Sound Synthesis for Nonlinear Plates

Stefan Bilbao
DAFx-2005 - Madrid
In this paper, a simple finite difference scheme for a rectangular dynamic nonlinear plate, under free boundary conditions is presented. The algorithm is straightforward to program, and is capable of reproducing, to a first approximation, the behaviour of various percussion instruments whose timbre depends crucially on nonlinear effects (due to high-speed strikes), including transient pitch glides and the buildup of high-frequency energy. Though computationally intensive, algorithms such as that presented here promise more faithful sound synthesis and, as with all physical model inspired synthesis algorithms, require the specification of only a few, physically meaningful parameters. Full details of the algorithm, including the setting of boundary conditions and computational demands are provided. Numerical simulation results are presented.
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