Music synth using 8051

Hey,

I'm a Third Year Electronics student.
I was thinking of making a device which has the following features.

1. It should be able to access 8 different storage locations containing two sets of preloaded samples.(The samples could be mp3 or MIDI format. Essentially 4 corresponding to base notes and four to synth keyboards say)
2. The device will have 8 keys on a keypad to access these storage locations and play them through an analog speaker in real time.
3. There will be a recording line out to the device that will be compatible with a regular PC.
4. The frequencies of the key tones will be variable through a pot (for tuning purpose).
5. All of this must be restricted to micro controllers (8051) as far as possible (since i'm just beginning to get familiar with the subject. It's our first semester with Embedded systems as a subject )

I need your help. Just guide me to the links I'll need as I do not have any resources as of now. All google results so far have been inaccurate. I really need to do this project. PLEASE HELP!!!!




Cheers.