Watch: A musician who cannot hear has created a system to help others ‘see’ music
Notes becomes colourful LED lights ‘so you can hear the music by being able to see it.’
People with impaired hearing used to be deprived of many of the joys of music.
Now, a musician is trying to reach out to them with his unique approach, which enables people with impaired hearing to “see” sound.
Myles de Bastion, aka Misled Bayonets, is himself a hearing-impaired musician and artist from Portland, Oregon, USA, who started experimenting and playing music when he was young. Frustrated with his inability to connect to the music, he envisioned a technology which could produce lights based on the frequencies and chords played by different instruments.
He immediately started experimenting with different prototypes, until he came up with Audiolux – his visual sound system. “I’ve made it so you can hear the music by being able to see it,” he says.
The audio-based technology has a microprocessor that can analyse the sound – notes, chords and everything – and translate it into multiple LEDs on stage. The result is a stunning kaleidoscope of softly twinkling multi-coloured lights.
De Bastion’s visual sound system is part of a bigger project to translate concerts visually in real time to the hearing-impaired community. “My goal is to bring together the hearing and Deaf communities through music and art. That way we can utilise both of their perspectives and bring that to the table and show that it is possible to integrate Deaf culture and their values and experiences,” he says, adding, “Hearing or Deaf, we’re all in it together.”
Here’s de Bastion’s personal story.