Download Virtual Auditory Myography of Timpani-playing Avatars Music performance is highly related to instrumentalists’ movements and one of the biggest challenges is the identification and understanding of gesture strategies according to the plethora of musical nuances (dynamics, tempo, etc..) available to performers. During these past few years, a novel approach has been elaborated, consisting in studying movement strategies through auditory rendering. In this paper, we focus on the auditory analysis of timpani (percussion) gestures. We present a novel interface combining movement simulation and sonification as a means of enhancing the auditory analysis of timpani gestures. We further report the results from an evaluation of this interface, where we study the contributions of sonification to the multimodal display.
Download Artificial Intelligence based Modeling of Musical Instruments In this paper, a novel research tool, which allows real-time implementation and evaluation of sound synthesis of musical instrument, is described. The tool is a PC-based application and allows the user to evaluate the effects of parameter changes on the sound quality in an intuitive manner. Tuning makes use of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique. Flute and plucked string modeling examples are used to illustrate the capabilities of the tool.
Download The Wablet: Scanned Synthesis on a Multi-Touch Interface This paper presents research into scanned synthesis on a multitouch screen device. This synthesis technique involves scanning a wavetable that is dynamically evolving in the manner of a massspring network. It is argued that scanned synthesis can provide a good solution to some of the issues in digital musical instrument design, and is particularly well suited to multi-touch screens. In this implementation, vibrating mass-spring networks with a variety of configurations can be created. These can be manipulated by touching, dragging and altering the orientation of the tablet. Arbitrary scanning paths can be drawn onto the structure. Several extensions to the original scanned synthesis technique are proposed, most important of which for multi-touch implementations is the freedom of the masses to move in two dimensions. An analysis of the scanned output in the case of a 1D ideal string model is given, and scanned synthesis is also discussed as being a generalisation of a number of other synthesis methods.
Download Physically Informed Synthesis of Jackhammer Tool Impact Sounds This paper introduces a sound synthesis method for jackhammer tool impact sounds. The model is based on parallel waveguide models for longitudinal and transversal vibrations. The longitudinal sounds are produced using a comb filter that is tuned to match the longitudinal resonances of a steel bar. The dispersive transversal vibrations are produced using a comb filter which has a cascade of first-order allpass filters and time-varying feedback coefficient. The synthesis model is driven by an input generator unit that produces a train of Hann pulses at predetermined time-intervals. Each pulse has its amplitude modified slightly by a random process. For increased realism each impact is followed by a number of repetitive impacts with variable amplitude and time difference according to the initial pulse. The sound output of the model is realized by mixing both transversal and longitudinal signals and the effect is finalized by an equalizer.
Download Energy-based synthesis of tension modulation in strings Above a certain amplitude, the string vibration becomes nonlinear due to the variation of tension. An important special case is when the tension varies with time but spatially uniform along the string. The most important effect of this tension modulation is the exponential decay of the pitch (pitch glide). In the case of nonrigid string termination, the generation of double frequency terms and the excitation of missing modes also occurs, but this is perceptually less relevant for most of the cases. Several modeling strategies have been developed for tension modulated strings. However, their computational complexity is significantly higher compared to linear string models. This paper proposes efficient techniques for modeling the quasistatic part (short-time average) of the tension variation that gives rise to the most relevant pitch glide effect. The modeling is based on the linear relationship between the energy of the string and quasistatic tension variation. When this feature is added to linear string models, the computational complexity is increased by a negligible amount, leading to significant savings compared to earlier tension modulated string models.
Download Water Bottle Synthesis With Modal Signal Processing We present a method for accurately synthesizing the acoustic response of a water bottle using modal signal processing. We start
with extensive measurements of two water bottles with considerations for how the level of water inside the bottles, the area covered
by stickers attached to the exterior of the bottles, and the method
of striking the bottles affect their sound. We perform modal analysis of these measurements and implement a real-time modal water
bottle synthesizer.
Download Efficient Snare-Drum Model for Acoustic Interfaces With Piezoelectric Sensors This paper describes a computationally efficient synthesis model
for snare drum sounds. Its parameters can be modulated at audio
rate while being played. The input to the model is an acoustic excitation signal which carries spectral information to color the output
sound. This makes it suitable for acoustic interfaces – devices
which provide excitation signal and control data simultaneously.
The presented synthesis model builds up on work done by Miller
Puckette and processes audio input from a piezoelectric microphone into a nonlinear reverberator. This paper details a strikingly
simple but novel approach on how to make use of the momentary
DC offset generated by piezoelectric microphones when pressed
to simulate the changes in drumhead tension. This technique is
especially of interest for interfaces without pressure sensing capabilities. In the design process we pursued an experimental approach rather than a purely mathematical. Implementations of the
synthesis model are provided for Pure Data and FAUST as open
source.
Download A Coupled Resonant Filter Bank for the Sound Synthesis of Nonlinear Sources This paper is concerned with the design of efficient and controllable filters for sound synthesis purposes, in the context of the generation of sounds radiated by nonlinear sources. These filters are coupled and generate tonal components in an interdependent way, and are intended to emulate realistic perceptually salient effects in musical instruments in an efficient manner. Control of energy transfer between the filters is realized by defining a matrix containing the coupling terms. The generation of prototypical sounds corresponding to nonlinear sources with the filter bank is presented. In particular, examples are proposed to generate sounds corresponding to impacts on thin structures and to the perturbation of the vibration of objects when it collides with an other object. The different sound examples presented in the paper and available for listening on the accompanying site tend to show that a simple control of the input parameters allows to generate sounds whose evocation is coherent, and that the addition of random processes allows to significantly improve the realism of the generated sounds.
Download Energy Based Synthesis of Tension Modulation in Membranes Above a certain amplitude, membrane vibration becomes nonlinear due to the variation of surface tension. This leads to audible pitch glides, which greatly contribute to the characteristic timbre of tom-tom drums of the classical drum set and many other percussion instruments. Therefore, there is a strong motivation to take the tension modulation effect into account in drum synthesis. Some models do already exist that model this phenomenon, however, their computational complexity is significantly higher compared to linear membrane models. This paper applies an efficient methodology previously developed for the string to model the quasistatic part (short-time average) of the surface tension. The efficient modeling is based on the linear relationship between the quasistatic tension and membrane energy, since the energy can be computed at a relatively low computational cost. When this energy-based tension modulation is added to linear membrane models, the perceptually most relevant pitch glides are accurately synthesized, while the increase in computational complexity is negligible.
Download Digital sound synthesis, acoustics and perception: a rich intersection The early years of digital sound synthesis were filled with promise following Max Mathews’ publication in 1963 of his pioneering work at Bell Telephone Laboratories [1]. The digital control of loudspeakers allowed for the production of any conceivable sound given the correct sequence of numbers (samples). Producing the correct sequence of numbers, however, turned out to be a formidable task. Acoustics and psychoacoustics, the first a well-developed field of knowledge and the second less so, did not provide information at the level of detail required to simulate even the simplest sound of an acoustic instrument. The enormous potential of digital synthesis counterpoised with an enormous knowledge deficit were the initial conditions for interdisciplinary research that continues to this day. Discoveries have been made and insights gained that are of consequence in the general field of digital audio.