Kaleidophone
Turn light into sound.
Kaleidophone is a camera instrument for iPhone. Point it at light and it plays. What the lens sees becomes deep, dark sound that you shape with your surroundings: a lamp, a window, a flame, passing traffic.
It's inspired by optical sound instruments such as the Rare Waves OCM-2 Stereo Photophone.
What it does
Light and Motion
Play brightness and position, or switch to MOTION and play movement itself.
Ten voices
From Sub Quake and Deep Drone to Ornithopter, Descent and Corrode, each with its own colours.
Shape the lens
SIZE and SLIT turn the lens from a wide pool into a thin line.
Stereo
Two rings, one for each ear. Best on headphones.
Hold
Freeze a sound and let it play on, even with the screen locked.
Record and sync
24-bit / 48 kHz WAV recording, Ableton Link and MIDI.
Questions
What is Kaleidophone?
Kaleidophone is an iPhone app that turns the camera into a musical instrument. Brightness, position and movement inside the lens become low, textured drones and pulses.
Does Kaleidophone store or send my camera image?
No. The camera is used only as a light sensor. Images are analysed live on the phone and are never stored or sent anywhere.
Does it work with Ableton Live and MIDI?
Yes. Ableton Link keeps the tempo in sync both ways. MIDI notes set the pitch, the sustain pedal holds the sound and program changes pick the voice.
When is Kaleidophone out?
Kaleidophone is coming soon to the App Store for iPhone.
Is this the same as Wheatstone's kaleidophone?
No. Charles Wheatstone's kaleidophone from 1827 made vibrations visible as patterns of light. Kaleidophone the app works the other way round: it turns light into sound.