Ornament Sound Experiments

The 1932 film Ornament Sound Experiments, created by experimental filmmaker Oskar Fischinger, utilized the optical sound track in a very unique way. Using precise graphical icons in place of the usual waveforms in the soundtrack area of the film, a "synthesized," or "pure" sound, as Fischinger called it, resulted upon playback.

To create this track, Fischinger cut out templates for each design, then photographed them one frame at a time. When played back at 24fps (frames per second), these images create a wide variety of tonal variations – in essence, synthesized sound.

Fischinger was not alone in these sound experiments. Artists like Rudolf Pfenniger experimented with photographing “drawn sound,” and The Whitney Brothers scratched the soundtrack area of the film with various marks also also create sound, though probably not as pleasing to "see" as Fichinger’s “pure” tones.

For more information, please visit www.centerforvisualmusic.org and oskarfischinger.org.

Close-up of a sound track on Ornament Sound Experiments.

Close-up of a sound track on Ornament Sound Experiments.

Close-up of a sound track on Ornament Sound Experiments.

Close-up of a sound track on Ornament Sound Experiments.

Close-up of a sound track on Ornament Sound Experiments.