Musician/programmer Alexander Chen has created what he's calling Conductor, which "recreates the New York subway system as a musical instrument." He says the below videos are works in progress, and that he'll eventually "import an actual subway schedule from the MTA’s subway API and have subway trains triggering the performance." Eventually, there will be a user-driven iPad version, but for now, check it out... the subway, unsurprisingly, sounds pretty depressing.

For transit nerds, you'll notice he's using Vignelli’s 1972 subway map as a starting point... and yes, he realized that a few lines like the 8 and 9 no longer exist. [via iPad Punk]