This guide shows you how to build your own soundboard. Soundboards are commonly used for sound effects or to select various pieces of dialog on command, though this one features a set of open-source holiday audio clips for bountiful fun and mischief this holiday season.

This project uses the NeoTrellis M4 to create a soundboard capable of playing any of 32 audio clips when the corresponding button is pressed. Sounds are able to seamlessly interrupt one another, so you can press as messily as you like and this soundboard will keep up with you. 

About the NeoTrellis M4

The NeoTrellis M4 is an all-in-one Audio board, ready to become your next synth, soundboard, drum machine, keyboard, or any other invention you'd like to adapt it for. It’s powered by the SAMD51, a Cortex M4 core running at 120 MHz, featuring a roomy 512KB of flash and 192KB of SRAM. A separate flash chip provides a full 8MB of space for files and audio clips.

On the front side is a 4x8 grid of elastomer button pads with a NeoPixel nestled in the center of each one. You can read any/all button presses simultaneously thanks to the fully diode'd matrix, and also set each button color to any of 24-bit colors.

Parts

Pick how you would like your sound output:

Or if you have something that takes audio in, you might consider this cable:

For on the go power with headphones:

or for use with speakers: