See Sound: #seeingsounds LED Piano
Created in collaboration with Piano Push Play and Lucid Design, this vintage acoustic upright piano translates pitch, harmonic timbre, and dynamics into a brilliant matrix of real-time animated LEDs.
The OMSI Science of Sound Exhibit
The front woodwork of a classic upright piano was replaced with a custom-built grid of hundreds of sound-reactive LEDs. As a pianist strikes keys, an array of sensors and pitch detection software maps acoustic frequencies to corresponding colors on the visible spectrum:
- Low Bass Notes (20Hz - 250Hz): Deep resonant reds and magentas that pulse with the percussive weight of the hammer strike.
- Mid-Range Harmonics (250Hz - 2000Hz): Vibrant violets, blues, and cyans tracing melody lines and chord movements.
- High Treble Registers (2000Hz+): Brilliant white and electric highlights shimmering across the upper matrix.
Exhibited in the main entrance lobby of the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry (OMSI) during the Guitars: Science of Sound exhibition, thousands of museum visitors of all hearing levels and ages sat down to play, watch, and feel music come alive.
Watch the #seeingsounds Piano in Action
Experience how the piano responds synchronously to live classical, jazz, and improvisational playing.
Watch on YouTube ↗Piccolo Violino: The Giant LED Violin
Another landmark acoustic-visual project engineered by CymaSpace, Piccolo Violino is an oversized playable stringed sculpture. Integrated LED strips follow bowing pressure and fretboard contact, creating swirling ribbons of light that represent the violin's expressive vibrato and glissando.
Both projects embody our central mission: that sound is an experience meant to be shared by all senses.