TwoToneTwoTone lets you turn data into sound and music. It uses the process of sonification to let you hear data. It’s free and open source and runs 100% on the web, so you don’t need to download anything. TwoTone works on desktops, tablets and phones. It’s designed to be fast, fun and easy to use. TwoTone was originally made by Datavized Technologies with support from Google News Initiative and is now maintained by Sonify
The project was commissioned by Simon Rogers at Google, and the development process was mentored by advisor Alberto Cairo.
What is TwoTone for?
There are two areas where TwoTone adds value:
- Understanding Data - TwoTone is an introduction to a technique called “data sonification”. This just means that it turns data into music. We didn’t invent this concept, it’s been around for a while already. Our intention is to make it more accessible as a web app. If understanding the data is your goal, you may want to keep things simple and resist the urge to make too many layers or add too many effects.
- Making Music - Get creative. TwoTone is a fun and intuitive way to make your own compositions, without any prior musical or technical knowledge. The algorithm makes an audio track from one column of your data automatically and you can change the instrument, add more columns, and experiment from there until you have made something that interests you. Music you make can be exported for use in creative projects.
Advantages
Turning data into sound has advantages. Just like in the cinema, sound adds another layer to understanding. As the world gets faster and data gets bigger, sound allows for the convenience of multitasking without having to look at a screen and provides accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired.
About Sonify Sonify, Inc. is a US based company innovating at the intersection of audio, data and emerging technologies. The company provides training, production and R&D&I services to design and develop audio-first solutions for human-computer interaction. Sonify’s projects combine elements of data sonification, spatial audio, VR/AR, AI and Voice. The mission of the company is to research and test methods to better communicate data with sound.
About Google News Initiative
The Google News Initiative is Google’s effort to work with the news industry to help journalism thrive in the digital age. The GNI brings together everything Google does in collaboration with the industry—across products, partnerships, and programs—to help build a stronger future for news. It is focused on three objectives: elevate and strengthen quality journalism, evolve business models to drive sustainable growth and empower news organizations through technological innovation.
Blog Posts
Learn more about the thinking behind TwoTone from Sonify co-founder Hugh McGrory in ‘Intro to TwoTone, from Simon Rogers, Google Data Journalist & Data Editor in ‘Sonification: Make beautiful music with your data’, and project advisor Alberto Cairo in ‘Sonifying data with TwoTone’.