The Network Byte Organ is an experiment in making networked data audible. Here's how it works: raw data is taken byte by byte from a network interface. The bits of each byte individually and simultaneously trigger notes on and off, similar to how a piano roll triggers a player piano. The result is a musical "composition" that sheds new light on the underlying structure of network data, unhinging it from its usual teleological functions.

In addition to the audio component, the Networked Byte Organ presents a visual interface that shows what data is currently generating sound.

There have been other musical works by musicians which involve mapping a discrete sequence of data to music; particularly, Laurie Spiegel\'s \"Viroid\" which was created by mapping each DNA base pair in a virus to a different note and then playing the entire sequence.

Anyone interested in generative methods to create music or new expressions of data structures.

The user wears headphones to listen to the sound being generated, and uses the computer to change certain aspects such as tempo and instrument. The user is able to see a visualization of the data, byte by byte, as well as ASCII values, as they are being interpreted by the Networked Byte Organ.

The program uses TCPDump and Max/MSP to read the network data, and then sends MIDI notes to Reason for synthesis.