Built in under 24 hours at the Drexel 2017 Music Hackathon, this project asks what order sounds like.

The system uses a webcam to scan a Rubik’s cube face and algorithmically generates audio based on the color configuration. A scrambled cube generates dissonant, complex waveforms; a solved cube resolves into a pure, harmonious chord.

Features

Built on first principles:

• Manual Waveform Synthesis: The audio engine generates raw 8-bit PCM audio byte-by-byte using sine functions (math.sin), played at a 16 kHz sample rate.
• Algorithmic Harmony: Colors are mapped to musical intervals. The “center” color establishes the root note (Tonic), while the surrounding “cubies” determine the chord structure and melody using equal temperament frequency calculations ($f = f_0 \cdot 2^{n/12}$).

Usage

The application runs via a Python script, requiring a webcam to scan the Rubik’s cube.

Retrospective

• The “Hack”: The computer vision relied on hardcoded pixel coordinates and raw OS shell calls, classic “glue code” behavior typical of hackathons.
• The Lesson: While brittle, the project successfully demonstrated how to bridge the gap between physical entropy and digital signal processing using fundamental programming concepts.

Related Content

• Video Demonstration

This is a project I worked on with Emmanuel Espino and Jason Zogheb for the Drexel 2017 Music Hackathon at the ExCITe Center. The Rubik’s Cube Player uses a webcam to capture images of a Rubik’s cube face and converts the color patterns into musical pitches.

The interesting part is that the more solved a cube face is, the more harmonious the generated melody sounds. We built this in less than 24 hours using Python, computer vision libraries, and audio synthesis techniques.

Technical Details

• Computer Vision: Uses webcam capture and image processing to identify cube colors
• Audio Generation: Converts color patterns to musical pitches and waveforms
• Real-time Processing: Live analysis and audio playback
• Harmony Algorithm: More solved faces produce more consonant musical intervals

Links

• GitHub Repository: Rubik’s Player
• Project Page: Rubik’s Cube Player
• Contributors: Emmanuel Espino, Jason Zogheb, and myself

This is an audio reactive music video for “Internal Reflection” by Section 31 - Tech. The visuals were generated using code that responds to audio information in real-time, making it an audio visualization video.

This video was created using Processing, a flexible software sketchbook and language for learning how to code within the context of the visual arts.

Song Credit

• Artist: Section 31 - Tech
• Track: Internal Reflection
• Source: OpenGameArt

This is a music video for “The Secrecy in Dreaming,” another experimental electronic track I made under the name Youthful Notion. Like the other videos from this project, it uses basic audio visualization in Unity3D.

This was also part of The Edge of Waking EP from 2015.

Stream & Purchase

• Apple Music: The Edge of Waking EP
• Spotify: The Edge of Waking EP

This is a music video for “In the Grass By a Lake,” another experimental electronic track I made under the name Youthful Notion. Like the other videos from this project, it uses basic audio visualization in Unity3D.

This was also part of The Edge of Waking EP from 2015.

Stream & Purchase

• Apple Music: The Edge of Waking EP
• Spotify: The Edge of Waking EP

This is a music video for “False Idols,” another experimental electronic track I made under the name Youthful Notion. Like the other videos from this project, it uses basic audio visualization in Unity3D.

This was also part of The Edge of Waking EP from 2015.

Stream & Purchase

• Apple Music: The Edge of Waking EP
• Spotify: The Edge of Waking EP

This is a music video for “False Gods,” an experimental electronic track I made under the name Youthful Notion. The video uses some basic audio visualization in Unity3D that responds to the music.

This was part of an EP called The Edge of Waking that I released back in 2015.

Stream & Purchase

• Apple Music: The Edge of Waking EP
• Spotify: The Edge of Waking EP

This is a music video for “Concavity,” another experimental electronic track I made under the name Youthful Notion. Like the other videos from this project, it uses basic audio visualization in Unity3D.

This was also part of The Edge of Waking EP from 2015.

Stream & Purchase

• Apple Music: The Edge of Waking EP
• Spotify: The Edge of Waking EP

This is a music video for “Carnal Desires (My Soul),” another experimental electronic track I made under the name Youthful Notion. Like the other videos from this project, it uses basic audio visualization in Unity3D.

This was also part of The Edge of Waking EP from 2015.

Stream & Purchase

• Apple Music: The Edge of Waking EP
• Spotify: The Edge of Waking EP

Elemental Brawl (2014) is a 2D fighting game where the elements of the periodic table come to life, built around elemental interactions and combos. The scope: 37 playable characters (each a different element), 25 stages, 30 music tracks, 40 items, 100+ achievements, and 4-player LAN support. I assembled a team of talented artists and a composer, launched a Kickstarter campaign, and built a playable demo.

Features

Each element had its own personality and fighting style based on its chemical properties:

Oxygen was a gaseous fighter, utilizing small bubbles that formed into legs for amazing speed and agility. A fun-loving character but a bit of a hot head. Get it too hyped up and it would burst into flames, scorching all its foes!

Carbon was a nonmetallic brawler with a burning passion for the art of fighting. Carbon hit hard, jumped high, and launched small fireballs at enemies. When charged with enough energy, it would pressurize itself into solid diamond and launch into the sky with atomic force.

We even had concept art for more complex characters like Iron:

Results

We launched our Kickstarter campaign on October 24, 2014, seeking $19,000 to fund the full development.

The campaign raised $1,910 from 31 backers, short of the funding goal.

The Team

I was fortunate to work with talented people:

• Noah Evans (Concept Artist/GUI Artist): A visual arts major at School of the Arts in South Carolina
• Molly Heady-Carroll (Character Animator): An Irish artist earning her MA in Game Art from HKU in the Netherlands
• Sean Pack (Composer): A versatile composer for film, TV, video games, and theater
• Bryan Moore (Stage Artist): A SCAD graduate specializing in backgrounds and environments

Retrospective (2025)

What the project produced:

• Built a playable demo from scratch
• Coordinated a remote team across multiple countries
• Created original music, art, and animations
• Ran a real crowdfunding campaign
• Learned what it takes to turn an idea into something tangible

The project taught me about project management, creative collaboration, and the gap between vision and execution. These lessons carried forward into every project since.