First time posting - Hope I'm in the right place of this fantastic website.
I am trying to develop a system where the louder ambient noise is received from a microphone, the more 'extended' a gear rack will be for an art installation. I have experience working with digital audio and have considered driving the signal in Ableton, drenched in reverb so the gearing moves slower. I'm not sure if that is the best way about it, and I'm not sure if a solenoid is even what I need.
Any and all help/ direction is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
w

 

This is what I am considering
https://learningdevelopments.co.nz/products/large-push-pull-solenoid?variant=40193150648469

 

This is what I am considering

A solenoid will not work, as they snap from one position to the other.
You cannot move them linearly.

What you need is a linear motor or similar device.
You also would likely need feedback from the a motor position sensor to compare with the ambient noise level and adjust the motor position accordingly.
You can also buy a linear motor with a built-in position sensor.

All in all, not a simple project.

 

Welcome to AAC.

While it may seem "easier", trying to drive the solenoid like it is a speaker is almost certainly not a good way to do what you seem to want to do.

But, there's not enough information in your post to be sure. Depending on the slew rate you want, I am guessing that an MCU (like an Arduino-compatible dev board) and a linear actuator will be a better route because you at least have a chance to succeed.

Could you be more specific about what the solenoid is intended to do?

 

This video might be helpful for background.

 

How much movement (distance) do you want?

By the way, it's much easier to detect the "average" value of the noise as compared to detecting the actual RMS value.
For ambient random noise there shouldn't be any practical difference for your purpose.