It’s as a music project! We create music from plants, trees, shrubs, and living organisms. What a plant can say? The answer is in our SoundCloud‘s profile!
What sonification is?
It is defined as the use of non-speech audio to convey information or perceptualize data. Auditory perception has advantages in temporal, spatial, amplitude, and frequency resolution that open possibilities as an alternative or complement to visualization techniques. Back in time, one of the earliest experiments of sonification had been done in 1908 using a Geiger counter, invented in 1908, and it is one of the most successful applications of sonification.
Nowadays, with a tecnological evolution of technology, using apps and smart devices sonification is possible homemade. On the market, commercial devices and open source projects are available, so a passionate amateur can listen to the sound of his favorite plant, whereas a musician can go into a deeply creative process.
“The Voice of Ygg” project uses a physical programmable circuit board (Arduino) board for implementing open-source software called MIDI sprout from Electricity for Progress. Hence, the Arduino measures the tiny changes in electrical conductivity through Electrodes. Next, the data stream flows in the programmable micro controller.
Biological sounds and music creation
Ygg, the cyber plant monster (see the page for more details), detects variations in micro-currents, which are then converted into time pulses. The Arduino micro-controller translates these time pulses into MIDI notes, allowing the raw data to be recorded on an external device. Moreover, the average values can be mapped onto music scales such as Major scale, Minor scale, Pentatonic scale, and so on; 16 different scales are available. Naturally, the MIDI output can be played through apps, Synths, or post-processed in a DAW software for music creation.
The composition process treats the biological connections as new instruments, where bio-rhythms should be understood. Upon first listening, the sound could seem chaotic because plants react rapidly to external stimuli or stress. On the one hand, these patterns have intrinsic variations, but on the other hand, the patterns are cyclical. To enjoy the experience, the listener needs a reference point in the timeline. Quantization of the notes, humanization of the melodies, and the drums help to enter the secret world of Ygg, whereas instruments and sounds are inspired by descriptions, fun stories, and myths related to the specific plant.
It’s a natural consequence that the listening experience can be dual. On the one hand, the original sound is a biological variation of rhythm due to endogenous and exogenous factors, such as physical or chemical stress. On the other hand, the song created is an interpretation of the pattern.
In conclusion, Bio-Sonification opens the door to a new creative process, allowing for the exploration of the secrets of plants, trees, herbs, mushrooms, moss, mold, and living beings in general.