Physical Modeling Synthesis Update
Julius O. Smith · Computer Music Journal · 1996
Recent research in physical modeling of musical instruments for purposes of sound synthesis is reviewed. Recent references, results, and outstanding problems are highlighted for models of strings, winds, brasses, percussion, and acoustic spaces. Emphasis is placed on digital waveguide models and the musical acoustics research on which they are based. Introduction A musical instrument should be "alive" in the hands of the performer. A performance is naturally an interaction between the player and the instrument. While the main attributes of each note are predictable from a score, for example, many subtle qualities are not, contributing to the delight of the player and audience. Recently, commercial music synthesizers have been progressing toward more interactive, model-based instruments, and there seems to be growing interest in them among performing Originally published in The Computer Music Journal, vol. 20, no. 2, , pp. 44--56, Summer 1996. musicians. A new breed of "virtual aco...