#betweenlines

// BETWEEN LINES // — towards a unified tool

The four separate tools I’ve been developing — SRT sonifier, subtitle spectrograms, image→SRT, and MP3→SRT — are now being drawn together into a single standalone MacOS app.

At its core sits the .srt subtitle file: a liminal container that functions as both signal and misrecognition. It becomes the hinge between sound and image, a file format caught between clarity and confusion — much like living with deafness, auditory processing disorder, and the ambiguities of interpretation.

The app will house four “lines” (or modes):

Sound → SRT (converter)

Image → SRT (converter)

SRT → Sound (sonifier)

SRT → Image (visualiser)

Because every mode loops back through .srt, recursive chains become possible: sound→sound, image→image, and infinite permutations where misrecognition accumulates.

This recursive recursion is the essence of Between Lines: a tool not just for translation, but for layering distortions, for inhabiting liminality.

The icon itself reflects this paradox — mirrored slashes forming AV (audio/visual, upload/download), rotated to suggest left/right, and the uneasy split of digital left / analogue right.

PROCESS / 03. 0xL ≠ 0xR

(Digital Left, Analogue Right — a channel-split sonification study)

Working on 0xL ≠ 0xR today — the first track in the album that demands asymmetric treatment. It’s the closest I’ve come to modelling how I actually hear: left ear digitised and artefact-sharp (CI), right ear analogue, smeared, softened (HA).

I pulled stems from Suno and Version 2 gave the only usable pair: Drums and Other. Dense enough to convert into SRT without collapsing; sparse stems weren’t stable, so this became the working split.

From there, the track diverges:

Left (CI): Drums → Sound→SRT→Sound via Machine Room. Chromatic grit, harsh edges, digital reconstruction. High-passed, midband-boosted, panned hard left, ~−25 dB.

Right (HA): Other → Sound→SRT→Sound via VHS Haunt. Tape-worn drift, softened timing, analogue haze. Low-passed, blurred, panned hard right, ~−32 dB.

Both layers sit under the main Suno composition — a stereo “ghost” mix approximating the asymmetry I live with. Because my hearing aids + CI auto-compress and reshape everything, I can’t trust real-time listening. So I’m mixing through meters and waveforms instead: treating Audition like a prosthetic sense, balancing frequencies I can’t reliably perceive.

What emerges is something I may never hear as intended — but others will. A literal crossed-wires artefact. A binaural faultline flattened into stereo. Another reminder that in this project, as in my head:

input ≠ comprehension output ≠ truth

Between Lines is an animated short film created entirely by an all-women team, directed by the talented Sarah Beth Morgan. The story is about the scars created by bullying in high school and lifelong recovery of these memories. Puberty, growing up, and the discovery of self are traumatic enough to process. However when school dynamics and bullies added to the equation, teenage years might become a burden. Maybe because we saw many coming of age stories in feature films focusing on the troubles of growing up, adjusting to problems, dealing with uncertainties. There is no denying that bullying creates deep scar on people and they spend so much time on themselves to recover past traumas. The narrative in Between Lines follows a young woman's journey as she navigates isolation, exclusion and anxiety. Out of the trauma, blooms a sense of healing and connection. There is no single definitive way to make your peace with your past but either way the happiness and relief comes within.

Sarah Beth Morgan, a director and illustrator currently based in Cleveland, OH, United States, grew up in Saudi Arabia. She attended the Savannah College of Art and Design and had early career experiences at Scholar and Oddfellows in LA and Portland. Currently, Morgan works from her own studio in Cleveland. And as a personal impression, Morgan's work feels sincere, down-to-earth and approachable to manies. Her animations and illustrations are neat, humble and taking you to a polished, clean environment that could trigger a positive emotions instantly.

Between Lines: "I wanna subway map of my invisible scars."

Between lines successfully completed its festival stint by getting recognition and awards from many organizations; including Brooklyn Film Festival – Audience Award for Animation, Pictoplasma Berlin – Official Selection, SCAD Savannah Film Festival – Official Selection for Global Shorts Forum. Sarah Beth Morgan's moving short animation made its online premiere on January 24, 2023. Though I discovered it late, I've come to realize that great works are timeless on the internet. Today is my day to meet 'Between Lines.' The poetic narrative, moving animation and eye-catching visuals; Between Lines artistically could be your best two minutes today. Check out Sarah Beth Morgan’s website, Vimeo and Instagram and Between Lines' website. And discover over 30 talented women who make Between Lines happen from here. https://vimeo.com/792244354  

CREDITS