Signal to Noise
Revolv MR: Mixed Reality Vinyl Experience
Meta Quest 3
Materials
- Meta Quest 3 • Vinyl Turntable • Custom Software
- Year
- 2026
- Disciplines
- Mixed Reality • Sound Art • Spatial Interaction • Unity
Overview
Revolv XR is a prototype mixed reality experience and an evolution of Revolv AR, a smartphone and tablet experience launched for iOS in 2022. The original project overlaid sound-reactive visual data onto the iconic vinyl record turntable, exploring the tension between analogue and digital technologies by merging physical media with contemporary interaction.
Adapted for Meta Quest, the experience moves beyond the screen and into the participant's physical surroundings. Hand tracking replaces conventional touch-based controls, allowing the waveform and its parameters to be explored through finger position, proximity and spatial interaction.
A cyclical waveform emerges from the record player's stylus and follows the rotational movement of the vinyl. The visualisation reacts in real time to the turntable's audio output, with frequency and amplitude analysis informing its colour, movement and density. Anchored to the record's surface, the waveform reveals an otherwise invisible layer of sonic information while preserving the tactile and mechanical qualities of vinyl playback.
Adapted for Meta Quest, the experience moves beyond the screen and into the participant's physical surroundings. Hand tracking replaces conventional touch-based controls, allowing the waveform and its parameters to be explored through finger position, proximity and spatial interaction.
A cyclical waveform emerges from the record player's stylus and follows the rotational movement of the vinyl. The visualisation reacts in real time to the turntable's audio output, with frequency and amplitude analysis informing its colour, movement and density. Anchored to the record's surface, the waveform reveals an otherwise invisible layer of sonic information while preserving the tactile and mechanical qualities of vinyl playback.
01
Surface Reading
Using the user's hand position as a spatial anchor, the system detects horizontal vinyl planes in the environment.
02
Reticle and Feedback System
Creating clear visual feedback for hand tracking. The reticle communicates where the user is pointing, when the system has detected a valid surface and how their hand position relates to the record.
03
Spatial Placement & Audio-Reactive Visualisation
The experience is anchored around the detected vinyl record plane, allowing the turntable and waveform to feel physically situated in the environment. Using live audio input from the turntable to drive waveform and visual behaviour in mixed reality.
Niall Quinn 2026