Chaos Atlantis Excerpt www.chaosatlantis.com by Ed Wrzesien

This is an excerpt from my ongoing ambient soundscape project, www.chaosatlantis.com

Chaos Atlantis is a real-time sonification engine, a program that converts data into sound. It is currently using data generated by NOAA buoy 46059 located off the coast of Northern California. This buoy measures several variables including water temperature, air temperature, wave height, wind speed, and much more. These numbers are used to control many parameters of Chaos Atlantis. For example, wave heights control the amplitude of oscillators in a variety of contexts such as ring modulation and amplitude modulation. Dominant wave periods determine which synthesizers are used to make sound. The speed at which new sounds are created (tempo) is controlled by the wind speed. The frequency or pitch of a note is controlled by the water and/or air temperature. The many permutations of these variables create an ever changing soundscape that is both fascinating and unpredictable.