Circular Rhythm Machine
A rhythm synthesizer that uses tangible pieces captured by an RGB camera to make music. Designed to forefront visually polyrhythmic patterns and interactions.
Client: Parsons School of Design
Year: 2019
Roles: Creative Technologist & Designer
Circular Rhythm Machine, 2019
A rhythm synthesizer that uses tangible pieces captured by an RGB camera to make music. Designed to forefront visually polyrhythmic patterns and interactions.
How It Works
Musicians place physical pieces on a mat printed with concentric rings. Each ring corresponds to a different sound — kick, snare, hi-hat, etc. A camera mounted overhead detects the position of each piece using blob detection (Processing). As a hand sweeps over a piece, the corresponding sound triggers. The visual display emphasizes the polyrhythmic nature of the generated music, turning rhythm into a visible, spatial pattern.
During setup, camera image contrast is adjusted for optimal blob detection under ambient light. A proof-of-concept version used plastic pegs slotted into a board, with LED rings that lit up as the performer's hand passed over each position.
Design Process
The full 13-week design process is documented in the paper linked below, covering ideation, prototyping rounds, user testing with musicians, and final implementation.
Links
Video Summary
Advisor
Harpreet Sareen