Developer Xavier Gazon shared this video demo of his Chromatic optical color sequencer – a tangible music sequencer that transforms colors into musical notes.

In the demo, Gazon plays with triad chord quantizer with random chord note order to produce variations on chosen musical scale.

The Chromatic uses a Teensy micro controller and a color/distance sensor to convert color into notes. Sequence speed can be change by potentiometer, direction by a switch and you can manually change color sequences with the finger lever along the turntable.

Other features:

• 3 MIDI controller potentiometers
• 1x slide controller that can be use as classic control or as manual triggers : 2 triggers at the extreme position and one in the middle.
• One sensor counts the white traces on the edges of the turntable to create analog and MIDI clock to sync with others instruments (modular and MIDI)
• One sensor calculates the height of the color sensor with the object to control other parameter.

Gazon notes that the sequencer is inspired by some early 20th century electronic instruments that used colors and light to create music, such as the Optophonic Piano of Vladimir Rossiné, (1916), Luminaphone from Harry Grindell Matthews & Bernard.J.Lynes (1925) and, Cellulophone’- from Pierre Toulon & Krugg Bass (1927).