Transmembrane Protein 14C - Algorithm III

Transmembrane Protein 14C - Algorithm II

Transmembrane Protein 14C - Algorithm I

Major Prion Protein - Algorithm I

Examples of protein sonification algorithms using the human insulin protein.

Insulin - Algorithm III

Insulin - Algorithm II

Insulin - Algorithm I

Examples of three sonification algorithms on the Histone H$ human protein

Histone H4 Homo sapiens - Algorithm II

Histone H4 Homo sapiens - Algorithm I

Multiple sequence alignment of four sequences of Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), aligned using MUSCLE software(-gapopen 1).

GAPDH Gappy Multiple Sequence Alignment - Algorithm IV

Multiple sequence alignment of four sequences of Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), aligned using MUSCLE software(-gapopen -3).

GAPDH Compact Multiple Sequence Alignment - Algorithm IV

GAPDH Gappy Multiple Sequence Alignment - Algorithm V

GAPDH Compact Multiple Sequence Alignment - Algorithm V

Multiple sequence alignment of four sequences of insulin, aligned using MUSCLE software(-gapopen 1).

Insulin Gappy Multiple Sequence Alignment - Algorithm IV

Multiple sequence alignment of four sequences of insulin, aligned using MUSCLE software(-gapopen -3).

Insulin Compact Multiple Sequence Alignment - Algorithm IV

Insulin Compact Multiple Sequence Alignment - Algorithm V

Multiple Sequence Alignment Task from the Questionnaire used in research

Algorithm V - Questionnaire

This is being used in research into audio-only education. It hasn't been released publicly as yet.

Polymerisation - Audio-only Bioinformatics Education

This is being used for research and has not been made publicly available yet.

Gene Expression - Audio-only Bioinformatics Education

Pink Pigeons Offspring A

Pink Pigeons Offspring B

Pink Pigeons Offspring C

Fur Elise

These audio files have been algorithmically degraded by deleting soundwave data to represent biodiversity loss as recorded by the WWF's Living Planet Index (livingplanet.panda.org/en-GB/). They start off representing the year 1970 with no interference. Then, as they progress through subsequent years, data is deleted proportional to the loss in global biodiversity. Each of the pieces ends by representing the year 2018.

Nessun Dorma: Global Biodiversity Sonification by Soundwave Level Deletion

Sonnet 118: Global Biodiversity Sonification by Soundwave Level Deletion

Birdsong Recording: Global Biodiversity Sonification by Soundwave Level Deletion

Elgar's Violin Concerto: Global Biodiversity Sonification by Soundwave Level Deletion

Mother Nature: Global Biodiversity Sonification by Soundwave Level Deletion

Audio files which have been degraded at the soundwave data level to show biodiversity loss as recorded by the WWF's Living Planet Index (https://livingplanet.panda.org/en-GB/).

A collection of examples of a soundwave level deletion sonification algorithm.

Nocturne in E flat major: Global Biodiversity Sonification by Soundwave Level Deletion

Ode to Joy: Global Biodiversity Sonification by Soundwave Level Deletion

An edit of a Gregorian Chant (Agnus Dei by Chanticleer). The original sacred vocal track has gone through a granular synthesis process, whereby it is cut up into tiny sections and reordered. This has then been layered on top of the original. The two tracks pan around the head of the listener, creating an immersive and playful interweaving of the algorithmic digital resampling and the wonderfully antidigital monastic voices. This effect is best experienced through headphones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_chant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granular_synthesis

Granular resynthesis of the chant was completed on the raw musical data file taken from the .wav file of the original recording. The .raw file was created using Audacity. The resampling was completed using Java code in the Processing environment using the following code shared by Tsulej (https://github.com/tsulej/GenerateMe/blob/master/granularresynth/granularresynth.pde). The resultant piece was then created in AbletonLive

Agnus Daze

Agnus Daze - Gregorian Chant (with granular resynthesis)

Sonification of the Human ESX1 protein(1) played by a solo synthesizer. This protein demonstrates lovely repeated patterns, especially towards the end of the piece. This protein is used in the human body in spermatogenesis(2).

This piece was debuted at Harmonic Function, at 50 George Square, Edinburgh on 05/03/20.

The amino acids of the protein have been ordered by their hydrophobicity(3) and mapped to pitch, with the most hydrophobic to the lowest pitch. This mapping was done using command line Perl scripting of the .fasta format files from the UniProtKB(1) protein database. The output numerical list was then processed using MaxMSP to create MIDI data, adding in variety in velocities and onset times for aesthetic purposes. The sound synthesis of the MIDI data was performed in Ableton Live 10.


(1)  https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q8N693
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermatogenesis
(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrophobe

ESX1 - Human Protein Sonification

Sonification of the Human Huntingtin Protein, a protein that is essential for brain function (1). It is best known for its role in Huntington’s disease, an incurable and severe degenerative condition (2).

The Huntingtin protein contains a repetition of the amino acid glutamine. The number of repeats varies between individuals. In those with Huntington’s disease, mutation causes the number of repeats present in the protein to increase over time. This creates malfunctioning versions of the protein, which manifest as diverse and severe symptoms such as depression, personality changes, and breathing problems. The condition is degenerative, and the condition worsens as the number of repeats increases. 

The sonification focusses on the first 250 amino acids of the large Huntingtin protein (3,124 amino acids). The sonification restarts at the beginning of the protein regularly, each time it restarts is indicated by the clear low sound. The protein sonification approach of mapping hydrophobicity to pitch is the same used in the ESX1 piece, where it is easier to understand how the protein has been sonified (3).

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntingtin
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntington%27s_disease
(3) https://soundcloud.com/edstonification/esx1-human-protein

Huntingtin (Human) - Protein Sonification

Hi, I'm Eddie. I use computer coding to make music. I do this for both scientific research and for artistic purposes. Sometimes I do both at the same time, creating art to showcase science. My 'day job' is as a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh researching ways to represent biological data with sound. If you're interested in science and sound feel free to get in touch - I'd love to hear your thoughts, or even better, your music.

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