Hi, I’m David Lindsay. This is a creative exploration of data sonification—turning numbers into sound. Just as a chart can reveal a pattern at a glance, sonification lets you hear what the data is doing. The finished tracks are available on all major streaming platforms.

I produce these projects with my family—my wife Sian and our two children often help shape the final musical styles.

The Complete Workflow

This flowchart shows the whole path—from raw data to parallel video and audio, and finally a synchronised piece. Click to enlarge.

How It Works (At a Glance)

Data Visualisation → Video

for each data_point in our_dataset:
  create_a_visual_representation(data_point)
  save_it_as_an_image_frame

combine_all_image_frames_into_a_video

Data Sonification → MIDI

for each data_point in our_dataset:
  note_pitch  = convert_data_value_to_pitch(data_point)
  note_timing = get_the_timestamp(data_point)

if is_an_important_event(data_point):
    add_a_special_sound()

add_the_note_to_our_midi_file

save_the_midi_file

The Projects

Finance: EUR/USD Sonification

I work with historical EUR/USD mid-price time series. On some runs I align major economic-calendar events to show how news coincides with price behaviour.

  • Video: a Python workflow loads the series, computes rolling features, and renders frame-by-frame price charts with optional event annotations. Typical stack: pandas (IO/date handling), NumPy (transforms), matplotlib (plotting), ffmpeg (encoding).
  • Audio: the same timeline is mapped to music—up-moves to higher pitch, move size to note velocity/density, and notable events to percussion. MIDI is written with libraries such as mido, keeping timestamps aligned to the video.
  • Finishing: I import the MIDI into Suno for instrumentation and style, then guide the feel by ear.

What the 2008 Financial Crisis Sounds Like: 3-Hour AI Music from Market Data - YouTube

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What the 2008 Financial Crisis Sounds Like: 3-Hour AI Music from Market Data AlgoLabs

Chess: “Sixty-four Squares” Sonification

I process long-form chess games (PGN) evaluated move-by-move, giving both the board state and an engine evaluation through time.

  • Video: a generator streams the PGNs and renders each position with a live evaluation graph beneath it, plus markers when tactics spike. Core tools include python-chess (PGN/board logic), a chess engine (e.g., Stockfish) for evaluations, matplotlib for the advantage trace, and Pillow/ cairosvg for rasterising boards.
  • Audio: evaluation becomes melody (bigger swings → stronger accents). Events—captures, checks, promotions—trigger percussive hits. Note timing is musically normalised while preserving the story arc of the game; MIDI is written with mido and aligned to the video timeline.
  • Finishing: the MIDI is arranged and mixed in the same way as the finance project so visuals and soundtrack lock perfectly.

One Hour of Chess Engine Music — Sample from 93M Games (July ’25) - YouTube

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One Hour of Chess Engine Music — Sample from 93M Games (July ’25) AlgoLabs

The Final Touches: From MIDI to Music

The raw MIDI has the right notes but not the polish. I use Suno to arrange and instrument the material, then guide the style choices with my family to land the final tracks.

From MIDI to Music: A Short A/B

Raw MIDI Audio

Directly rendered from MIDI—musically correct, minimal production.

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After Suno AI Processing

The same 10-second idea, arranged and produced into a finished cue.

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I also experiment with vocals. Suno can generate lyrical takes from prompts, which I refine through iteration.

Instrumental vs. Lyrics: Another A/B

Suno AI Instrumental

The instrumental cue created from the original MIDI.

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With Suno AI Vocals

The same segment with generated vocals and lyrics layered in.

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I hope you enjoy this way of experiencing data—sometimes it even turns into art.

Work in Progress: The Rhythm of the Fight

This project turns six years of my boxing data—captured with Corner punch trackers—into music. The aim is to translate the speed, power and flow of thousands of punches into a coherent musical form.

Boxing Data Sonification (MIDI Soundtrack Only)

Boxing data → video and music (6 years of punches) - YouTube

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Boxing data → video and music (6 years of punches) AlgoLabs

The Transformation

  • Time warping: compress lulls, gently stretch flurries to create a musical pulse shared by video and audio.
  • Video generation: draw a sliding window of punches (power → height, speed → marker size) and encode frames into video.
  • MIDI generation: map war-timed power to pitch, speed to velocity, and punch type (Straight, Hook, Uppercut) to different instruments.

Almost all of the punches that drive this Rhythm of the Fight project were thrown down at The Ring Amateur Boxing Club (Ring ABC) in Bracknell—my boxing home.

A Project with a Purpose

The Ring ABC is very dear to our family. We’ve volunteered there for years and have seen first-hand how much good it does for the local community: helping young people find confidence and discipline, offering a safe, structured environment after school, building resilience and friendship, and keeping the sport accessible and welcoming. Learn more at theringabc.com.

UPDATE: The Rhythm of the Fight — Official Albums for The Ring ABC

After six years of gathering punch data at The Ring Amateur Boxing Club, Bracknell, this project has finally grown into two complete Suno-powered albums. Every track is generated from real training sessions — speed, power, punch type and rhythm all mapped into melody, harmony and dynamics.

These albums are available on all major music streaming platforms. All profits from iTunes purchases are donated directly to The Ring ABC to support equipment, facility repairs and youth programmes.

The Rhythm of the Fight — The Workout Selection

High-intensity tracks created from fast combinations, power shots and conditioning rounds. This album captures the spirit of a boxing session at full pace — flurries become melodic runs, heavy shots trigger deep percussive hits, and combinations build into full rhythmic phrases. Ideal for training, warm-ups or bag rounds.

Listen here:

The Rhythm of the Fight — The Chill Selection

A more reflective, atmospheric interpretation of the same punch data. Instead of emphasising raw power, this album focuses on rhythm, flow and movement — the calm between combinations, the slow-building intensity of a round, and the natural rise and fall of training sequences.

Perfect for warm-downs, stretching, mindfulness, or simply listening on the way home after a session at the gym.

Listen here:

Why These Albums Matter

Community boxing gyms like The Ring ABC play an essential role by giving young people structure, confidence and a place to belong. By listening, sharing and supporting these albums, you’re directly helping the gym continue doing that work.

If you enjoy the music, please consider offering ideas for new tracks or feedback using the feedback form we are actively producing Volume 2 and want to include the community in shaping it.