BandHelper and Odroid N2

[iguana]

Just wanted to post an update on running BandHelper on a single-board computer.

In my previous post, ( http://forum.arlomedia.com/index.php/topic,2181.0.html ) I  discussed running BH under Android on a Raspberry Pi 3+. It worked, mostly, but was clearly taxing the hardware to its limit.

I kept my eyes open for other options, and two new SBCs caught my eye. First, the Raspberry Pi 4. About 3x faster than the 3+, it seemed like it might be able to get over the speed hump and have enough processing power to stay ahead.

The other new SBC is the Odroid N2. Impressive specs, roughly 7x the speed of the PI 3+. Price-wise, only slightly more than the Pi 4. And it can use eMMC memory, much faster than the Pis SD.

Since the N2 was on the market first, I ordered one. Android install was easy. I was mildly impressed that it played audio over HDMI through my monitor's speakers by default. Less impressed that it took a couple of hours to find the configuration options to turn off HDMI audio once I realized how distracting it was during live performances.

The N2 is a development board, and the expectation is that you will have a certain level of geek skills to help you figure things out. I have those skills, fortunately, and they have been useful.

For example, figuring out how to enable the MIDI framework that's been part of Android since 6.0. BH will do everything I need except MIDI clock without it. MIDI clock isn't critical, but is really nice to have.

Turns out that the MIDI framework is already in the Odroid Android kernel. But the installation lacks the requisite permissions file to allow its use. After uttering the magic incantations via adb, the framework starts working and I have MIDI clock.

Looks like I have found my solution. Have been using the N2 for several months without a glitch. So if anyone here is looking for a SBC approach to running BH, I can confirm that the N2 is a good choice. And I documented the configuration changes I needed to make, so if you also go down this route, PM me.

That being said, I'm contemplating getting a Pi 4 to have as a backup. If I do (don't hold your breath; it's a low priority) I'll post a comparison.

[arlo]

Thanks for the report!

[avdb]

Hi Iguana, I think your approach to running BH on SBC is most interesting. Did you ever get any further on the Raspberry Pi 4 or are you still using the N2?