The MIDI Laser Guitar is an accessibility-focused creative project designed to help users with carpal disabilities and hand injuries engage with an instrument that feels familiar to the traditional electric guitar. Inspired by my guitar teacher's struggle with a hand injury, I engineered this digital instrument to replace high-tension steel strings with infrared break-beam sensors and ribbon sensors, significantly reducing the physical strain required for performance. Since it is a work in progress prototype, I connected the wiring to a breadboard for easy grounding switches. The project uses an Arduino Micro to process sensor date, which I then routed through a custom Open Sound Control (OSC) bridge to connect with SuperCollider. This architecture allowed me to bypass stander MIDI driver conflict and achieve high-performance, real-time sound synthesis. This project serves as a proof-of-concept for how inclusive hardware design can remove physical barriers to creative expression. Check out GitHub and Google doc explantion here
My upcoming debut EP blends ambient soundscapes, and a genre concoction of Afrobeat, Highlife, Neo-soul, Rock, and Jazz to tell a deeply personal feeling and story. Built from field recordings, dreamy arrangements and layered vocals, the project explores emotional themes like vulnerability, fearful avoidance, and self-reflection. Each track is designed to evoke a scene or feeling dragging the listener from the quiet tension of caution to the warmth of connection, while maintaining a cohesive sonic atmosphere. I utilized a Zoom H1 recorder for original environmental sounds, capturing everyday moments like footsteps, laughter, traffic hums, and clinking coffee mugs. The goal was to create a lived-in, cinematic experience that merges storytelling with sonic detail. Being that this is my debut EP, I wanted to go all out with my production, so I plan to use real instruments to capture the authenticity that I am trying to convey in this story. Take a listen down below to hear how the EP is coming along. I will continue to post snippets and behind the scene moments as the project moves along.
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