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Dialtones - A Telesymphony

Posted by michael on from the hi-kymah-andronis dept.

1337g writes "For once there's a use for those annoying ringing mobile phones during a concert. The entire Dialtones concert was performed by the ringing of the audience's mobile phones. The site shows how they pulled it off, and even gives a few samples of the concert."

12 of 194 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah, but did they play... by vought · · Score: 5, Funny

    867-5309?

    1. Re:Yeah, but did they play... by Sabalon · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I'm sure the 867 prefix is in use in most area codes.

      Then again, like you said - local. I know in NJ, 17 miles away was a toll call. In GA, half the state is local to me.

      I still remember the huge number of rumors as to what was on the other end of that number.

    2. Re:Yeah, but did they play... by kikta · · Score: 4, Funny
      I still remember the huge number of rumors as to what was on the other end of that number.


      uhhh... Jenny?
  2. I was there... by tunah · · Score: 5, Funny
    I was really looking forward to it. Just as they were about to start, some moron's cell phone rang in one of those annoying musical ringtones.

    This behaviour has got to stop. Do what I did - walk out and demand your money back.

    --
    Free Java games for your phone: Tontie, Sokoban
  3. thats all fine and good... by intermodal · · Score: 5, Funny

    as long as it was done after 7pm on a weekday or on the weekend...otherwise all the people who were roaming to see the concert were screwed...

    --
    In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
  4. Irony? by vicviper · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've only gotten through the first 2 mp3s on their site, but you can hear someone coughing during the performance...

    "Shut up so I can hear the phone!"

  5. what happens if.....? by swg101 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What would happen if someone really tried to call you?? Would people get mad if you were talking to someone on you cellphone during a...cellphone concert??

    Weird thoughts ebb and flow in a mind this empty.

    --
    Like pi? Try 10,000 digits.
  6. Ahh the memories! by peterdaly · · Score: 5, Funny

    In high school (years ago for me now), we had a computer lab of about 25 machines. A friend and I got the whole lab to play a song using a simple program, written in either BASIC or Pascal. (I forget which)

    Each machine had and endless loop checking for the existance of a file representing a musical note on a network drive. When found, if assigned to play that note, the machine would play the note until the file disapeared. Each machine was assigned a note. Each note had more than one PC assigned to it around the lab.

    We were able to entertain ourselves, as well as anyone walking through the lab, for at least an hour tinkering with the end resulting music.

    -Pete

    --
    Soccer Goal Plans
  7. The last time I checked... by thelinuxking · · Score: 5, Funny

    Contrary to what many apparently believe, this isn't the first time cellphones have been used to represent "a symphony". Ever hear a mobile phone play the 1812 overture in the middle of a watching a movie or a play?

    It's actually highly realistic...if the owner of the phone continues to let the it ring for long enough, the sound of gunshots fired by disgruntled moviegoers is just like the sound of cannons being fired in the real song!

  8. One of the performances was ruined. by nobodyman · · Score: 5, Funny



    I was in the audience and was enjoying quite a bit. However, some woman behind me kept playing her violin.

    On top of that, the first few minutes of the performance caused a panic. Too many people switched their phones in vibrate mode upon entering the theatre (habit, I suppose). The resulting shockwave as the symphony began caused part of the building to collapse.

  9. This is cool by thanjee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Being a computer music composer/researcher, I am just annoyed I didn't think of something like this first!

    This really is an excellent idea. One problem you have with electronic installations and concerts are things like sound spatialization. Some ways musicians combat this is to set up 12 channel sound systems with the speakers distributed around the entire hall so you can hear hear music moving around in a real 3D space, or they use projected speakers to pin-point sound into certain areas. But hey why use your own speakers when most the population carries a speaker in their pocket!

    The performer would have known the phone number for every mobile in the hall, plus he would know the location of each phone. Just imagine a wave of dial tones moving across from one side of the hall to the other, sweeping up and down, pinpointing to one point in the hall, and then spreading out in a random spread across the hall. This really is cool. I wish I was there. You would probably have to experience something like this live to really appreciate it.

    And for anyone who thinks this is weird, you need to get out more often. I have been to concerts where the audience were given bubble wrap, and the piece consisted of the audience popping it - oooh fun!

    --
    Saying your OS is the best because more people use it is like saying MacDonalds make the best food
  10. Pales to the Parking Lot Experiments by The-Bus · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Any Flaming Lips fans in here?
    A few years ago Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Cohen thought of the "Parking Lot Experiments" -- he created a symphony with each instrument recorded on a single tape. Then he had a group of forty people with cars that had tape players show up to his parking lot and he would "conduct" them.

    Something similar could be found a few years later in the Lips' release of Zaireeka a 4-disc set that is meant to be played simultaneously.
    At least that's what popped into my mind when I read this.

    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.