# need web cam motion to sound/midi converter

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-web-cam-motion-to-sound-midi-converter/574224>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 10, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-web-cam-motion-to-sound-midi-converter/574224 "2011-03-10T21:05:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-web-cam-motion-to-sound-midi-converter/574224/1 "2011-03-10T21:05:15Z")

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I am lookking for some software that can take the output of a webcam and use it to either generate raaw numbers (which can be fed into a MIDI driver), or some other way of converting video motion to sound. It doesn’t have to be musical, but it has to be more than a warning “ping” that something has moved on the camera.

It is for an art project I am trying to design, an installation peice in which the motions of the people viewing it become art of the ambient audio experience.

Anyone got any ideas, or do I have to get medievial on some freeware video drivers?

Regards  
Fullmetal lotus

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**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-web-cam-motion-to-sound-midi-converter/574224/2 "2011-03-11T15:16:09Z")

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If you have some programming skills, check out [OpenCV](http://opencv.willowgarage.com/wiki/). It’s a library for computer vision. It has wrappers for C, C++, and python, and has specific examples for interactive art projects.  
Good Luck.

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**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-web-cam-motion-to-sound-midi-converter/574224/3 "2011-03-12T12:57:27Z")

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[Pure Data](http://puredata.info/) seems to have the capabilities you want, and can certainly handle the algorithmic music generation side of things.

Si