lezu

Sound and Visual Instrument

Performer interacting with the instrument—blowing into tubes, pressing buttons, and
moving sliders—while visuals are projected across eight textiles, creating a dynamic perspective display

Role: Creative Technologist
Tools: Teensy Microcontroller, Ableton, Touch Designer, Projector
Project: NIME
Duration: 10 Months

2024-2025

Overview
This is a sound and visual instrument that transforms the 39 letters of the Armenian alphabet into melodies, blending cultural heritage with modern technology and sound design.

Goal
I want people from different cultures to care about each other. We need care. When you’re familiar with a culture, you care more about its people.

Technical Part
I want to start telling the beginning of my process from the sound design.

I used the Armenian 39 alphabet and transferred it to a melody

I divided the vowels and the consonants

Here are 39 Armenian letters. I divided them into vowels and consonants

group of vowels: ա ու ի է օ
group of consonants: բպփ ...
group of consonants that I can sing

How I did it

I used 5 breadboards for MIDI-style part of the instrument

I used 2 Teensy microcontrollers, which are great for music-based projects. Since I had 39 sounds to work with, Teensy was perfect for it.

This schematic illustrates the entire process of LEZU.

I ended up using two of them: one dedicated to the duduk-inspired part, and another for the MIDI-style controller.

Armenian Duduk

MIDI Controller

It features two parts: one inspired by the traditional form of Armenian duduk and the other by a geometric design of a modern MIDI controller

I created several prototypes and refined them through multiple iterations.
I attached the vowels to sliders, for more fluid interaction, while consonants are mapped to buttons, since they’re short by nature.

For the duduk, I used a sound sensor—so when you blow into the tube, it activates and plays a sound.

Materials
When it came to materials, I thought about wood, but I switched to acrylic so people can see what is inside.

Because this is a project about connection and vulnerability, transparency felt appropriate.

The MIDI controller part features 12 sliders, of which 6 are for vowels and 16 buttons for consonants,
each corresponding to Armenian letters and arranged in different rhythms.

The duduk-inspired section uses 7 tubes, each producing sounds that resemble natural elements like
wind or whistling, reflecting the unique qualities of the Armenian alphabet.

Performance day at NYU ITP during the third semester, winter, for the NIME class, where I am performing and demonstrating the instrument in use.

Testing
I conducted user testing with around 60 people and gathered a lot of feedback. Most participants enjoyed the sounds and the interaction. Interestingly, many of them felt like the project was already complete; they didn’t see a need for a ‘finished’ version. For them, the experience was felt as whole, playful, and engaging. But they were curious about the visuals.

I gathered feedback from musicians and an ethnomusicologist. They said it reminded them of spiritual sounds from Armenian churches and expressed interest in future performances.

Visual Design

I used Armenian letters for visuals.

Pinterest Moodboard/Inspiration

I took the project to the next stage by connecting it to TouchDesigner. Each letter’s sound now triggers visuals in real time, using audio-reactive techniques.

Touch Designer: one letter

Touch Designer, all letters

MadMapper for projection

I was projecting on the textile. I tested different materials, including white tulle and dark tulle, to see which one worked best for my project.

White tulle

Black Tulle

This way, the language becomes something you don’t just hear, but also see—translating sound into motion, light, and form

Final look

Room diagram

I reserved a space in the Media Commons at the NYU building and prepared everything necessary for projection in the darkroom.

Set up room for the final show, projection on 8 textiles, room size apr. 4X6 m

What does LEZU mean?

LEZU means tongue and Language in Armenian, and language is how we communicate, connect, and get to know one another

LEZU is open to collaboration in any form, and anyone who feels inspired is warmly welcome to join.