Product video
What is Topograph
Topograph is a musical device. It can be explored physically and auditorily. By touching it alters music and sounds by applying effects.
Topograph does not rely on abstract interface elements like buttons, sliders, knobs, pads etc. Instead form, profile and surface already suggests what will happen with the sound on interaction. It’s functions determine the exact shape.
How to use it
For power an USB-C cable needs to be connected. Also on the base are two TRS audio jacks: On for the source input and one with the altered output. These need to be connected to respective devices.
Now the device just needs to be touched on it’s copper surfaces. These are divided in four larger areas and four small pads. The pads act as simple high / low-pass filters. On the other areas distortion, delay, reverb and pitch effects can be controlled gradually.
Design Process
At the start of the project, various possible directions were explored and evaluated. We chose to focus on linking the perception of sound with another human sense, aiming to create a more intense and intuitive experience of sound.
After conducting initial research, it became clear that linking haptics with sound offered a particularly promising focus—both because of strong existing research and the relatively straightforward integration of the two.
The first and most obvious idea was to vary a note’s pitch according to the height of the surface being touched.
However, we chose not to design the device based on our own assumptions. Instead, we relied on user research to identify and develop the connections that emerged most strongly.
To explore the relationship between haptics and sound, several users were asked to describe how specific sounds related to the materials and tactile sensations we provided. Based on these insights and the most effective shapes, we then began arranging the forms into a cohesive structure.
shape arrangement
Starting of the „arrangement phase“, we tried using an AI image generation model, but due to lack of control and consistent results, we tried out a more analog approach,
To define the sculpture’s shape, several clay models were created. Working with clay proved to be the fastest way to explore the different forms identified during the interview phase while still preserving a holistic overall vision.
After selecting the most effective shape, we recreated the model in 3D and produced a 3D print.
Once printed, it became evident that the sculpture’s surfaces—the areas linking the different “sound–haptic perception zones”—were difficult for users to distinguish both visually and through touch.
structure generation
To address this issue, we decided to retain only the essential surfaces of the sculpture and create a fine-grained structure in between—an area users would be less inclined to touch. This approach also enhanced its overall sculptural appearance.
Manifacturing
The sculpture’s structure was generated in Blender and 3D-printed with water-soluble support. It includes cable channels for the wires soldered to the touch-sensitive plates and pads wrapped in copper foil. The copper foil is not exposed directly to the environment, however; it is covered by vacuum-formed clear PET sheets, which also create the rough and wavy surface texture of the distortion and stutter pads. The base consists of a spray-painted, bent aluminum sheet. The black front and back panels of the base are also 3D-printed and house the I/O ports, sensors, and microcontroller. Finally, the base was laser-engraved with the Topograph logo.
Technical execution
All areas with copper foil are touch-sensitive. Each segment acts as a separate capacitive touch probe. Conductive objects, like a finger or hand, disturb the electric field of the copper foil. The disturbance in each segment is measured by a connected sensor in the base of the sculpture.
The built-in microcontroller, a Teensy 4.0, processes the audio signal. It also maps the sensor outputs to their respective filters and effects, applying them to the output signal.
Well, that’s the theory. In practice, reading capacitive touch signals or electric field disturbances is notoriously unreliable without constant signal calibration, which was unfortunately not feasible within the project’s timeframe.
The Teensy controller is a fine piece of hardware but sadly lacks the power for high-fidelity audio processing. The Teensy audio library also didn’t provide the effects and filters we had hoped for. Thus, the end product is not functioning as intended.
Team
