Variophone

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The Variophone was developed by Yevgeny Sholpo, of the Soviet Union in 1932. It was an optical synthesizer that utilized sound waves drawn onto transparent 35mm film to generate sounds controlled by photo-electric cells. Sholpo experimented with drawn sound as early as the 1920's and created several sound works by photographing drawings he had made to create soundtracks.

At the same time in the Soviet Union several other artists were experimenting with similar ideas. One of these individuals was Arseny Avraamov a producer of motion picture soundtracks. He created these by photographing a series of drawings which he called "Plan Velikikh Rabot" (Plan of Great Works) and "Kem Bit" (who to be).

The legacy of the Variophone can be seen in the audio waveforms that are 'striped' on the side of a piece of 35mm movie film.