Electromagnetic Listening in Sound Art and Instruments

Written By Christopher Salvito

From the 60Hz hum of power lines to the digital chatter of wireless devices, our modern world generates a complex and chaotic electromagnetic soundscape that most of us never hear. But for experimental musicians and sound artists working with devices like the Chromaplane, listening electromagnetically opens up lots of new options for sonic exploration.

Artists and instrument makers have been making use of electromagnetism as a core part of their designs and practice pretty much since it has been possible to do so. Here we’d like to share some of the most common, inspiring, or noteworthy projects, devices, and artworks that touch on similar concepts to the Chromaplane.

Specialized Electromagnetic Devices

Several companies now manufacture small devices specifically for electromagnetic listening, each with unique approaches and characteristics.

LOM's Electromagnetic Devices:

  • Priezor: large loop area for high sensitivity

  • Elektrosluch 3, Elektrosluch 3+, Elektroucho Pro: portable electromagnetic listening

  • Elektrouši: simple stereo listening

SOMA Ether: Combines electromagnetic pickup with radio reception too. It hears more complex and chaotic soundscapes than a standard pickup, blending close EMF with radio transmissions.

Ascuta Electromagnetic Waves Listener: available as a DIY kit, it combines both radio and magnetic field detection/listening like SOMA Ether, but you can switch between the sources (radio/near-field EMF).

Electromagnetism & Strings

Putting a string into vibration through the use of electromagnetism is a common implementation in a few instruments out there. See for example:

Electromagnetism & Inductors

Using the standard electronic component called an “inductor", hooked up to the appropriate amplifier, you can sniff electromagnetic fields! See for example:

Electromagnetism & Magnets

Permanent magnets and magnetometers on their own are magic! See how they are used:

Electromagnetism & Motors

Exploring the electromagnetic/electromechanical properties of DC motors, these instruments listen using pickups:

Electromagnetism & Coils

Coils, loops and spirals of wire implemented through a variety of materials (speaker wire, copper tape, enamelled copper wire) are one way of taking advantage of induction; often they work also as radio antennas:

  • Speaker-instruments by Jenny Gräf Sheppard

  • Loops and Fields by Joyce Hinterding

  • Remote Me by Jasna Veličković

  • Antenna by Floris Vanhoof

  • Thermofrunzus by Ioana Vreme Moser

  • Chants Magnétiques by Claire Williams

  • Chijikinkutsu by Nelo Akamatsu

  • Vibrant Matter by Passepartout Duo

  • Magnetic Cello by Ben Sollee

  • SKALA by Signe Lidén

  • Pupitre d´espace by Pierre Schaeffer

    cit: In 1951, during the first performance of Symphonie pour un homme seul, composed by Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry (1927-), the first spatialization control system, called pupitre d'espace, was used. The system consisted of two circular electromagnetic coils arranged perpendicularly and controlled in real time from the stage by a performer who, by moving a coil in his hand, could control the intensity and location of the sounds, generating a stereophonic effect from several monophonic sounds recorded on discs. The concept of the device was to allow control of the sounds during the performance, creating, in addition to the spatialization effect, a performance concomitant with the sound experience. In this sense, the artist remains not only the creator of the sound piece, but also of its sound spatialization. The difference is that the latter is not fixed, but rather varies with each execution, since it was not a system that recorded the choices of sound movement in space.

Electromagnetic Actuators

You can also use the coils as actuators, which allow you to transform electrical energy into mechanical motion:

Electromagnetism & Textiles

You can implement spirals and coils also through more flexible conductive threads - see for example:

Magnetism & Hall Sensors

Hall sensors are incredibly versatile because they can detect magnetic fields without physical contact. They're used in proximity sensors, speed sensors, current sensors and much more. See implementations such as:

And More!

Finally, there are a few other less categorizable projects which utilize different forms of electromagnetism:

Christopher Salvito
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