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Arduino programming: Sound, envelopes, and interrupts

SCHOOL OF MAKING

Arduino programming:

Sound, envelopes,

and interrupts

Build a simple sound generator that allows you to control

the pitch or timbre of the sound over time

e spent the previous couple

of tutorials putting some

of our programming theory

into action, creating a

simple game where the

player flew a craft through

an ever-decreasing tunnel. In this tutorial, we’re

returning to practical theory, but we’re going to

explore some ideas that could be used to expand

a game, and generally make your programming

life easier. These ideas are going to be based on

generating sounds using something we’ve not yet

covered – interrupts.

Sound is obviously important, not just

for games, but for all kinds of different

projects. Audio feedback can replace

Graham Morrison

@degville

Graham is a veteran

Linux journalist who is

on a life-long quest to

find music in the perfect

arrangement of silicon.

Right

You can use almost

anything you have

around to generate

sound from some

input trigger with

an Arduino

W

the need for a visual element, such as a screen,

and sound can be more intuitive and accessible.

You don’t need to explain the UI of an audible alert

or alarm, for example, and if the sound is annoying

enough, it can demand your attention in ways an

on-screen notification can’t. But the best thing

about sound is that it’s incredibly cheap and easy to

implement. Even a basic Arduino with no specific