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Not headbanging, but still metal: Soundwith, Korea Zinc sonify zinc

Published: 18 Apr. 2025, 21:20 Updated: 25 Apr. 2025, 17:38

SHIN MIN-HEE
[email protected]

Logo for Soundwith [SOUNDWITH]

Soundwith said Friday that it has succeeded in the sonification of metallic zinc in a collaboration with Korea Zinc.

Soundwith is a company founded by violinist Won Hyung-joon, who is known for recording a trio piece that translated the Covid-19 antibody into sound, which was composed by Markus Buehler, a materials scientist and engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Turning zinc into sound was done by identifying the molecular movements of the metal and converting the data into sound frequencies.

“Unlike protein compositions like the Covid-19 virus, it was difficult to discern the molecular movements of metals,” Won said in a press release. “We anticipate a future in which a wider range of substances will be sonified and recognized through their unique vibrations.”

Won has participated in directing advertisement music for Hyundai Motor’s “Continue to Move” campaign in 2021 and has also worked on other projects with Shinsegae Food and Harvard University.

Korea Zinc, established in 1974, is the world’s biggest zinc smelter.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]