A number of people like to move their hands in the air as if they are conducting a piece of music. SoundTracer might be the perfect app for them. It is an experimental new iOS app that allows the users to find a song within the digital library by drawing the music in the air with the phone.
Olivier Lartillot, a researcher at the University of Oslo developed the SoundTracer app. You can simply move your iPhone or iPad vertically in the air in order to use it. Move the device in a manner that replicates the rise and fall of the pitch of the introduction to the piece of music in question.
The device’s accelerometer and gyroscope are used by the app to keep track of the gestures and provides an ascending and descending audio feedback tones. An onscreen graph is generated that shows the range of movement. The graph is then compared to known pieces of music in the user’s library and the matching piece is brought up.
The app is still in the initial phases and only works with around 50 Norwegian folk songs. Their graphs were manually programmed in the app by Lartillot. However, he has developed automation algorithms that will let the future versions of the app to generate their own graphs for every piece of music in the user’s library.
You can check it out in the video below:
