We say...
Ever wondered what light sounds like? Wonder no more! This little gadget is perfect for field recordists, sound designers and anyone who wants to add a new dimension to their music-making.
Manufacturer's description
Lite2Sound PX2 is a portable photodiode amplifier. These audio devices let you hear a wide variety of sounds emitted by light sources. Lite2Sound is easy to use – just put in a 9V alkaline battery and plug in your headphones. Then bring it out in the city at night to experience the hidden soundscape of our modern world. And as some sound designers have discovered, it is also useful in the studio for creative sound design using manipulated light sources.
Learn more about photodiode amplifiers at our dedicated Lite2Sound website.
This is a bare PCB device, it does not have a case or enclosure. Battery is not included. Lite2Sound PX2 is pre-assembled and ready to use out of the box.
Listen to the Lights!
Since the beginning of the 21st century, high tech light sources have appeared everywhere. That is obvious, but what surprised us was how many of them are making audio waveforms hidden inside their invisible fluctuations of brightness. The Rare Waves Lite2Sound PX is a sensitive photodiode amplifier that lets you hear these sounds clearly. It is not a synthesizer at all – Lite2Sound is more like a microphone that picks up a hidden layer of reality. Plug in headphones and bring it outside in the city at night to hear shifting layers of frequencies, clicks and ticks, and accidentally beautiful harmonic soundscapes emitted by our civilization. It can also be useful in your studio to record unusual audio sounds and ambient sonic textures from manipulated light sources for a creative angle on sound design.
This unit receives modulated light very clearly, but note that it is also slightly sensitive to electromagnetic (EMF) sounds when it is near AC wires, electric motors, and other intense alternating or pulsed electric fields.
Not every light source makes sounds. Some lights are quiet, others are loud even though they may look the same. Some invisible infrared lights make sounds even though it looks like nothing’s there. Some lights are small and dim and sound best when this device is held very close. On the other hand, at night and in dim lighting, Lite2Sound PX/PX2 automatically boosts its sensitivity and is capable of picking up signals across a room, from across the street or down the block, or farther, depending mainly on how bright the source is.
Beyond the ubiquitous mains hum transmitted by lighting, you can find many sounds of different character being produced by high technology. In technology-saturated spaces, musical chords emerge and fade as luminous sources harmonize together into unintended soundscapes. Even nature creates content for Lite2Sound’s reception, if one looks in the right places. Its purpose is to reward your curiosity.
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
Product Overview
We say...
Ever wondered what light sounds like? Wonder no more! This little gadget is perfect for field recordists, sound designers and anyone who wants to add a new dimension to their music-making.
Manufacturer's description
Lite2Sound PX2 is a portable photodiode amplifier. These audio devices let you hear a wide variety of sounds emitted by light sources. Lite2Sound is easy to use – just put in a 9V alkaline battery and plug in your headphones. Then bring it out in the city at night to experience the hidden soundscape of our modern world. And as some sound designers have discovered, it is also useful in the studio for creative sound design using manipulated light sources.
Learn more about photodiode amplifiers at our dedicated Lite2Sound website.
This is a bare PCB device, it does not have a case or enclosure. Battery is not included. Lite2Sound PX2 is pre-assembled and ready to use out of the box.
Listen to the Lights!
Since the beginning of the 21st century, high tech light sources have appeared everywhere. That is obvious, but what surprised us was how many of them are making audio waveforms hidden inside their invisible fluctuations of brightness. The Rare Waves Lite2Sound PX is a sensitive photodiode amplifier that lets you hear these sounds clearly. It is not a synthesizer at all – Lite2Sound is more like a microphone that picks up a hidden layer of reality. Plug in headphones and bring it outside in the city at night to hear shifting layers of frequencies, clicks and ticks, and accidentally beautiful harmonic soundscapes emitted by our civilization. It can also be useful in your studio to record unusual audio sounds and ambient sonic textures from manipulated light sources for a creative angle on sound design.
This unit receives modulated light very clearly, but note that it is also slightly sensitive to electromagnetic (EMF) sounds when it is near AC wires, electric motors, and other intense alternating or pulsed electric fields.
Not every light source makes sounds. Some lights are quiet, others are loud even though they may look the same. Some invisible infrared lights make sounds even though it looks like nothing’s there. Some lights are small and dim and sound best when this device is held very close. On the other hand, at night and in dim lighting, Lite2Sound PX/PX2 automatically boosts its sensitivity and is capable of picking up signals across a room, from across the street or down the block, or farther, depending mainly on how bright the source is.
Beyond the ubiquitous mains hum transmitted by lighting, you can find many sounds of different character being produced by high technology. In technology-saturated spaces, musical chords emerge and fade as luminous sources harmonize together into unintended soundscapes. Even nature creates content for Lite2Sound’s reception, if one looks in the right places. Its purpose is to reward your curiosity.
Technical Specs
Shipping Details
How much is my shipping?
Shipping is automatically calculated before you submit your payment information. Simply add items to your cart and proceed to the checkout page, where you'll be offered shipping options and their prices. In the UK it's normally around £4 for order values under £150, and free above that. Shipping to mainland EU is typically between £7 and £20, depending on the shipping method and the size and weight of the order.
Do you ship to my country?
Almost certainly - the site will give you an estimate of shipping costs if you add an item to the cart and then enter your country and postcode. If you have specific requirements (such as if you prefer UPS over FedEx, for example) then let us know in advance and we'll try to work something out for you.
Shipping methods
We use a combination of Parcelforce, DPD, Royal Mail and UPS for the UK, and for international orders it's either Royal Mail, UPS, DHL or FedEx depending on where you are in the world. If you have a particular preference then try to let us know BEFORE you order so we can look into it for you. Please note that there may occasionally be additional shipping charges if you live in a remote area, depending on what surcharges are applied by the shipper. We'll get in touch to discuss this with you in such cases.
Dispatch times
For UK orders, we normally dispatch the same working day if we get the order before 15:00. If you have a really urgent situation then of course drop us an email before ordering and we'll always do our absolute best to accommodate you.
For international orders, we normally dispatch the same day if we get the order before 13:00 but again, occasionally it might be the next day before we can send it out, and sometimes FedEx or UPS may come a little earlier than scheduled which would also push an order into the next day.
Shipping times
Since April 2020 the couriers we use have suspended guarantees for shipping times, so even though we're paying them for priority services - 24-48 hours for most of the world - in practice it's often an extra day on top and sometimes it can be longer.
There is absolutely nothing we can do about this unfortunately. If you are outside the UK and it's a life-or-death situation where you absolutely MUST have that passive mult for the next day then... it may be better to find a local supplier.
Saturday shipping
If you're in the UK and you order before 15:30 on a Friday then we can send something for a Saturday delivery (NB: this applies to UK mainland addresses only). The success rate with DPD is about 95% so it's worth a punt most of the time. Please note that if you select Saturday shipping on an order placed earlier in the week, we'll wait until Friday to ship it.
Pre-orders
If a product is listed as a pre-order, it means we've ordered it from the supplier but it's not physically in stock yet. The product listing will include an estimated shipping date based on the best information we have from the supplier, but do bear in mind this is subject to change and is not a guaranteed date.
If you place an order containing a mixture of in-stock and pre-order items, we'll normally hold off on shipping anything until the pre-order item(s) have arrived, rather than splitting it into multiple shipments. If you need the in-stock items sooner, we'd recommend placing separate orders. As always, please get in touch if you have questions.
