Download A 3D Multi-Plate Environment for Sound Synthesis
In this paper, a physics-based sound synthesis environment is presented which is composed of several plates, under nonlinear conditions, coupled with the surrounding acoustic field. Equations governing the behaviour of the system are implemented numerically using finite difference time domain methods. The number of plates, their position relative to a 3D computational enclosure and their physical properties can all be specified by the user; simple control parameters allow the musician/composer to play the virtual instrument. Spatialised sound outputs may be sampled from the simulated acoustic field using several channels simultaneously. Implementation details and control strategies for this instrument will be discussed; simulations results and sound examples will be presented.
Download Numerical Simulation of String/Barrier Collisions: The Fretboard
Collisions play a major role in various models of musical instruments; one particularly interesting case is that of the guitar fretboard, the subject of this paper. Here, the string is modelled including effects of tension modulation, and the distributed collision both with the fretboard and individual frets, and including both effects of free string vibration, and under finger-stopped conditions, requiring an additional collision model. In order to handle multiple distributed nonlinearities simultaneously, a finite difference time domain method is developed, with a penalty potential allowing for a convenient model of collision within a Hamiltonian framework, allowing for the construction of stable energy-conserving methods. Implementation details are discussed, and simulation results are presented illustrating a variety of features of such a model.
Download An Energy Conserving Finite Difference Scheme for the Simulation of Collisions in Snare Drums
In this paper, a physics-based model for a snare drum will be discussed, along with its finite difference simulation. The interactions between a mallet and the membrane and between the snares and the membrane will be described as perfectly elastic collisions. A novel numerical scheme for the implementation of collisions will be presented, which allows a complete energy analysis for the whole system. Viscothermal losses will be added to the equation for the 3D wave propagation. Results from simulations and sound examples will be presented.