Digitisation Synthesizer

Measurement and digitisation of analogue synthesizers for the online project "Music, Makers & Machines" by Google Arts & Culture

Google Arts & Culture (GAC) has been making art, culture and science accessible online for more than 10 years and making it possible to experience them in new ways through technical innovations. GAC works together with over 2,000 cultural institutions from 80 countries.
The latest online project “Music, Makers & Machines” tells the story of electronic music … with augmented reality, 3D models and 360-degree tours that immerse users directly into this world.

ArcTron 3D GmbH was commissioned by Google in 2020 to digitize some of the outstanding synthesizers in the smem, in the “Swiss Museum for Electronic Musical Instruments” in Fribourg.
For high-quality digitization of the 22 synthesizers in total, ArcTron 3D has combined various technologies, in particular structured light scanning with high-resolution hand-held scanners and close-range photogrammetry.

For an optimal display within the online presentation, it is necessary that the models are manually recreated and textured in 3D. This eliminates inaccuracies from the survey, which can be caused by reflective surfaces, for example, and ensures correct geometry and stable performance when displayed in web browsers.

Learn more about the project, the individual synthesizers and explore all electronic instruments interactively in 3D on the project website:

3D Scan, Multimedia, Survey and Multimedia