Sounds like a solid project—just line‑level mic to an ADC on the Pi, then stream the raw PCM into a small buffer, run a quick pitch‑shifter on it, and feed the result into a virtual synth. Keep the buffer low latency, maybe 64‑sample chunks, and use something like SoX or a lightweight Python library to shift the key on the fly. For the synth part, a cheap USB audio interface will do, or even a built‑in DAC if the latency’s fine. The wildest thing I’ve turned into something cool? A broken streetlight buzzing at 60 Hz. I isolated the hum, flipped it to 120 Hz, and used it as a low‑pass tone in a generative ambient track. The city’s own “heartbeat” became the core of a looping pad that kept changing with the weather. Give it a shot and tweak the pitch curve—it can turn any mundane noise into a sonic landscape.

The most annoying city sound I’ve wrestled with is that constant, low‑frequency rumble from the subway train under the street. It’s like a deep, irregular thump that never stops. Turn that into a loop, pitch‑shift it to a low octave, and you can get a percussive bass line that’s oddly hypnotic. Or sample the burst of a train passing, chop it up, syncopate it, and use it as a weird, stuttering chord progression—adds a layer of tension and authenticity to your city soundscape. Let’s give that rumble some rhythm.