work but when I named it T01.wav is worked fine.

[@hughqelliott]

@@alexs1112 Ah right. Yeah the naming convention is important. Good catch.

[@Nightelfmusic]

Thanks need this for a flight stick on my gear shifter

[@DennisMurphey]

just what i i needed to see to think through how to use such devices on my train layout. can larger speakers create a real sound like water running as the Steam engine sits under the water tower? I have lots of places i can put sound in place. Especially my theme trains. I have Oz, Corvette, Lincoln Funeral, Snowpiercer and Cattle trains. I wish i know more about these products. I have to try to learn more. Thank You for giving this old retired engineer hope to continue to dream and develop. Well Done!

[@symmetrymuse]

Hi Sir your projects sound amazing, try the smartwav2, will add exactly what you need: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXTZmXibrbahrZY

[@NigelSequeira]

Hey Hugh! Is it possible to use a proximity censor rather than a button to trigger the fx board? i'm trying to get it to work and as a beginner i have no idea what i'm doing

[@NigelSequeira]

@@hughqelliott Thanks! I found a work around using a proximity censor to control a relay which ended up being more reliable than just the censor itself! Your comment helped frame it very well, I appreciate the help!

[@Omarbg95]

Can you play more than one song with the board or only one song at a time?

[@hughqelliott]

Each pin is tied to a sound file through a naming convention. You can have as many sound files as the board has space for. However, yes it is only capable of one sound at a time.

[@symmetrymuse]

Hi Sir this adafruit board can't trigger more than one at time, but the smartwav2 can play up to 14 at the time: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXTZmXibrbahrZY

[@Skyfox3d]

Thank you so much for this! It seriously helped me out a ton when setting mine up. QQ, do you have any idea why this board has stereo output when the adafruit site shows the audio files need to be "22Khz (or lower), 16 bit PCM, mono .wav file"? Have you found a way to use stereo files?

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

Does everything you demonstrate also apply to the 16 meg version of the board?

[@hughqelliott]

Yes the Pin HIGH-LOW thing is the same. Some boards have different output options. But all can be connected just like this one.

[@eliajia6608]

This is really really a helpful video for me! Thank you! Is that possible if I want to trigger the audio with a photocell? For example it will play the sound when it is dark, but turn it off when its bright.

[@eliajia6608]

Oh, I got it... I will try with Arduino. Thank you for the advice!

[@darya4243]

Does it connect to Arduino kit?

[@hughqelliott]

You can control the soundboard over serial with an Arduino, for sure.

[@chrisgallagher85]

thanks for sharing

[@buas7]

how do i get the volume up

[@hughqelliott]

It'll depend on which board you're using. There are a couple of options. First, is the sound file itself quiet? That'd be my initial check. If the sound file is of needed volume and all files are playing quietly, you can change the volume in two places. Some of the other boards have pins available for volume. www.adafruit.com/product/2133 for instance. You can see + and - pins with "Vol" between them. However, if you have the board I've linked above you can't use pins. You can adjust the output volume on the amp, though. There is a small potentiometer which you can turn with a screwdriver to change the overall volume. Hope that helps!

[@DTGuitarTech]

Thank you for sharing this. I was put off buying one because nowhere in the documentation does it say that file transfer is possible with a Mac. But you seem to be using a Mac.

[@hughqelliott]

You're very welcome. That's right on both counts, I am using a Mac and it is possible to transfer files. The sound board is seen as USB storage.

[@DTGuitarTech]

@@hughqelliott Brilliant, thank you. Now I just need to get my soldering skills up to scratch. This is the strangest project I have ever done but now, I am excited by it! Just need to figure out how to convert 12v DV to 3-5v DC that this circuit needs.

[@hughqelliott]

@@DTGuitarTech I'm watching videos right now so this may seem like I'm incredibly responsive. However, I did a video on a voltage regulator that might fit the bill for you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYO4i5-ZhtNgfMU

[@DTGuitarTech]

@@hughqelliott Ah that’s great, thanks for sharing that. I will watch that later.

[@DTGuitarTech]

@@hughqelliott This is a really interesting watch. Maybe a buck converter from 12v to 5v is better? kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZqqg6WFebB9iac

[@kanel.6326]

About how much did all this cost?

[@davidhart7330]

Hi mate, what software are you using to program the board? cheers

[@davidpadilla1212]

Hugh Elliott Hi Hugh is it basically like using a USB hard drive?

[@mollykaplanoflos]

Would that amplifier you are using be strong enough to run some computer speakers?

[@stevebigler]

Hugh?... ^ ....

[@lomzart]

hey :) Thank you for this video! I have one question, can you trigger two sounds at the same time? I want to make music sampler machine. Ty!

[@lomzart]

Thank you!

[@symmetrymuse]

Hi this adafruit board can't trigger multiple tracks, but the smartwav2 can trigger up to 14 at the same time, give a look: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXTZmXibrbahrZY

[@lomzart]

@@symmetrymuse Thank you :)

[@HS-rs3yp]

Hi Hugh, I tried making this circuit exactly as you showed in this video and it was very helpful for a novice like me. I am having some issues though that I noticed in comments that other people are having too. As soon as I connect speaker, I start hearing chirping sound which means everything is connected but I do not hear anything through speaker when I press the button. I am using 5V USB instead of batteries. On connecting terminals, active LED on FX sound board also lights up which means it is working and playing sound but all I hear is a low clicking/chirping sound. I would appreciate your help and advice. Thanks in advance.

[@HS-rs3yp]

@@hughqelliott Is that not correct? Green power LED turns on when connected to power USB and then red ACT light turned on when I connected GND and 1 or other numbers on sound board.

[@HS-rs3yp]

@@hughqelliott A clip from their sound board tutorial: "If you want to know when sound is being played, the ACT pin is LOW when audio is playing - this output also controls the red ACT LED"

[@HS-rs3yp]

@@hughqelliott I also tried the default files provided. Do you think loudspeaker can be an issue. I am using a DIY 8 ohm small speaker like yours. Will 4 ohm speaker give better voice? Or if it is only chirping sound does it need more power (batteries instead of USB)? Just thinking out loud various possibilities it any of these makes sense. Thanks

[@Duke_of_Dorktonia]

ITS WORKING!!!!!!! IT'S WORKING!!!!

[@JerryOhh]

I liked this video.. I have a request can you make content for Arduino (Leonardo that is what I have) again. So the plan looks like a USB portable speaker. Because I want to learn and apply to my DIY controller with Speaker via Arduino

[@hughqelliott]

You can connect any digital pin on your Leonardo to the needed pin on the soundboard. Declare the pin on the Arduino as an output ie, pinMode(PINNUMBER, OUTPUT); and digitalWrite(PINNUMBER, LOW); in the setup. When you want to trigger the sound, digitalWrite(PINNUMBER, HIGH); and remember to set the pin back to low afterward.

[@jimkehoe6495]

awesome, where did you get the speaker?

[@stevebigler]

Hugh... thanks for the reply below so I know you are watching us watching you... Little things... clearly you have captured a few tech morons like myself... that when camera is on point... can follow you... but when you blow past the "boring soldering" and use a single pin *@5:43 with no reference that "it was to balance the board*... it really screws us (ME) up for a huge amount of time figuring what broke off... or rather did not. Also, little dumb stuff like "insert long end of pin into breadboard" will no doubt help other dummies. Now.... I have my amp and sound board soldered... WHERE THE HELL DO WE PUT THEM? Solder into a project box? Put in our pockets loose? Come on... I said I was dumb, but so are others... don't leave us hanging. Thanks.

[@fairlaneboy66]

Shortly after 14:47 you can hear a child saying "hello?" It scared the crap outta me.

[@fairlaneboy66]

Hugh Elliott I was at a church taking down equipment at 11pm. After that I hurried up and GTFO of there.

[@seekertosecrets]

All you need is a Scooby Doo chase music track and you're set!

[@JABIR_TV01]

nice . dude

[@ian5501]

Not sure soldering on a bread board is a good idea, they do not like a lot of heat on the plastic. Use a piece of perforated board.

[@hughqelliott]

I move pretty quick while soldering but I see your point.

[@ian5501]

@@hughqelliott There are many levels of skill in the audience, so best practices please.

[@franco3584]

Great Video

[@GotScout]

Awesome... but awesomer if you adjust camera so 1/2 the stuff you sis was not out of frame...

[@Alexeif11]

Perfect.

[@alexthai4957]

I couldn't follow the tutorial because of the insanely distracting snoring sound in the background of your video.

[@hughqelliott]

English Bulldog naptime again limits the ability to learn. Sorry, Alex!

[@alexthai4957]

@@hughqelliottNo problem, just kidding. Excellent video, thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge and experience with others. Best wishes.

[@adrielpupo4116]

This is awful and so confusing

[@hughqelliott]

I'm open to suggestions. How can I make the process clearer?

[@adolfhack]

Many thanks for the tutorial, I got one problem.. When I power it via usb it works perfectly, But other wise ' batteries, arduino 5v output' I got noise and doesnt work as expected

[@mollykaplanoflos]

Would that amplifier you are using be strong enough to run some computer speakers?