CLASSIC FREE SOFTWARE
RASMUS EKMAN COAGULA
Aphex Twin’s classic Windowlicker caused quite a stir back in ’99, not least because a few frightfully obsessive fans discovered that actual images could be seen when the audio was run through spectral analysis software. As it turned out, Mr James had made use of a pricey image-to-sound application called MetaSynth. An unusual idea, to be sure, and one that would reappear in the free Windows-based Coagula, billed as an ‘Industrial Strength Tone Organ’. Using a form of additive synthesis, Coagula converts image lines and pixels into sine waves and vice-versa. Paint tools allow you to tweak the image, altering the sound as you go. Neat stuff.