El Fotonium
A machine that sings with light
Pure transduction. Light becomes sound.
No software. No hidden processing. Just your hands and the photons.
El Fotonium is a musical instrument that manipulates the properties of light to synthesize sound.
Iterations.
Modular and magnetic, can be rearranged in any configuration.
Tune them to a scale, or clump them together to make more abstract soundscapes.
made with:
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Allows each module’s light to be tuned independently
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Light flicker for Pitch Control:
The receiving solar panels detect the frequency of each light’s flicker.Polarization for Volume Control:
Allows you to turn notes on and off just by changing the orientation of the emitter and/or receiver. It also means that you can control the volume of each emitter just by tilting it. -
The emitters are magnetic, which allows them to be rearranged in any spatial configuration. They can be separated to produce distinct individual notes, or clustered together to make more noisy abstract soundscapes. When the emitters are close to each other, their lights will interfere. This destructive interference works as modulation, allowing control of timbre and texture of the sound.