Sound Examples
On this page, you can find some sound examples from the simulations. Most of them are just experiments and are not intended to be too realistic so long as the project is ongoing. Realistic sound synthesis is a complicated business! But you'll be surprised to hear how natural some of the sounds are.
Showcase
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Here's a series of three plucks of increasing intensity. The slight nonlinearity in the string changes the tonal properties of the synthesis
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The same series of plucks is used on two strings tuned at different pitches
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Two plucks are applied to a string connected linearly to two more strings. You can hear the sympathetic resonances in the background.
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Same as above, but with slightly increased nonlinear parameters enhancing the sympathetic resonances and the energy exchanges across the strings
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A series of short percussive sounds are used into a system of two prepared strings, connected through a nonlinear rattling element
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Same as above, different strings
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This is a mock example of a harpsichord sound, not including the soundboard. The piece was recorded by using a single Matlab-generated sample loaded into Apple's Logic Sampler. The piece was played through a MIDI score. You will notice the absence of articulation, transitions and some artificial quality, which we will account for once the full instrument is available.
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Same as above, but with different string stiffness and pluck parameters, perhaps closer to what you'd expect a harpsichord to sound like.
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Here is a rendition of the famous piece by Debussy from Suite Bergamasque. The piece is played using a real-time model of interconnected strings. Unlike the previous examples, we could perform some gestural control and velocity variation here since the model is implemented in VST form.