Lunar Jamming

September 3, 2009 1:28 PM

Moon Music: moonbell generates sounds based on lunar topography. (via)

Topographical data is from Japan's recent KAGUYA explorer.
Here's a short guide for the generator.

posted by Korou (13 comments total)

Damn lunatics in the hall.
posted by The Whelk at 1:33 PM on September 3, 2009

Sounds like NPR on a Saturday night.
posted by brain_drain at 1:37 PM on September 3, 2009 [1 favorite]

Awesome. Thanks.
posted by mrgrimm at 1:40 PM on September 3, 2009

I like this a whole lot.
posted by everichon at 1:43 PM on September 3, 2009

Wicked.
posted by Area Control at 1:55 PM on September 3, 2009

Stochastichausen
posted by kcds at 2:09 PM on September 3, 2009

I like the concept more than the actual results.
posted by shammack at 3:26 PM on September 3, 2009

kcds: actually this is pretty much up Xenakis' alley, much more so than Stockhausen. And it is not stochastic, it is generative (derived from specific data, not random or pseudo-random).
posted by idiopath at 3:39 PM on September 3, 2009

Well I was hoping this was going to be wave terrain synthesis using lunar geographic data, rather than a score for a midi style sampled instrument derived from such data, and I take back the Xenakis comparison and substitute Atlas Eclipticalis era John Cage (much less interesting, in my opinion).
posted by idiopath at 3:47 PM on September 3, 2009

idiopath: thank you for beating any possible remaining semblance of humor from my post with your exacting pedantry.
posted by kcds at 5:49 PM on September 3, 2009

Recommendation: Set the play speed to somewhere between 12 and 16, leave the preset scales at '---', give the 'Main Note' and 'Mid Note' ranges of about 80 degrees while setting their lower boundaries above 18 (?), change all the instruments to 'Harpsichord', put it in 'orbit play' mode, and voila, the Sun Ra/Cecil Taylor duo record you've never heard, or heard of.

The Moon is a Deep Cat, Dig?
posted by Minus215Cee at 6:24 PM on September 3, 2009

Also, great post.
posted by Minus215Cee at 6:25 PM on September 3, 2009

Oh, that was a joke? That frail little delicate thing? I didn't meant to trample all over it, I didn't even notice it was there, I swear.
posted by idiopath at 6:26 PM on September 3, 2009