Audial Variations - seeing, hearing, feeling sound

A live performance shot of 3 members of iPad Lab performing in a concert hall - 4 rows of the attentive audience are visible from behind

Clare Johnston is a d/Deaf musician/composer, fascinated with the way that new technology enables musicians and audience members to access live musical performance with technology.

Clare Johnston is seated in front of a large screen with coloured Figurenotes symbols visible - she is talking into a microphone as part of a live concert presentation — Clare discusses the use of iPads and Thumbjam for Audial Variations – photo: Adele Keith Photography

Audial Variations was an interactive performance exploring how sound looks and feels and what that means for performers and listeners. It was written for iPad lab and performed as part of Sound Scotland festival on Friday 31^st October 2025 at Kings Pavillion, Aberdeen.

live performance shot from behind the audience 3 musicians are in a semi-circle facing the audience with screens and music technology in front of them. Emma is speaking into a microphone. — Emma describes her specialist hearing aids that reduce the impact of hyper-acuity (sensitivity to sounds) photo: Adele Keith Photography

The piece was written to explore the different ways that audiences and performers experience music including:

Visual Representation of Sounds – using Resolume software

A live performance shot of Audial Variations in including 3 seated performers - Sonia, Clare and Emma with a variety of screens and music technology around them. A large screen displays a graphic software edit page - three rows of audience are visible in the bottom of the picture — Clare describes how sound is translated into visuals using Resolume photo: Adele Keith Photography

A video clip showing how each pitch has a colour (using Figurenotes colour system)

The quality and timbre of sound can also be represented visually.

Visuals from Audial Variations – clip by Adele Keith Photography

Live Captioning of music in real time – this enables profoundly deaf musician, Sonia to engage and respond to live musical performances. Captioner joined remotely with Zoom link.

Sonia playing Electronic Wind Instrument in live performance - a screen in front reads "trill, short, low, breathy notes, high flighty notes, a bird trying to take off from a tree. Slower, leaning notes, ribbon swaying in the wind. smooth calm, content notes. Short staccato bursts of notes jump up and down" — Sonia plays EWI while live captioner Eluned translates musical sounds into text photo: Adele Keith Photography

Audial Variations Team:
Performers – Clare Johnston (iPad, Thumbjam) , Emma Clark (iPad Thumbjam), Sonia Allori (Electronic Wind Instrument)
Technology & Accessibility Team/Presenters – David Bobier, Pete Sparkes, Ali Gillies, Alex Chapman

Thank you to the Radcliffe Trust for their support of Audial Variations