The Bela Gem series comprises two boards: Bela Gem Stereo and Bela Gem Multi, both designed to transform the PocketBeagle 2 single-board computer into a powerful platform for real-time audio and sensor processing. Whether you’re an engineer, maker, educator, or researcher, these open-source systems provide the tools needed to create innovative audio projects with minimal setup and configuration.

Whether you need two or ten channels, the Bela Gem family of boards bring you flexible I/O and ultra-low latency for applications from haptic feedback to hearing aids. Due to the powerful quad-core 64-bit ARM chip on the PocketBeagle 2, advanced processing power gives you real-time digital signal processing, and all the flexibility that entails for your projects.

Designed for Sonic Creativity

Bela Gem is designed from the ground up for projects where timing and feedback matter. With hard real-time performance and latency of 1 millisecond, it excels in use cases where responsiveness is critical: digital musical instruments, audio effects, haptics, assistive devices, and more. Add in high-resolution analog inputs and a generous spread of digital (GPIO) pins, and you’ve got a system ready to be the bridge between the digital and physical world.

Made for Makers, Trusted by Professionals

The Bela Gem boards are the latest evolution of Bela’s proven line of embedded audio systems, which have powered thousands of creative projects worldwide. From interactive installations and electronic instruments to wearable sound devices and consumer electronics, Bela has earned a place in the toolkits of engineers, artists, and technologists alike. See the Bela blog for extensive documentation of projects.

Backed by a decade of community-driven development, Bela comes with extensive documentation, an active user forum, and a growing library of hundreds of examples. Its tools are used not only by individual makers, but also in research labs, conservatories, and classrooms around the world, enabling hands-on learning and experimentation at every level.

Bela Gem carries this legacy forward, leveraging the increased performance of the PocketBeagle 2 to offer a next-generation platform for real-time audio and sensor-based interaction.

Bela Gem Stereo

Compact, powerful, and easily embedded, Bela Gem Stereo is ideal for engineers, artists, educators, and product designers exploring real-time audio in small, mobile formats.

• Design digital musical instruments that respond as immediately and expressively as their acoustic counterparts, thanks to sub-millisecond latency and extensive sensor connectivity.
• Custom audio effects boxes and wearable devices where low power, small size, and high-quality audio are essential.
• Hearing aids and active noise cancellation applications that depend on real-time responsiveness and robust signal processing.
• Perfect for sound art and interactive installations as it's compact, affordable, reliable, and built to bring spaces to life with responsive, high-quality audio.

Bela Gem Multi

With 10 channels of high-resolution audio I/O, including 8 DC-coupled audio outputs, alongside generous analog and digital I/O, Bela Gem Multi is made for projects that push the boundaries of multichannel sound and control.

• Develop spatial audio systems, from ambisonic soundfields to custom speaker arrays and dynamic multichannel diffusion.
• Build haptic feedback systems with precise, low-latency control over vibrotactile actuators across many channels.
• Capture the world with microphone arrays for spatial recording, beamforming, or advanced environmental sensing.
• Create immersive home entertainment systems or electric vehicle sound designs, where every sound channel needs precise, low-latency control.
• An excellent platform for Eurorack experimentation, combining multiple audio I/O with configurable AC/DC coupling, with rich analog and digital I/O for creating hardware interfaces and working with CV, gates, and triggers.

The New Bela IDE: More Power, More Insight, Easier to Use

Get started immediately with the Bela IDE, the web-based development environment at the heart of the Bela platform. It runs entirely in your browser and allows you to write code, build projects, and interact with your board in real time with no additional software needed. For programming, debugging and hardware monitoring, the IDE brings everything together into one intuitive interface.

If you’re new to Bela, this is your starting point. If you’re already familiar with our tools, you’ll be glad to know the IDE has just received its most significant upgrade yet.

• Integrated Monitoring & Debugging: Understand what your circuit and code are doing at every step. Visualize signals, generate test signals, and debug circuits with built-in tools that guide you through the creative and technical process.
• Enhanced Visualization: An advanced oscilloscope gives you the clarity and precision of a professional electronics workstation, with better resolution and an improved UI for real-time feedback, all in the browser.
• Code in Your Language of Choice: Write your projects in a range of supported open-source languages. Bela supports C++, Pure Data, SuperCollider, FAUST, Max RNBO, and Csound, letting you work in the environment that best suits your creative and technical approach.
• Elegant and Uncluttered: Integrated documentation, a clean UI, and improved autocompletion make learning the Bela IDE a breeze.

The new Bela IDE ships with every Bela Gem board, making it easier than ever to explore real-time audio, sensors, and embedded computing, whether you’re a beginner or an expert.

Features & Specifications

Bela Gem Stereo

• Dimensions: 58 x 45 mm
• Audio Inputs: 2 channels, up to 24-bit, 96 kHz (TLV320AIC3104)
• Audio Outputs: 2 channels, up to 24-bit, 96 kHz (TLV320AIC3104), headphones, differential line out
• Analog Inputs: 8 channels, 16-bit, 24 kHz (ADS8166)
• Digital GPIO: 16 (3.3 V logic)
• Connectivity: USB Type-C Device port, USB-A host port supports wifi, Bluetooth or ethernet peripherals, MIDI plug-and-play via both USB ports, I2C (via dedicated pins and a QWIIC connector)
• Power: 5 V (can be battery powered)
• Includes: baseplate, spacers, screws
• Height: 22 mm
• Compatibility: Designed exclusively for PocketBeagle 2

Bela Gem Multi

• Dimensions: 70 x 58 mm
• Audio Inputs: 10 channels total, 2 (TLV320AIC3106) + 8 (2x TLV320ADC3140) AC-coupled, up to 24-bit, 96 kHz
• Audio Outputs: 10 channels total, 2 AC-coupled (TLV320AIC3106) with headphones and differential line out + 8 DC-coupled (ES9080Q), up to 24-bit, 96 kHz
• Analog Inputs: 8 channels, 16-bit, 24 kHz (ADS8166)
• Digital GPIO: 16 (3.3 V logic)
• Connectivity: USB Type-C device port, USB-A host port supports wifi, Bluetooth or ethernet peripherals, MIDI plug-and-play via both USB ports, I2C (via dedicated pins and a QWIIC connector), LiPo battery connector
• Power: 5 V (can be battery powered)
• Includes: 2 extension boards with 4 stereo 3.5 mm jacks for all audio channels, baseplate, spacers, screws
• Height: 22 mm, 32 mm with extension boards attached
• Compatibility: Designed exclusively for PocketBeagle 2

Mechanical Assembly

Bela Gem Stereo and Multi are designed to be easy to assemble. With a modular stack-up they come with a baseplate and all hardware necessary for assembly. These short videos show how each board is physically constructed and how to attach the PocketBeagle 2.

Bela Gem Stereo

Bela Gem Multi

Comparisons

¹ Includes breakout cables for audio connections
² GPIO count assumes all analog inputs are in use
³ Specifications based on Raspberry Pi 5
⁴ Price includes Raspberry Pi 5 2GB model

Bela Gem uniquely combines the best aspects of microcontrollers and embedded Linux computers. It features best-in-class audio latency, timing precision and connectivity to sensors and electronics, while also benefiting from the processor power and flexibility of a multicore ARM Linux computer. Bela Gem also stands out for its powerful bespoke IDE, eliminating reliance on complex computer-based toolchains or fragile cloud services.

Open Source, Built to Last

Bela’s commitment to open-source hardware and software goes back nearly a decade. When you use Bela Gem, you’re joining a mature ecosystem with active development, extensive documentation, and a vibrant user community. Once the first batch of Bela Gem boards has shipped, we’ll release:

• Hardware: KiCad schematics and unrouted PCB files (CC BY-NC)
• Core Software: Released under LGPL 3.0
• IDE: Released under GPL 3.0

Need commercial licensing? That’s available too. Just get in touch. We are also available for contract development and integration support.

Support & Documentation

• Main documentation and tutorials: https://learn.bela.io
• Blog and project stories: https://blog.bela.io
• Open source design files, code and firmware: https://github.com/BelaPlatform
• Community forum: https://forum.bela.io
• Commercial license enquiries: orders@bela.io

Manufacturing Plan

Both Bela Gem systems will be manufactured through our trusted electronics production partners, with whom we’ve worked for over a decade on previous Bela projects. All assemblies are RoHS compliant, CE marked, and EMC tested. Our UK-based team performs final assembly, QA and packaging.

Fulfillment & Logistics

We will ship all orders through Crowd Supply’s logistics partner, Mouser Electronics. Boards will be packaged in custom cardboard boxes with mounting hardware and accessories. International shipping and VAT will be handled through Crowd Supply’s standard procedures.

Risks & Challenges

As with any new hardware product, there is some risk of manufacturing or supply chain delays. We’ve mitigated these risks by working only with experienced and vetted suppliers, and by using components with stable availability. Should any delay arise, we’ll communicate clearly and regularly with backers. Our team has a solid track record delivering previous Bela products on time and to spec.

Featured projects made with Bela in order of appearance: Bela Effects Pedal by Lehel Török; Halldorophone by Halldór Úlfarsson; Fósil Acústico by Santiago Reyes Villaveces and Daniel Villegas Vélez; Audio Igloo by Paul Biessmann and Benoît Maubrey; Crescente by Henrik Ferrara; The Intimate Earthquake Archive by Sissel Marie Tonn, Jonathan Reus and Marije Baalman.