MIDI to GCODE

Play a song with a FDM 3D printer. SLA printers don't have motors, so they cannot play music.

Warning: Be ready to turn off the 3D printer in case the motor reaches the axis limit.

Usage:

python main.py ...

Args:

• -i: Input MIDI file.
• -o: Output G-code file.
• -p: Pitch multiplier.
• -l: Length of axis (currently ignored).
• -a: Axis to use e.g. "Y". Normally, the Y axis is loudest.
• -r: Axis to use for rests. The "X" and "E"xtruder axes are quietest, but some printers don't move the extruder unless it is heated.
• --home: Move to home position before playing.

Copy the gcode to the printer and print it. The gcode flavor is Marlin.

Example command:

python main.py -i a.mid -o a.gcode -a Y -r X --home

How it works:

The 3D printer moves motors, and usually makes noises. These noises are arbitrary in most prints, but if you move the motors at certain speeds, the resulting sounds may form a song.

The script computes the speeds based on a MIDI file (the song).

Future features

• Multiple simultaneous voices and timbres using all axes.
• Compute direction of move to stay roughly in the middle.