Converting image files to audio

[THOA]

Some years back, I was introduced to a software that basically converts image files into audio waveform. I was seriously keen on trying it out once I have got myself a new pc, but that pc didn;t happen for a very long time (long, personal story) and I eventually and completely forgot about it.

Anyone have any idea what I am talking about? I would like to know what is that type of software called, so I can basically google it further. Tried all manners of description but no luck. :?

 

[gutturalpiss]

Are you kidding?

Well, it might've been something that randomly generates noise per pixel depending on a set of predefined graphics properties. I don't see a point in that, but it sounds like random fun. I would like to try it out too.

Or, it might've been something that scans the image and determines whether or not it resembles a waveform, and then do a million loops to finally assume a real waveform and output an audio file.

Or, it might've been something that takes only special data files (sometimes a form of ASCII so it's possible to have mistaken it for ASCII image instead) - like that of spectrum analysers. See GTKWave

 

[dir]

googling 'jpeg to wav' yielded the following results

Home for My Music, Yammering, and Some Other Stuff
Download Img2Wav 1.0 - A simple tool that will help you convert JPEG to WAV. - Softpedia

 

[biopromax]

Audacity, Inc

PM me. I will teach u how.

 

[blueprintstudios]

I teach you how, get drunk first. then play an instrument that you have never played before. record it down, then run a random number of process like reverse/delay/echo/flanger etc.

jokes aside, this sounds like something which generates noise patterns like gutteralpiss said. maybe similar to that "virus art" , someone took a computer virus and the programming pattern to make digital images out of it. VirusToJPG software heh.

 

[soft]

Actually it is very possible lah. I have tried motion sensor that triggers music according to how you moves. In the same way, we can just write a little programme that scans the image and analysis the pixel and give it a property to trigger/generate some music.

Red = hi energy = mega distortation guitar + lots of crash
Blue = mid energy = piano + ride cymbal
Green = low energy = strings + triangle

The frequency of these pixal will determin the build up or slow down.

* on a side note, anyone went for George Chua's sound installation at the substation. Mindboggling.

 

[Cheez]

Yes, I recall there was such a software. It processes images and graphics, even real-time drawing and doodles into sound.

 

[gutturalpiss]

There you have it - what dir posted. Per-pixel noise. Audacity may have a plug-in for that or it can be achieved with a set of techniques. These aren't impossible, and are actually simple in programming terms, just that it's random generation. The reverse would be cool, though. Eg. normal (not random sound samples) audio -> image. Fun and science factor, mostly.

 

[Cheez]

Would the reverse be what windows media player and itunes do with those colours and patterns flying around?

 

[THOA]

I know I might sound like I am drunk when I am posting that, heh. but I am dead serious. Aphex Twin uses it for one of this tracks. Dir came closest. But the Image2Wav software won't work for me.

It's ok, though. I found EXACTLY what I was looking for. It is called a VISUAL ADDITIVE SYNTHESIS.

Googling it would pretty much show you mostly text to audio kind of stuff. However, there IS one software :

sonorous codes | atmogen - Visual Additive Synthesis

Try out the demo. Open up ANY image file and see what kind of sound it creates. I tried one with a black and white silhoutte of a guy. It gave me a really cool high frequency sweep!

The demo version is extremely limited, though. And the full software is extremely expensive :?

Thanks, guys, for your inputs. Appreciate it

Biopromax: Mind pming me how Audacity can help with that?

 

[dir]

you could have been more clear next time. anyway, aphex twin is awesome.

edit: Spectrogram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[THOA]

I apologise. But I really don't know the right term for it when I first posted. Your reply gave me the lead to the Visual Additive Synthesis part.

EDIT: Thanks for the link. I think the Coagula one is the exact software I was looking for. I remembered it being demonstrated to me years ago. Thanks!