# MP3/WAV Player with Triggerable Sound Effects



## wickedbeernut (Dec 14, 2016)

Rickey Moore originally posted this under the New AU5017 Embedded Micro SD-Card MP3/WAV Player Module thread.



Rickey Moore said:


> I'm new to this site and a beginner at this as well. I'm trying to figure out how to work this AU-5017 MP3 player. I believe I'm way in over my head. Lol. I have used this BooTunes player and I'm looking for something a little cheaper to use. What I'm trying to do is play music and then use the AU-5017 board 8 triggers to play sound effects over the music. Any help or pointers would be of great. And keep in mind, I'm green with this.


I didn't want to derail the AU-5017 thread, so I'm creating a new thread.

Hi Rickey,

I can't help with the AU-5017, however, I'd encourage you to look at some of the other inexpensive MP3 players.

BillyVanpire had good things to say about this $8 triggerable MP3 music player module,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291643523421​
on the mp3 voice module with 9 triggers thread.

I just assembled a poor man's "sound system" using $10 in parts I had on hand,

http://wickedstone.com/Halloween/Html/sound_system.htm​
It works in conjunction with any amplified speaker having an audio input port.

I happened to have a $1 four-key module on hand, however, you can buy an eight- or 16-key module for the same price. Or maybe you'd prefer a wireless remote control?

When you say, "play sound effects over the music" ... is it acceptable to stop the music, play the sound effect and then restart the music? Or do you want the music on one channel and the sound effects on a second channel? Or do you expect the player to somehow mix / blend the music and sound effects on a single channel?

wbn


----------



## Rickey Moore (Apr 3, 2017)

What I would like to do is play music that randomly picks a track to play of let's say 250 songs. As it is playing the song I can trigger a sound effect that plays over the song playing. I was hoping to have the song dampen down while the sound effect is playing. When the sound effect is over the music volume increases back to where it was before the dampen. I also came across a Tsunami Super WAV Trigger. It looks promising, but again I'm just getting started with this stuff.


----------



## wickedbeernut (Dec 14, 2016)

Rickey Moore said:


> What I would like to do is play music that randomly picks a track to play of let's say 250 songs.


Playing 250 songs in random order won't be an issue (refer to the bi-directional communication caveat below).



> As it is playing the song I can trigger a sound effect that plays over the song playing. I was hoping to have the song dampen down while the sound effect is playing. When the sound effect is over the music volume increases back to where it was before the dampen.


The best I could do with my $10 homebrew sound system given my parts on hand is add a second $3 serial MP3 player module. However, I have no means of mixing the two channels. Maybe someone can offer a few pointers in this regard.

The Arduino Uno can control the MP3 player module volume via a serial command. However, the MiniAudio library I'm using (also used with Mike North's Four Banger and OctoBanger) is not capable of monitoring for the completion of a song / sound clip. I'd need to incorporate a different library which supports bi-directional communication. Not a big deal.



> I also came across a Tsunami Super WAV Trigger. It looks promising, but again I'm just getting started with this stuff.


I agree. The Tsunami Super WAV Trigger looks very promising. Have you found it for less than $80? It's sold by SparkFun. I love SparkFun. They have tremendous step-by-step tutorials, but tend to charge top-dollar.

We can keep an eye out for Haunt Hackers new $50 (unassembled) Sound Matrix sound player. If you have a "good understanding of computers, electronics and software" and are "able to build, solder and debug on your own", this may be a viable option.

Here's a nice tutorial on using the $9 DFPLayer Mini Wave/MP-3 player with an Arduino Uno,

https://www.dfrobot.com/wiki/index.php/DFPlayer_Mini_SKU:DFR0299​
You can buy an Arduino Uno MP3 shield (no wires) for $7.

I'm sure the possibilities are endless. I'm hoping others will chime in.

I'd like to think we could come up with a fully-assembled sound system which satisfies your requirements for under $15. I'd prefer the solution not require soldering or advanced hardware / firmware skills. We'd want to minimize (or preferably eliminate) the need for wires. We don't want to require special programming cables. Ideally, we wouldn't need to install an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to download firmware. We'd want to make this sound system achievable (both in terms of cost and complexity) by as many home haunters as possible.

Of course, you're welcome / encouraged to pursue the Tsunami Super WAV Trigger. Please share your progress. This is all about having fun and developing new skills.

wbn


----------

