Sonify

What is Sonify?

Sonify is a company that explores new ways to communicate data using sound. Its goal is to make data easier to understand by offering an audio option alongside traditional visual methods. The company focuses on data-driven sonification—turning data into sound—to make storytelling more accessible, particularly for people who are blind or have visual impairments.

Sonify has developed projects such as TwoTone, a web-based tool that turns data into sound without requiring any code. It has also participated in initiatives like “Data-Driven Storytelling: Making Civic Data Accessible with Audio” and received the Knight Foundation’s “Data For Civic Engagement” award. The company works with newsrooms to create their own data-driven sonifications, making stories more accessible.

Who created Sonify?

Sonify was founded in 2019 in New York City and is now based in Vermont. It was brought to life by Hugh McGrory and Debra McGrory.

Hugh McGrory, CEO and Co-Founder, leads creative development and works at the crossroads of new media and technology, with a background spanning film, photography, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. He believes technology should enhance human creativity, not replace it.

Debra McGrory, Co-Founder, is an entrepreneur, educator, and specialist in data storytelling and emerging technologies, with experience using digital technologies to improve communication.

Cristian Vogel serves as Chief Technology Officer. He is a music producer, creative technologist, and sonic innovator.

The company focuses on audio, data, and emerging technologies to create audio-first solutions for human-computer interaction, including data sonification, sound design, and spatial audio.

What is Sonify used for?

• Telling stories with data by turning it into sound (sonification)
• Making data accessible to people who are blind or have visual impairments
• Adding an audio option to traditional visual methods for deeper understanding
• Turning complex data into meaningful sound experiences
• Helping newsrooms create their own data-driven sonifications
• Using TwoTone to turn data into sound without coding
• Building interactive art installations for exhibitions
• Creating music and sonification based on environmental data
• Improving user experiences with audio-first products
• Offering training, production, and R&D services in audio-first human-computer interaction