Numerical Sound Synthesis

Digital sound synthesis has long been approached using standard digital filtering techniques. Newer synthesis strategies, however, make use of physical descriptions of musical instruments, and allow for much more realistic and complex sound production and thereby synthesis becomes a problem of simulation. This book has a special focus on time domain finite difference methods presented within an audio framework. It covers time series and difference operators, and basic tools for the construction and analysis of finite difference schemes, including frequency-domain and energy-based methods, with special attention paid to problems inherent to sound synthesis. Various basic lumped systems and excitation mechanisms are covered, followed by a look at the 1D wave equation, linear bar and string vibration, acoustic tube modelling, and linear membrane and plate vibration. Various advanced topics, such as the nonlinear vibration of strings and plates, are given an elaborate treatment. Key features: Includes a historical overview of digital sound synthesis techniques, highlighting the links between the various physical modelling methodologies. A pedagogical presentation containing over 150 problems and programming exercises, and numerous figures and diagrams, and code fragments in the MATLAB® programming language helps the reader with limited experience of numerical methods reach an understanding of this subject. Offers a complete treatment of all of the major families of musical instruments, including certain audio effects. Numerical Sound Synthesis is suitable for audio and software engineers, and researchers in digital audio, sound synthesis and more general musical acoustics. Graduate students in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or computer science, working on the more technical side of digital audio and sound synthesis, will also find this book of interest.

Virtual environments such as games and animated and "real" movies require realistic sound effects that can be integrated by computer synthesis. The book emphasizes physical modeling of sound and focuses on real-world interactive sound effects. It is intended for game developers, graphics programmers, developers of virtual reality systems and traini

This book gives a broad overview of research on sound simulation driven by a variety of applications. Vibrating objects produce sound, which then propagates through a medium such as air or water before finally being heard by a listener. As a crucial sensory channel, sound plays a vital role in many applications. There is a well-established research community in acoustics that has studied the problems related to sound simulation for six decades. Some of the earliest work was motivated by the design of concert halls, theaters, or lecture rooms with good acoustic characteristics. These problems also have been investigated in other applications, including noise control and sound design for urban planning, building construction, and automotive applications. Moreover, plausible or realistic sound effects can improve the sense of presence in a virtual environment or a game. In these applications, sound can provide important clues such as source directionality and spatial size. The book first surveys various sound synthesis methods, including harmonic synthesis, texture synthesis, spectral analysis, and physics-based synthesis. Next, it provides an overview of sound propagation techniques, including wave-based methods, geometric-based methods, and hybrid methods. The book also summarizes various techniques for sound rendering. Finally, it surveys some recent trends, including the use of machine learning methods to accelerate sound simulation and the use of sound simulation techniques for other applications such as speech recognition, source localization, and computer-aided design.

This book considers signal processing and physical modeling meth ods for sound synthesis. Such methods are useful for example in mu sic synthesizers, computer sound cards, and computer games. Physical modeling synthesis has been commercialized for the first time about 10 years ago. Recently, it has been one of the most active research topics in musical acoustics and computer music. The authors of this book, Dr. Lutz Trautmann and Dr. Rudolf Rabenstein, are active researchers and inventors in the field of sound synthesis. Together they have developed a new synthesis technique, called the functional transformation method, which can be used for pro ducing musical sound in real time. Before this book, they have published over 20 papers on the topic in journals and conference proceedings. In this excellent textbook, the results are combined in a single volume. I believe that this will be considered an important step forward for the whole community.

Sound Synthesis and Sampling' provides a comprehensive introduction to the underlying principles and practical techniques applied to both commercial and research sound synthesizers. This new edition has been updated throughout to reflect current needs and practices- revised and placed in a modern context, providing a guide to the theory of sound and sampling in the context of software and hardware that enables sound making. For the revised edition emphasis is on expanding explanations of software and computers, new sections include techniques for making sound physically, sections within analog and digital electronics. Martin Russ is well known and the book praised for its highly readable and non-mathematical approach making the subject accessible to readers starting out on computer music courses or those working in a studio.

This comprehensive introduction to software synthesis techniques and programming is intended for students, researchers, musicians, sound artists and enthusiasts in the field of music technology. The art of sound synthesis is as important for the electronic musician as the art of orchestration is important for symphonic music composers. Those who wish to create their own virtual orchestra of electronic instruments and produce original sounds will find this book invaluable. It examines a variety of synthesis techniques and illustrates how to turn a personal computer into a powerful and flexible sound synthesiser. The book also discusses a number of ongoing developments that may play an important role in the future of electronic music making. Previously published as Computer Sound Synthesis for the Electronic Musician, this second edition features a foreword by Jean-Claude Risset and provides new information on: · the latest directions in digital sound representation · advances in physical modelling techniques · granular and pulsar synthesis · PSOLA technique · humanoid voice synthesis · artificial intelligence · evolutionary computing The accompanying CD-ROM contains examples, complementary tutorials and a number of synthesis systems for PC and Macintosh platforms, ranging from low level synthesis programming languages to graphic front-ends for instrument and sound design. These include fully working packages, demonstration versions of commercial software and experimental programs from top research centres in Europe, North and South America.

Musical Performance covers many aspects like Musical Acoustics, Music Psychology, or motor and prosodic actions. It deals with basic concepts of the origin or music and its evolution, ranges over neurocognitive foundations, and covers computational, technological, or simulation solutions. This volume gives an overview about current research in the foundation of musical performance studies on all these levels. Recent concepts of synchronized systems, evolutionary concepts, basic understanding of performance as Gestalt patterns, theories of chill as performance goals or historical aspects are covered. The neurocognitive basis of motor action in terms of music, musical syntax, as well as therapeutic aspects are discussed. State-of-the-art applications in performance realizations, like virtual room acoustics, virtual musicians, new concepts of real-time physical modeling using complex performance data as input or sensor and gesture studies with soft- and hardware solutions are presented. So although the field is still much larger, this volume presents current trends in terms of understanding, implementing, and perceiving performance.