Virtual-Acoustic Instrument Design: Exploring the Parameter Space of a String-Plate Model

Sandor Mehes, Maarten van Walstijn, and Paul Stapleton

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

• Year: 2017
• Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
• Pages: 399–403
• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1176296 (Link to paper)
• PDF link

Abstract:

Exploration is an intrinsic element of designing and engaging with acoustic as well as digital musical instruments. This paper reports on the ongoing development of a virtual-acoustic instrument based on a physical model of a string coupled nonlinearly to a plate. The performer drives the model by tactile interaction with a string-board controller fitted with piezo-electric sensors. The string-plate model is formulated in a way that prioritises its parametric explorability. Where the roles of creating performance gestures and designing instruments are traditionally separated, such a design provides a continuum across these domains. The string-plate model, its real-time implementation, and the control interface are described, and the system is preliminarily evaluated through informal observations of how musicians engage with the system.

Citation:

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{smehes2017,
 abstract = {Exploration is an intrinsic element of designing and engaging with acoustic as well as digital musical instruments. This paper reports on the ongoing development of a virtual-acoustic instrument based on a physical model of a string coupled nonlinearly to a plate. The performer drives the model by tactile interaction with a string-board controller fitted with piezo-electric sensors.  The string-plate model is formulated in a way that prioritises its parametric explorability. Where the roles of creating performance gestures and designing instruments are traditionally separated, such a design provides a continuum across these domains. The string-plate model, its real-time implementation, and the control interface are described, and the system is preliminarily evaluated through informal observations of how musicians engage with the system.},
 address = {Copenhagen, Denmark},
 author = {Sandor Mehes and Maarten van Walstijn and Paul Stapleton},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.1176296},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 pages = {399--403},
 publisher = {Aalborg University Copenhagen},
 title = {Virtual-Acoustic Instrument Design: Exploring the Parameter Space of a String-Plate Model},
 url = {http://www.nime.org/proceedings/2017/nime2017_paper0075.pdf},
 year = {2017}
}