The Raspberry Pi's Audio Problem
One of the most recurring complaints about the Raspberry Pi is the quality of its audio. While it is somewhat acceptable when extracted via HDMI, things change for the worse when using the 3.5 mm output. There are some tweaks in the operating system that improve the situation, however, all users involved in advanced audio projects suggest an external solution. That brings us to PiSound, a dedicated sound card that connects via GPIO.
This is a topic debated with some frequency on forums, such as the Raspberry Pi and RetroPie subreddits. We all agree that we cannot demand a "professional" performance from a $35 computer (or less), but its integrated audio solution is particularly weak. In those same discussions, modifications for Raspbian emerge, and include an experimental driver that is well spoken of. Even so, if you have a robust audio project in mind, all paths lead to an external sound card or a DAC.
PiSound Features and Projects
That's how we came across PiSound. Two 6.35 mm input and output connectors, two MIDI DIN-5 ports to connect (almost) anything, solid software support through SuperCollider, Pure Data, Sonic Pi, or LV2 plugins, and a quick GPIO installation will allow us to carry out a wide number of projects, from media players connected to a local network to creating instruments (for more speed they recommend PatchStorage and the use of a dedicated button), a mini recording studio, or an internet radio station. All advanced specifications can be found on the official site (link below, down at the time of writing), or on its Indiegogo campaign.
Which of course means money. Personally, I always have reservations about using Indiegogo, but the project already has a working prototype, and the next step is production. PiSound surpassed its $6,950 minimum by 275 percent, and each unit costs $89. This may seem somewhat expensive, but apparently the initial production will not exceed 300 units, and they also offer free shipping. If everything goes well, we'll see the PiSound in June.
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