about
What is Noisecrypt?
Noisecrypt is a tool for creating a sonic space. Noisecrypt's main intention is to act as an exploratory device for creating new sounds in an age of technological pervasiveness. Interactivity is customisable, meaning people of varying ability can make use of it.
Why "Noisecrypt"?
Noisecrypt is a portmanteau of the words: noise, script and crypt.
- Noise, technologically referring to undesired information or randomness, and musically referring to the obscure form developing more mainstream acceptance.
- Script, hinting at the computer-centric creation of the sound.
- Crypt, describing the full-body immersion intended as a primary part of the experience while using/playing the instrument/tool.
Background
Creating instruments with new technology and pushing musical experiments in new directions is fun. We can utilise this enjoyment to create a positive force of focus, build a global community and encourage interactive learning.
Sustainable industrial design warns against obsolescence and consumerism surrounding commodity entertainment equipment and computer hardware and encourages the use of recycled, low power and do-it-yourself components.
There are many websites allowing people sell items they no longer want or need. It is easy to find speakers and microphones due to their abundance, often offered for free. Combined with a single-board computer, such as the Raspberry Pi, and low cost peripherals such as a USB sound card and portable power supply, we intend to remove affordability as a barrier to entry.
Community engagement
Social connectivity is improving due to the Internet. It's common for those of varying ability who are enthusiastic about technology or art to find acceptance with friendly learning and creating groups around the world who go by the name of makers. A project such as Noisecrypt is intended to leverage these communities and encourage greater involvement, by having a novel project that piques their interest.
Noisecrypt aims to introduce emerging technology such as the Internet of Things, while increasing awareness of data ownership. Most of all, we hope Noisecrypt can be a fun way for individuals and communities to create, learn and grow.
How it works
Networked computers, run by participants, livestream audio and automatically play samples of each other's livestream. One consequence is a unique form of feedback where participant's sounds are heard by other participants. The heard streams are played, combining with the ambient sounds and in turn these sounds are recording and stream to other participants. The unstructured layers of varying samples eventually return to each participant as a complex and emergent effects loop.
Future
- Structured orchestration to allow for more repeatable experiments.
- Participants adapting their scripts and building interfaces to manage various room sizes, speaker/microphone setups, additional instruments, networking and technological complexities, and desired audio forms.
- Reduction in overall implementation complexity.
- Data collection for unique machine learning projects, for example, developing models from the interference of sounds heard from different locations to synthesise positional audio.