WOOD WAVE - an audiovisual Essay with the "Silhouette Eins" Synthesizer

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"This video shows my current audiovisual piece with the "Silhouette Eins" synthesizer. This is a live recorded session done on 13th january 2025. It is a "Silhouette Eins" solo piece, no overdubs or additional effects were made in the postproduction. This piece will be performed live on Sat., 18th January 2025 at "Katarkt"-Festival, Hamburg as a world premiere. It shows a wide variety of sounds and multimedial connection between pictures and sound.

More infos on Silhouette Synthesizers: http://silhouette-synthesizer.de/

Right now there is a kickstarter campaign for the forthcoming little Silhouette brother 'Silhouette Sport' online: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

Here´s the SILHOUETTE SPORT kickstarter video:" [previously posted here]

SILHOUETTE SPORT kickstarter demo - 19th december 2024

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"This video introduces the portable audiovisual synthesizer SILHOUETTE SPORT on occasion of its kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

The SILHOUETTE SPORT is the new forthcoming synthesizer made by Pit Przygodda. It is the new sprout in the SILHOUETTE synthesizer family, joining the SILHOUETTE EINS. Infos: http://silhouette-synthesizer.de/

Enjoy! Join!"



The SILHOUETTE SPORT is an innovative audiovisual synthesizer that transforms visuals and motion to sound and rhythm. The interdisciplinary approach liberates the inherent connection between various senses and actions like seeing, moving and listening. To play along these intersections wakes basic intuitions and leads to a widespread field of cross-sensual beauty, poetry and joy.

The SPORT has a camera on board, and it is portable: Ready to search and find visuals in the outside world to play with - dance like. It can also load picture and movie files. The special 'Vimpler' ('visual sampler') function closes the audiovisual circuit: Incoming audio gets transformed to a picture, ready for artistic sound resynthesis.

The SILHOUETTE SPORT is invented and build by German musician and artist Pit Przygodda, and it is the new smaller-in-size-and-prize sprout in the SILHOUETTE synthesizer family and joins the bigger SILHOUETTE EINS (2021).

Technical Features

audiovisual sound synthesis ("Silhouette Synthesis")

visually created audio waves (timbres)

visually controlled sequences

motion transfer between visuals and sound

real time action

readable visual inputs: camera, picture and movie files

"Vimpler" function: audio-to-picture-to-audio

CLICK FOR MORE »

Walk the SPORT around Superbooth24

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"In this video you can follow our new transportable audiovisual synthesizer
'SILHOUETTE SPORT' (prototype) through the floors of Superbooth 24 synth fair, Berlin. The synthesizer has an integrated camera at the front which captures live video and transforms its greysacle data live into audio. More special camera features will be implemented.
We met some friends, colleagues and artists. Please join their first reaction.
We are planning to release 'SILHOUETTE SPORT' in winter 2024/25.

Links to people and companies:

CLICK FOR MORE »

SILHOUETTE SPORT is steppin out

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"The new portable audiovisual SILHOUETTE synthesizer "SPORT" is now leaving the workshop to be presented at Superbooth synth fair 24, Berlin, booth O405. It offers mobility (batterie), light-table-option, desktop-stand-option, touchscreen, 9-encoder-on-screen-controller, flexible camera, midi.

This is a prototype, serial production begin is estimated winter 2024/25.
More infos about Silhouette Synthesizers: http://silhouette-synthesizer.de/

Superbooth booth O405: https://www.superbooth.com/en/messe-a..."

text as image as sound - Paolo Dellapiana live at Biennale Art Venice 2024

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"Italian artist Paolo Dellapiana plays an audiovisual live set at Biennale Art Venice 2024, at Studio 454. He uses his optical sound synthesizer 'Silhouette Eins' plus a small eurorack synth unit and external fx.
As visual materials, that generate the sound, he uses typographic elements, score shapes and computer grafics and plays them with the Silhouette Eins."

SILHOUETTE eins : sound of the day: Monday, 6th May, 2024.

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"The optical sound synthesizer SILHOUETTE Eins uses greyscale values for sound synthesis. In this video a "Vimple" (visual sample of an analog synthesisizer (Korg MS20) is crossfaded with a template on the lighttable, captured by the camera. The notes ate played by sequencer remote (plus some bassdrum notes).
Visit SILHOUETTE SYNTEHSIZERS on Superbooth24, Synth fair, Berlin (16. - 18.th may 2024) at booth O405. Or here: http://www.silhouette-synthesizer.de/"

SILHOUETTE eins: 7 new sounds

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"This video shows the audiovisual synthesizer 'SILHOUETTE eins' in 7 situations that push the creative use with the visual sources in new directions.
Some of the picture files where made by the internal 'Vimpler' function (visual samples made from audio samples) and some where special designed for audiovisual transformation. The transport of a movie file is jumping wildly back and forth. A mobilée swings and is building a physical audiovisual installation with SILHOUETTE eins. Fotos from templates on the lighttable were taken and mixed."

con ting n.c.

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"English:
I was coaching a workshop for filmsound at art-university Kassel, Germany.
One of the movies (by student Aly B. Landwehr) had crashed onside the camera while filming:
the transport mechanism failed. But the malfunction created something unexpected: strange shapes that pulsate on the screen.
Spontaneously I decided to remix the movie live at the final screening ceremony. It showed up new creative horizons of the Silhouette Synthesizer within the mutlimedial context.
More infos:
https://silhouettesynthesizer.cargo.s...

Deutsch:
Die kasseler Filmstudentin Aly B. Landwehr dreht einen 16mm-Analog-schwarz-weiß-Film. Beim Dreh hakt der Transport der Kamera aus, so daß die Frames verrutschen. Bei der Projektion werden verwischte, halbabstrakte Bilder sichtbar, in einem pulsierenden Rhythmus erscheinend und verschwindend. Im Seminar "Filmsound" der Kunsthochschule und des Instituts für Musik (beide Kassel) trifft Musiker und Erfinder Pit Przygodda (P. Zygota) Aly und ihren Film und läßt den Film als visuelles Material durch den von ihm erfundenen audio-visuellen Synthesizer "Silhouette eins" laufen und durch die "Silhouette-Synthese" zu rhytmischen Klängen transformieren.
Mehr infos:
https://silhouettesynthesizer.cargo.s..."

See the Przygodda label below for additional posts.

Superbooth 2023 Silhouette - Visual Synthesiser Now With Audio To Visual Sampling

video upload by sonicstate

"At Superbooth 2023, Sonicstate spoke to Pit from Silhouette about their eponymous synthesizer. Silhouette transforms grayscale data from your hand movements in front of the camera directly into audio waveforms. The blue rectangle represents the area where the grayscale data is sampled and transformed into audio. By changing the area and modulating the visual, interesting sounds and loops can be created. One unique feature of Silhouette is that it can load picture files to create interesting audio effects.

This year, Silhouette has a new feature that allows audio samples to be translated into visuals, which can then be used as a source for audio. Pit demonstrated this by sampling his old Korg MS20 audio and translating it into a visual file, which he then used to create new waveforms. Although the translation is not one-to-one, the errors that occur during translation serve as a source for creativity. Pit plans to implement this feature into the Silhouette synthesizer and close the circle from visual to audio and back.

Silhouette Visual Synthesizer Price: 3,900 Euros

https://silhouettesynthesizer.cargo.s..."

See the Przygodda label below for more.

Silhouette eins: introducing "the Vimpler"

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"Here is a quick demo of the new audio-to-visual function, which is now part of the Silhouette Synthesizer system. Herewith SIlhouette closes the circle visuals-to-audio-to-visuals.
Visit us at the Superbooth 23 synth fair, Berlin, 11th to 13th may, 2023. Booth H195."

Silhouette eins - Tracks and Trains (2023)

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"'Silhouette eins' is a synthesizer system that uses visual sources (pics, movs, cam) to create music and audiovisual works. It has been developed by Pit Przygodda from 1992 to 2023 (ongoing).
This is a jam with 3 Silhouette eins synthesizers. The visuals content deals with tracks and trains.
More Infos:
http://silhouette-synthesizer.de/"

See the Przygodda label below for additional posts.

Farewell to 3 Silhouettes

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"A live jam with 3 'Silhouette eins' synthesizers.
The next day they travel to their new owners.
"Silhouette eins" is a multimedia synthesizer system using visual sources (pics, movs and cam) to create music and audiovisual works.
It has been developed by musician and artist Pit Przygodda from 1992 to 2022 (ongoing).
Info:
http://silhouette-synthesizer.de/"

Silhouette eins - 7 sounds (08/2022)

video upload by Pit Przygodda

""SILHOUETTE eins" is a multimedia synthesizer system using visual sources (pics, movs, cam) to create music and audiovisual works by artist Pit Przygodda. This video presents 7 sound examples.
For more details visit the demo-video: [posted here, additional posts here]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv_JW...
and the website:
http://silhouette-synthesizer.de/"

Silhouette eins - dove dance - (feb. 2022)

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"'Silhouette eins' - the optical soundtrack synthesizer.
Now the development of Silhouette changes over from prototyping to production. You can order your Silhouette here: http://www.silhouette-synthesizer.de"

Also see SILHOUETTE eins - synthesizer (Demo 2021)

SILHOUETTE eins - synthesizer (Demo 2021)

video upload by Pit Przygodda

"This is my 2021 built synthesizer 'Silhouette eins'. (prototype)

It is an optical soundtrack synthesizer: Optical shapes are transformed into musical waves for audio and modulation in real time.

Infos:
http://www.silhouette-synthesizer.de

It is the successor of former prototypes (2017 - 2019).
'Silhouette eins' now extends the concept by the use of the generated waves not only for audio but also for modulation."



"VIDEOVOX is a synthesizer which transfers video-data into audio-data.
It´s a prototype, programmed under Pure-Data.
More info:
www.videovox.de Thanks,
Pit Przygodda"

See the ANS Label below for additional synths that transform images to audio.

SILHOUETTE - Visual to Analog Audio Synthesizer with Dual Flight Style Joysticks & Monitor Display

Published on Jan 2, 2019 Pit Przygodda

Kind of a modern day ANS, or Oramics. Also see Virtual ANS for iOS.

"silhouette". A video-to-audio-synthesizer by Pit Przygodda (Prototype 2018).
Infos: www.silhouette-synthesizer.de

6-voice, seperate tuning and modulation, analog-filter, FX. SILHOUETTE trains itself to become a really extraordinary sound-scape-machine!

Technique
s i l h o u e t t e is a software-based synthesizer, that creates sound by using greyscale-data chosen from a picture file.

This is done in real-time.

At the moment, it is programmed under the Pure Data programming environment.

Data-sources:
- real-time-pictures/motion-pictures (camera)
- picture-files
- motion-pictures (films)

Oscillator:
The sound is produced by transforming an area of greyscale-data into sound-data.

Windows:
You have a screen, where you see the camera-picture/picture/film you have loaded in.
You have 2 data-windows within the loaded picture to chose a visual area where you like to extract sound-data.
The 2 windows can be changed in size and position individualy and be modulated by LFO, EG, KBD-follow, audio-waveform or manually in realtime.
Their audio-output is routed anolog to their x/y-position in the picture to coordinates in a quadrophonic sound-system in the performance-room.

Silhouette
So it is possible that the outline of a silhouette is analog to your audio-waveform.
Therefor it is necessary that the silhouette-shape is strictly black and white.
This was the main idea at the beginning of this project:
That you act visually directly IN the waveform.
This is done very sensually by acting on the light-table in front of the camera.
I think about giving that technique a name: "silhouette-synthesis".

Quadrophonia
Since summer 2018 I am building a hardware. It has 2 joystick-controlled-data-windows inside the main-screen which let you move 2 audio-waves analog to their coordinates in the main-wondow inside a quadrophonic space (screen corner-left/top > speaker-front/left; screen corner-right/bottom > speaker back/right etc.).