Mogees is a system that allows one to transform any object into a musical instrument just by placing a contact microphone on it. Mogees lets artists to take advantage of everyday objects using them as musical instruments, breaking the boundaries between the digital and the real world.

The following short video shows the Mogees connected to different surfaces such as a desk at the office, a tree in a park and even a balloon:


The system works by connecting a contact microphone to a computer or a smartphone that runs the Mogees software application. The software analyses the incoming audio signal and extracts useful information about how the user touches the object, recognising for example whether the touch is a scratch or a tapping with fingers as well as touching the surface with different objects as shown in the video. These informations are computed continuously overtime and used to generate audio content that is then sent through speakers or headphones.

Press and awards

First prize at the Laval Virtual Awards 2012 for the “Interfaces et Matériels” category

“The sci-fi touch interface of the future”Extremetech
“Mogees turns any surface into an interactive board”Wired UK
“Mogees will blow your mind: watch it and be amazed”Fastcodesign
“Will touch interfaces of the future rely on sounds?”MIT Technology Review
“Create music on any surface”Engadget
“With Just One Contact Mic, Any Surface Magically Becomes a Gestural Instrument”CreateDigitalMusic

Credits and acknowledgments

Mogees is developed with composer and researcher Carmine Emanuele Cella.
I’m developing this project during a joint PhD between Goldsmiths Computing, University of London under the supervision of Marco Gillies and Mark d’Inverno and at IRCAM Real-Time Musical Interactions team in Paris under the supervision of Frederic Bevilacqua.
Mogees video filmed and edited by Cristina Picchi.
Many many thanks to Norbert Schnell, Diemo Schwarz, Ed Handley and Lorenzo Pagliei for their support and inspirations.