Critter & Guitari Launch Crowdfunder for Raspberry Pi Powered, Python Programmable EYESY Video Synth
Designed for use with analog or MIDI inputs, the Python-programmable EYESY brings music to colorful life on any HDMI or composite display.
Musical hardware specialist Critter & Guitari has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new video synth, designed to turn music into customizable visuals at the turn of a knob.
"The EYESY is the next step in the evolution of our video synths. Its closest relative is the ETC, but the EYESY has a lot more to offer," claims Critter & Guitari's Christopher Kucinski. "The EYESY makes it easy to create visuals from your music. Simply plug it in and start creating. But don't be fooled by the simplicity of the EYESY, there are many features and goodies hidden inside. Whether you are creating live visuals, working on a music video, or want to program your own graphics, the EYESY will become an indispensable tool."
Inside the EYESY is a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3, which includes a 1.2GHz quad-core Arm processor and 1GB of RAM. A microSD card provides storage for the customised operating system, as well as the selectable visualization modes, while video is output over HDMI or composite connections.
To actually process the audio, the EYESY comes with two options: A 3.5mm jack provides stereo line-level analog audio input; alternatively, the EYESY can take MIDI signals from a 1/8" mini jack or USB port.
The EYESY comes pre-loaded with several different modes, selected using on-board buttons and tweaked with large control knobs. Once configured, customised modes can be saved as a "scene" for future recall — then exported via a web interface. The same interface provides the ability to edit existing or create wholly new modes, using a browser-based Python integrated development environment.
The EYESY has currently passed its goal on Kickstarter with several days to go; the hardware is available to back at $295 — a $100 discount off the expected final retail price — with delivery planned for June this year. More information is available on the official campaign page.