Learn: Sonification Tools

What if you could transform raw data into music, modulation, effects, or even audio? Explore the possibilities of data sonification in this deep dive tutorial on our latest suite of Max for Live devices, Data MIDI, Data Mod, and Data FX - a finalist for the 2024 MIDI Innovation Awards. A collection of unique creative devices, Sonification Tools were designed by Ableton Certified Trainer Noah Pred to allow access to new musical ideas via real-world data sets. Just manually type or simply copy and paste raw numeric data into the text entry field of all four devices to generate corresponding MIDI patterns with Data MIDI or Dataforge, modulation sequences with Data Mod, or spectral filtration, wavefolding distortion, impulse convolution and even exported audio waveforms with Data FX. Data can be typed in manually, randomly generated, or copied and pasted from any text, website, Google Sheet, CSV, Excel file, or basically anywhere to embody a string of numbers as change over time. Then select and loop the data as you like, with the lowest data value automatically corresponding to your lowest allowed output, and the highest data point automatically corresponding to your specified upper output limit — be it note pitch, velocity, length, or modulation. Data MIDI and Data Mod allow you to trigger data at any factored or fractional metrical base rate with optional cycle reset for a wide variety of rhythmic patterns. Offset delay and swing further enhance MIDI output timing. You can also trigger data at a millisecond rate for more abstracted results, or via arbitrary note input. A variety of trigger modes allow you to engage with Data MIDI’s output in a variety of ways, all of which can be constrained via 69 scales in any key, set locally or via the included Global Hub utility. Better yet, you can expand or contract the range of data pitch, velocity, or length output in real time to dynamically express the data in highly musical ways. Data MIDI and Data Mod can also be Gated to only output MIDI above or below a certain threshold for more rhythmically complex output. Not sure what data to use? Sites like Our World In Data are a great place to start. You can also type in personally meaningful numbers — or an arbitrary string of data can also be randomized from scratch within each device to easily generate infinite sequences, patterns, and tones. A groundbreaking set of tools for artists and producers, Sonification Tools allow you to embed real-world phenomena into your creative process — and express those phenomena as uniquely as you wish, giving them a voice through your music, and inspiring newly meaningful approaches in the process. Available now exclusively at: https://manifest.audio/sonification-tools More info here: https://manifest.audio Global Hub video: https://youtu.be/41xII9jd4Ac?si=AFmIhR0elK3TOAUD X-Relay video: https://youtu.be/IAnwI8_SUmU?si=Xyu6Fz0GNpHZwSVX Note: When referenced in this video, Data Pattern is the same device now called Data MIDI. Timecodes 00:00 Introduction 01:09 Installation 02:00 Data MIDI Basic Usage 08:40 Preparing External Data 11:13 Data Gating 12:17 Trigger Modes 16:07 Play Controls 21:21 Using Multiple Concurrent Data Sets 24:27 Data Modulation 28:48 Data FX 31:27 Data Waveforms In Simpler 34:32 Data Waveforms In Wavetable 35:49 Data Sourcing