An Arduino-compatible MP3 shield based on the VS1053B audio codec from VLSI. It decodes all major audio formats — including MP3, OGG Vorbis, AAC, WMA, FLAC, WAV, and MIDI — and can record in Ogg Vorbis, IMA ADPCM, and 16-bit PCM from the onboard microphone or line-in input.

With an SD card slot on the reverse side, you can play audio files directly from an SD card. The VS1053 also features EarSpeaker spatial processing for realistic stereo headphone playback, and can drive 30 Ω headphones without an external amplifier.

Key Features

• VS1053B Codec – Decodes MP3, OGG, AAC, WMA, FLAC, WAV, and MIDI
• Recording – Ogg Vorbis, IMA ADPCM, and 16-bit PCM from mic or line-in
• SD Card Slot – Play audio files from SD card
• Headphone Output – Drives 30 Ω headphones directly
• EarSpeaker Processing – Spatial audio simulation for headphones
• SPI Interface – All control signal lines broken out
• Onboard Regulation – AMS1117 LDOs (3.3 V and 2.8 V, up to 800 mA)

Specifications

• Audio Chip: VS1053B
• Power Supply: 5 V DC
• Crystal: 12.288 MHz
• Interface: SPI
• Inputs: Microphone, line-in
• Outputs: Headphone, stereo line-out

Supported Decode Formats

• Ogg Vorbis
• MP3 (MPEG 1 & 2 Layer III — CBR, VBR, ABR)
• MP1 & MP2 (MPEG 1 & 2 Layers I & II)
• AAC-LC (+PNS), HE-AAC v2 (Level 3, SBR + PS)
• WMA 4.0/4.1/7/8/9 (5–384 kbps)
• FLAC (up to 24-bit, 48 kHz, via software plugin)
• WAV (PCM + IMA ADPCM)
• General MIDI 1 / SP-MIDI Format 0

Supported Encode Formats

• Ogg Vorbis (via software plugin)
• IMA ADPCM
• 16-bit PCM

Resources

• Product wiki
• VS1053 datasheet (PDF)
• Arduino library and demo (ZIP)
• MP3 Shield library tutorial