Blue Marble Synthesizer: Synths in space!
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The Blue Marble Synthesizer · Source: Physical Synthesis
The Blue Marble Synthesizer web app · Source: Physical Synthesis
The Blue Marble Synthesizer Capsule · Source: Physical Synthesis
The Blue Marble Synthesizer Album · Source: Physical Synthesis
It’s a blue marble in space, generating data to control synthesizers. It can only work in zero gravity, so Physical Synthesis wants to get it launched.
Blue Marble Synthesizer
The concept is to use data generated from the measured behaviour of a marble floating in zero gravity to control synthesizer architecture. It will be launched in a capsule consisting of a pressurised CubeSat module, computer, camera, sensor array, fan, LED array, microphone and speaker. All the sensory data, audio and video will be sent back to earth and injected into a self-contained web audio synthesizer.
The Blue Marble Synthesizer Capsule · Source: Physical Synthesis
The synthesizer has a web-based interface where anyone with a link can interact with the information and explore the musical possibilities. The web application is inspired by Patatap, and so is very visual and interactive, and it blends the data from the capsule with a traditional synthesizer. It’s hoped that this will also spill over into a VST plugin where you can use the data to influence and control other third-party synths and software environments.
The Blue Marble Synthesizer web app · Source: Physical Synthesis
The Launch
Physical Synthesis is the people behind the strange and tactile Cicada Acoustic Synthesizer. For this project, it’s teamed up with Odyssey SpaceWorks to realise the reality of putting this device into a low Earth orbit. The launch is set for Wednesday, the 1st of November, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket. If it makes it, the Blue Marble Synthesizer Capsule will orbit the planet every 90 seconds.
To make this happen, Physical Synthesis is launching a Kickstarter to attract a bit of support. They need $45,000 to get the software finished and then get the device strapped to a rocket. Your contributions will, of course, snag you some goodies. This is everything from stickers to tote bags, t-shirts to hoodies and then access to the web interface and VST plugin, along with potentially owning a replica of the capsule.
What does it sound like?
At this point, I don’t think we know. I guess it depends on what you send the generated data to and what commands you’ve sent back to the capsule. The Blue Marble Synthesizer doesn’t make any sound because, as we all know – in space, no one can hear you scream. It would be useful to be able to hear what the web audio synthesizer is capable of.
There will be a Blue Marble album. It will have exclusive content from Andrew Huang, Benn Jordan, Trovarsi and MAYSUN, made using the Blue Marble synth. But it all depends on the capsule getting launched and the whole intergalactic synthesizer thing working correctly.
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Synths in space
Why put a synth in space? Physical Synthesis talks about music being a universal language and deep emotional connections that can be expanded by off-planet artistic expression. Historically, music has been a key part of the payload on exploratory spacecraft. Astronauts always manage to sneak music onboard in one form or another. Chris Hadfield famously played guitar and sang Davie Bowies’ Space Oddity while onboard the International Space Station. Space has often been seen as a unifying idea. The association with music brings together, perhaps, the pinnacle of human achievements in both art and science. Who wouldn’t support the concept of acquiring control data from an orbiting system?
It will be very interesting to see what happens when the Blue Synthesizer comes online. Will it be impressively unique or disappointingly humdrum? We’ll have to back the Kickstarter to know.
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