Full performance from “TargetMargin@7: November 5” featuring Nicholas Houfek’s ColorSynth.

Suzanne Farrin, ondes Martenot
Gareth Flowers, trumpet
Levy Lorenzo, percussion
Dan Lippel, guitar
Josh Modney, violin
Katinka Kleijn, cello
Nicholas Houfek, ColorSynth

ColorSynth – A Light Organ

The ColorSynth is a software interface built in Max/Msp that converts the musical pitch from an input into a specifically mapped color of light. As the musical pitch changes, so does the color of light in real time. The quantity and placement of the lights in space are flexible and the type of input can be acoustic or midi based.  The ColorSynth is a continuation of a long tradition of Light Organs that span centuries and take many forms. The mapping of colors are based on Sir Isaac Newton’s pitch to hue chart from 1704. Proof of concept has been established, but currently working on further functionality such as delays across multiple lighting fixtures and more accurate pitch response. The only constant is the mapping of pitch to lighting color, the rest is up to the artist; i.e. the placement of the lights, the inputs that are controlling the lights, the sounds the listening/viewer hear, etc.