what type of sound?

Submitted by Greg J. Smith on Mon, 2007-07-16 16:45.

meekfm in the mix

[meek FM project demo]

There is definitely no shortage of work being done in sound-image synthesis at the moment, but every now and then you see an endeavour that stands apart from the pack. One such project is Meek FM, a typographic synthesizer designed by Rob Meek and Frank Müller. Meek FM is a software interface that allows for the simultaneous development of sound and typographic visuals. The project was showcased in Berlin at Typo2007 this past May.

meekfm controller

[Meek FM controller]

I know the design is only a prototype at this point but I am eager for more information as to how the system works. I'm curious as to the stance that the developers have taken on the relationship between type and sound. Are sound libraries developed as sets as is the case in creating variants of a specific font? Typography has such a wonderful lexicon for identifying the idiosyncrasies of various alphanumeric characters, I'm keen to hear how this could be applied to sound design. My inner synesthete is captivated! Perhaps with some pestering the meek FM crew will get a video demo of their project online.

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meek speaks

Submitted by Greg J. Smith on Tue, 2007-07-17 07:40.

Just got some more info from Rob Meek: "Basically the system maps visual parameters and the movement of an imaginary pen / playhead to the parameters of an FM synthesizer. So the sound is all synthesized in real-time (no libraries) and is directly bound to the characteristics of the letter shapes. Turning the dials on the machine, the user transforms the letters - thickening, twisting, skewing, stretching and distorting them - and these changes are immediately heard. It's fun!"

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