Programmed in Pure Data (Pd) and GEM, Flow Rate has been designed to calculate flow rate and produce an audio-visual representation of the measurements collected at a Flow Rate Event – a field studies task to gather first-hand data from the Pent stream.
Using a formula, where pitch is equal to 0.1m (10cm) per octave beginning on the musical note C3 (130.81Hz) at 0.0m, we can calculate a frequency (F) for the flow rate (X):
F = ((Xm * 10) x 130.81) + 130.81)
In the example shown, flow rate is indicated by the maximum size of the yellow cube and the pitch of sound that accompanies it. The relative values of the green and red cubes are 0.06m3 (G3) and 0.1m3 (C4 / 261.63Hz) respectively and are sounded, in sequence with the calculated flow rate, to provide a sense of scale.
Participants are invited to continue to contribute to the work by performing the Flow Rate Event and sending their data.