SynthMonster is a digital synthesizer / interface exploration. The goal of SynthMonster is to create a musical interface that explores the relationship between musical creation and the physical world in an engaging way. The SynthMonster should be an exciting object of discovery, causing the user to rethink the link between an object's physical movement and sound.
Most of all it is a fun way to make noise.
In-Depth Explanation
The SynthMonster is a digital synthesizer housed in a ball of fur. It uses a gyroscope to detect its x and y tilt. This information is fed into a PIC chip that creates the music. The x-tilt control the speed of the arpeggiated sound being created, and the y-tilt affect the pitch. The SynthMonster plays random notes in the key of C in all 8 octaves.
Future Directions
- Install more sensors. (Photosensors, flex sensors, heat sensors, proximity sensors, motion sensors, and touch sensors could all be used quite effectively in enriching the experience)
- Create more complex and pleasing music. Randomly generated noise is fun for some, but I a more mature and subtle orchestration will truly engage most users.The PIC chip on its own might be a little limited for this
- Allow for user modification, such as uploading their own folder of sounds to the SynthMonster. This could be pre-recorded mp3s perhaps or maybe the midi data used to outline more sophisticated instrumentation.
- Introduce a more compelling characterization? Cross between UglyDolls and Theremin?
   
Motivations |Prior Art | Early Protoypes | Final Paper |
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