Work · Art & science · 2015
Sound Pictures
Still images of whole songs: their frequency spectra mapped through the eye's cone sensitivities to the colours we would see if sound were light.
These images are made using a natural algorithm for turning pitch into colour, and are the visualisations of songs from a range of genres. The first image is 'simple things' by Massive Attack, for example, the second from Ott's amazing album Mir.
I designed the algorithm with human perception in mind. The sound is analysed using a Fourier transform, or FFT, which gives you the frequency spectrum of the sound over time. This spectrum is then mapped onto a visible spectrum, of light, and this spectrum is then multiplied by the sensitivities of the three light-cones in your eye. These sensitivity profiles were measured from volunteers in the 1930s, and from these sensitivities it is possible to determine what colour we would perceive, if the sound were actually light!
This technology is used to create real-time visualisations which I have used in a variety of contexts, including right now in research into interaction modalities in virtual reality environments. You can have a go now at looking at the colour of your own voice and music by downloading my free app on Android and iOS. Search "benjamin outram" in the app store, or follow the links below:
