somasonic
instruments

how to play the explorer

You feed it a sound, freeze a moment of it, and travel through it. The panel around the window shapes the rest. This is the whole face, one part at a time.

the window
left · right · scan up · down · pitch the cloud is what you are shaping

The window is where you play. Drag inside it to move the crosshair: left and right scans through the frozen sound, up and down sets its pitch. The crosshair is your place and your pitch, and the cloud you see is the sound you are shaping. Let go and it keeps drifting where you left it.

freeze
freeze

Tap freeze and it catches about a second of what you feed in. That moment hangs and drifts on its own, so your hands can move on while it keeps sounding. Tap again and it dissolves back to what is coming in live.

source
drone  ·  both  ·  mic

Where the sound comes from. drone is the instrument's own deep bed, mic is your live input, both plays them together.

bed
input anchor shruti
input: how much of your source enters the sound.
depth: the toggle beside it. On, it lays a deep, dark body under your input, a shadow and a floor. Keep it for when you want weight.
anchor: a low grounding tone that holds the bottom.
shruti: a soft drone bed underneath everything.
transform
clarity

clarity: from veil to clear. Low, the sound sits muffled and close. High, it opens into a clean, wide space, the deep bed steps back, and the pool comes through pristine.

texture
bells halo waves keys
bells: fine high sparkles, dancing over the top.
halo: a soft shimmer that widens the sound.
waves: slow moving air, from still to a swell.
keys: the key it all rests in, shown as a note. It stays on A=432, so it plays in tune with a crystal bowl.
movement
pace rhythm tempo
journey: the toggle. On, the whole sound drifts and travels on its own, so you can sit back and let it move.
pace: from rest to alive, how far and fast that drift goes.
rhythm: off · pulse · ride · euclid. A warm, organic drum underneath, chosen by the dial.
tempo: how fast that drum goes.
your own sound
source · mic

Turn source to mic and a singing bowl, your own voice, or any instrument can enter. Freeze it, scan it, and it becomes something you can travel through. Everything stays on 432.

enter the explorer →

Runs in your browser. Best with headphones. Turn the mic on to bring your own sound in.