scoreLight is “a laser-based synesthetic experience” and works by allowing one, two or more red lasers to trace over drawn shapes, objects, even people.

Similar to how the pickup of a record player scans the grooves in vinyl, these lasers simply traces the shape and then sound is generated based upon its movement. There’s no camera or projector involved.

It’s not only the shape of the objects being traced that affects the sound, but also their colour and texture. Abrupt changes in direction (such as a right angle) trigger discrete sounds such as percussive effects, while smoother shapes change the sound in other ways.

What’s really cool is that this is another example of the visuals enhancing the audio, rather than simply being a by-product. It’s quite mesmerising watching several laser pointers tracing around a picture or object.

It’s also possible to have the lasers “bounce” around objects or to interact with each other, and it’s a great base for collaborative music-making.

OK, some might question how musical the output is at present, but I can imagine some genres really making use of this, and what an amazing live show you could put on, maybe with audience participation?

Really, the possibilities are near endless, and to think (apart from the lasers and processing unit itself) all you need to get going is a whiteboard and a marker pen.

scoreLight (Via)

So the HARP (Harmony and Acoustic Research Project) — which would see these interesting circular desks and seating placed in inner city parks around the world — is a really cool one.

It looks as if you could have up to four people playing the instrument together at any one time (probably more knowing how people crowd around anything a bit different and interactive in a public space — see the video below for a simple prototype instrument)

Sounds could be fixed or selectable, and apparently there could even be a more global sense of collaboration by remotely connecting these instruments via satellite and sharing in vast global composition.

Practically there could be some problems, of course. There are always idiots around to vandalise stuff like this, but on the plus side, perhaps local buskers and musicians might use it in their own live performances?

Who knows? I’d love to try it out, but I don’t know where (or if) it’s being installed. Can we have one in London please?

Via