Product test
Bose Soundlink Plus sets the tone – but not too loud, please
by Florian Bodoky
The Pocket Scion is a solid device that will gather dust in my home
The Pocket Scion plant eavesdropper makes mushrooms and plants sound. Despite the many possibilities, I quickly get bored.
The Pocket Scion is something unique: I can use it to capture electrical signals from plants and convert them into sound. The device has four built-in synthesisers, but it can also transmit the signals via MIDI.
I have rarely been as excited about a device as I am about the Pocket Scion. And rarely have I lost interest so quickly. But the Pocket Scion is not a bad product. The problem lies elsewhere.
Simple, but well thought out
The Pocket Scion is powered by three AAA batteries or USB. The hardware has two small weaknesses. Firstly, there is no automatic switch-off function, which means that the batteries are empty the next day if I forget to switch it off. Secondly, the device uses a microUSB port. This is sufficient for what the device needs to be able to do, but I need a separate cable for it, while everything else now runs via USB-C.
It works almost too well
Full of enthusiasm, I unpack the thing, plug in the cable with the clamps and clip them to a houseplant. It works straight away. The Pocket Scion produces synthesiser sounds based on the electrical signals in the plant leaf.
It also works on the next plant. I take a mushroom from the fridge and insert the clamps - that works too! I can even elicit sounds from a ginger root and a withered leaf. Are these plant parts still alive?
Even a bread knife or a watering can can get the Pocket Scion to play. These things are clearly not alive. Perhaps the metal acts as an antenna and transmits the hum of the power grid, for example. I know this phenomenon from the electric guitar, I've even used it to receive radio signals.
Many variation possibilities
I can create a variety of different sounds with the four built-in synthesisers. The sensitivity can be adjusted on the device itself, which changes the number of sounds played.
The software, which is available for Mac, Windows and Linux, offers even more options. Here I define which notes of the chromatic scale are played. This allows me to create any scale I want, such as major pentatonic or harmonic minor. The octave range and pitch can also be varied. The settings are saved on the device and the modifications can then also be used without the app.
The Pocket Scion can transfer MIDI data via the USB port. For example, to a synthesiser or a PC to experiment with a virtual instrument. This allows you to create any sounds you like. In the video, I have connected the plant eavesdropper to an iPad running the Korg iPolySix virtual synthesiser.
When I hold down both sensitivity buttons for three seconds, I don't hear the sound produced by the synthesiser, but a pulse wave that results directly from the electrical signal. The manufacturer calls this «raw output». It sounds anything but nice, but it allows conclusions to be drawn about the measured electrical signal, such as how intense it is.
It all sounds about the same
The best thing I've come up with so far with the device is to set up a speaker next to the plant. I can then indulge in the illusion that the plant is making music to itself all day long and maybe even talking to me.
But that's about it.
In a nutshell
Well done, but quickly becomes boring
Converting electrical signals from plants into sounds? That arouses curiosity. But the interest doesn't last long, at least for me. The output is uniform and it quickly becomes boring. This is due to the electrical signals themselves, not the Pocket Scion. There is hardly anything to criticise about the device itself. It is simple but functional and offers numerous options for customising the sound. USB-C instead of microUSB would have been nice, as would an automatic switch-off function. Otherwise, I think the hardware and the accompanying software are well done.
Pro
- Not too expensive thanks to simple design
- Four sounds and control software integrated into the device
- MIDI and OSC output
Contra
- Plant signals bring too little variation
- microUSB instead of USB-C
- No automatic switch-off
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
