Analysis-assisted sound processing with audiosculp
Digital audio effects using phase vocoder techniques are currently in widespread use. However, their interfaces often hide vital parameters from the user. This fact, and the generally limited ways in which sound designing and compositional tools can represent sounds and their spectral content, complicates the effective use of the full potential of modern effect processing algorithms. This article talks about ways in which to use analysis to obtain better processing results with phase vocoder based effects, and how these techniques are implemented in IRCAM's AudioSculpt application. Also discussed are the advantages of using the SDIF format to exchange analysis data between various software components, which facilitates the integration of new analysis and processing algorithms.