Most of this stream is composed from two applications– a radio receiver and a music synthesizer/sampler. The receiver is a modified open-source WiFi “sniffer”, designed to monitor a channel of 2.4GHz WiFi. It detects and tabulates network packets by their associated MAC addresses to send messages by OSC (Open Sound Control) to the music synthesizer/sampler to trigger sound production.
The synthesizer/sampler software was developed from SuperCollider to translate the tabulated WiFi activity of my neighborhood into triggers of samplers, synthesizers and live-coded SuperCollider synthesizers.
Sound is generated from a set of 20 sampled instruments or from a 20-note set of a diatonic mode to be converted to MIDI and OSC for play on other instruments. In practice, several instances of the synthesizer software usually play the same triggers simultaneously on multiple hardware.
The client application may also function independently of WiFi triggers as a standalone, highly configurable pattern sequencer. In this case it can also be synced with the WiFi-triggered instances and Ableton to create an increasingly coherent sound from a many sources. The dense sound of this stream is less of an aesthetic choice by this author than it is a real-time test of the expanded capability of this system.
Current development has focused on the creation of visualization to aid this platform in improvisation and performance. A new GUI has been developed to provide real-time feedback of network conditions and sound distribution. Significantly, a novel pattern sequencer arose from the same framework, allowing for synchronized play with the network triggers. Current, local weather data determines the tempo of this stream, recalculated every 10 minutes. Cooler temperatures and slower wind velocities will result in slower tempos. The nights of wintry, coastal New England would seem to promise greater variations of sound.
WiFi Player (2024/10)
Sequencer (2024/10)
Future development will include the incorporation of a novel live, in-situ sampling technique and its application to live video broadcast.
Listening: The purpose of this web site is to stream a live, rolling test of iterations of the software in combination with various hardware or within new network configurations. During weekday commuting hours– 0600 – 1000 US EST and 1600 – 1800 US EST, a recognizable change of activity is usually evident. The cell phone WiFi detected from users of a local, busy roadway and a commuter train often disrupt an otherwise steady background pattern of the neighborhood networks. The simplest neighborhood patterns may be heard after 0000 ET.
Updates (i.e. live, human interaction) of this system are usually made on weekday evenings and Sundays at 2000 US ET.