In the world of sound design and electronic music, there’s always room for experimentation and unexpected instruments. Harsh Digital Nose from Insert Piz Here is just such an instrument – bold, unpredictable, and absolutely unique. Forget about standard sine, saw, or square wave forms. This plugin invites you to dive into a world of synthesis where the source of sound becomes… ordinary images!
What is Harsh Digital Nose?
Harsh Digital Nose is an experimental instrument that transforms visual information into audio. It takes two images and uses them as the basis for generating oscillator waveforms. Essentially, you “listen” to your pictures, transformed by the plugin. It analyzes pixels and transforms them into oscillations that form sound.
The authors describe the results of mixing these image oscillators as “various horrible ways,” which immediately hints at its character – it’s an instrument for creating harsh, digital, glitchy, and noisy soundscapes. If you’re a bold experimenter, sound designer, or musician working in the genres of industrial, noise, drone, electronic music with glitch elements, or just want to add unique textures – this plugin is for you.
How does the conversion of images to sound work?
The idea is that the plugin “reads” information from the image (pixels, brightness, color) and converts it into a sequence of values for forming a waveform cycle. This is an unconventional approach, yielding extremely interesting and often unpredictable results.
Image Oscillators
- Uses two oscillators, each generating a waveform based on an image.
- You can upload your own images by dragging and dropping them.
- You can draw directly in the plugin window in real-time, creating unique waveforms “on the fly.”
- The green and red dots on the images mark the beginning and end of the oscillating segment. By changing them, you affect the timbre.
- The controls between the image windows are applied to the second image, but their action depends on the first.
- Colors “do something,” adding an element of unpredictability and mystery. Experiment with different types of images.
Third Oscillator and Modulation
Harsh Digital Nose has a third oscillator with standard waveforms. It can be modulated using image oscillators. This allows you to create complex, dynamic, and unusual timbres, where visual information influences the character of the sound, modulating other synthesis elements.
Pitch Control and MIDI
The “M” button under each pitch control allows you to enable/disable tracking of incoming MIDI notes for the oscillator. You can play on a MIDI controller, and the plugin will play the sounds of your images according to the notes played. This turns Harsh Digital Nose into a full-fledged musical instrument.
Who will appreciate Harsh Digital Nose?
This plugin is perfect for:
- Sound designers: For creating unique effects and textures.
- Experimental musicians: For those working in the genres of noise, ambient, industrial, glitch, avant-garde.
- Electronic producers: To add original elements to their tracks.
- Visual artists: For collaborations where visual art influences sound.
Harsh Digital Nose supports VST and AU on Windows (32/64 bit) and macOS. It provides a fresh look at synthesis, turning passive images into active participants in the musical process.
Conclusion
Harsh Digital Nose is a tool for exploring and expanding the boundaries of creativity. It invites you to think outside the box of traditional synthesis methods and discover how your images can “sound.” Thanks to real-time drawing, image uploading, and flexible modulation, each experiment will be unique. If you’re ready to add original, digital, and unpredictable sounds to your palette, Harsh Digital Nose is exactly what you need to try.
