Play the New York subway like an instrument

Computers & Mobile Craft & Design Music

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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@garethb2

January 31st, 2011

This is so cool. From the Matrixsynth blog posting about “Conductor:”

Conductor turns the New York subway system into an interactive string instrument. Pulling from the MTA’s actual subway data, trains pluck at intersecting lines. The piece begins in realtime by spawning trains which departed in the last minute, then continues accelerating through a 24 hour loop. The visuals are based on Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 diagram.

[Thanks, Alberto!]

Conductor