Introduction: Pi Digits MIDI Sonification With Visualization

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This project transforms the digits of Pi into a musical composition using MIDI. Each digit is mapped to a specific note, and additional harmonies are introduced to create a rich soundscape. The project also includes a visualization of the Pi digits and their corresponding musical notes, providing an engaging way to explore the beauty of mathematics through music.

Supplies

Tools/Materials:

  1. Python programming environment
  2. Libraries: mido, matplotlib

Step 1: Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Setup and Libraries

  1. Title: "Setting Up the Environment"
  2. Description:
  3. Begin by setting up your Python environment. Ensure you have Python installed, and then install the necessary libraries using pip:

pip install mido matplotlib

  1. These libraries will allow to create and manipulate MIDI files and generate visualizations.

Step 2: Generating Pi Digits

  1. Title: "Generating Pi Digits"
  2. Description:
  3. Use Python to generate the digits of Pi. We'll use the first 150 digits for this project.
  4. This code extracts the digits of Pi and stores them in a list for further processing.

Step 3: Creating the MIDI File

  1. Title: "Creating the MIDI File"
  2. Description:
  3. Create a new MIDI file and add a track for the musical notes.
  4. Set the instrument to Acoustic Grand Piano and the tempo to 120 BPM.
  5. Add metadata for better identification.

Step 4: Mapping Pi Digits to Notes

  1. Title: "Mapping Pi Digits to Musical Notes"
  2. Description:
  3. Map each digit of Pi to a MIDI note and add it to the track.
  4. This code maps each digit to a note, adds dynamic velocity, and introduces harmony every third note.

Step 5: Saving the MIDI File

  1. Title: "Saving the MIDI File"
  2. Description:
  3. Save the MIDI file to your desired location.
  4. This file can be opened with any MIDI player to listen to the sonification of `Pi`.

Step 6: Visualizing the Data

  1. Title: "Visualizing the Pi Digits and Notes"
  2. Description:
  3. Create a visualization of the Pi digits and their corresponding notes using Matplotlib.
  4. This visualization helps illustrate the relationship between the digits of Pi and the musical notes they represent.

Attachments

Step 2: References

Designed with the assistance of Mistral AI, showcasing the intersection of mathematics and music through a visually appealing design.