Topographics

Topographics Recorder records sound and the path you walk at the same time. It is an audio recorder and a design tool in one: every walk becomes a recording and a drawing.

It was made for a collaborative arts project in which walks are recorded and turned into shapes. It works for anyone who needs audio and location together: sound artists, field recordists, researchers, walkers, designers.

DRAW WITH YOUR FEET • While you record, the shape of your walk is drawn live above the record button, with your position always in the centre • A red line shows where you probably are right now, estimated from your speed and direction between GPS fixes • Keep north up, or let the drawing turn with the compass as you walk • Export the shape as SVG: a clean 1 px line, north up, true to scale, ready for Illustrator, Figma, Inkscape, a plotter or a laser cutter

RELATIVE MODE: THE SHAPE WITHOUT THE PLACE Next to the real GPS track, every recording carries a relative track. Its starting point is moved to latitude 0, longitude 0, and every waypoint keeps its true distance and direction from the start. The shape, timing and speed of the walk are kept, but not where it took place. • Share audio with the relative track only: the real coordinates are removed from the shared file • Export relative KML, or real-world KML for Google Earth and GIS • Exchange walks in a group without revealing anyone's home, studio or route

RECORD • Built-in microphone, headset, USB audio interface or line-in adapter • AAC in M4A, 48 kHz, mono or stereo, up to 256 kbit/s • No voice processing or automatic gain: what the microphone hears is what you get • Keeps recording with the screen locked

EDIT • Trim the start and end on a waveform, like in QuickTime Player • GPS waypoints move with the audio, and the start and end always carry a position • Rename recordings and organise them in projects

LISTEN • OpenStreetMap view of every recording's route • A marker follows the playhead along the route while you listen or scrub • Tap the route or a waypoint to jump to that moment in the audio

OPEN FORMATS • Both tracks are stored as open JSON inside the M4A, readable with standard tools • Export audio files, whole projects as ZIP, KML or SVG • Recordings are available in the Files app

PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no analytics, no tracking. Audio and location never leave your device unless you share a file, and when you do, relative mode lets you decide how much of the place goes with it.

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