Designing Percussive Timbre Remappings: Negotiating Audio Representations and Evolving Parameter Spaces
Jordie Shier, Rodrigo Constanzo, Charalampos Saitis, Andrew Robertson, and Andrew McPherson
Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression
- Year: 2025
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Track: Paper
- Pages: 452–461
- Article Number: 66
- DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15698926 (Link to paper and supplementary files)
- PDF Link
Abstract
Timbre remapping is an approach to audio-to-synthesizer parameter mapping that aims to transfer timbral expressions from a source instrument onto synthesizer controls. This process is complicated by the ill-defined nature of timbre and the complex relationship between synthesizer parameters and their sonic output. In this work, we focus on real-time timbre remapping with percussion instruments, combining technical development with practice-based methods to address these challenges. As a technical contribution, we introduce a genetic algorithm - applicable to black-box synthesizers including VSTs and modular synthesizers - to generate datasets of synthesizer presets that vary according to target timbres. Additionally, we propose a neural network-based approach to predict control features from short onset windows, enabling low-latency performance and feature-based control. Our technical development is grounded in musical practice, demonstrating how iterative and collaborative processes can yield insights into open-ended challenges in DMI design. Experiments on various audio representations uncover meaningful insights into timbre remapping by coupling data-driven design with practice-based reflection. This work is accompanied by an annotated portfolio, presenting a series of musical performances and experiments with reflections.
Citation
Jordie Shier, Rodrigo Constanzo, Charalampos Saitis, Andrew Robertson, and Andrew McPherson. 2025. Designing Percussive Timbre Remappings: Negotiating Audio Representations and Evolving Parameter Spaces. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.15698926 [PDF]
BibTeX Entry
@article{nime2025_66, abstract = {Timbre remapping is an approach to audio-to-synthesizer parameter mapping that aims to transfer timbral expressions from a source instrument onto synthesizer controls. This process is complicated by the ill-defined nature of timbre and the complex relationship between synthesizer parameters and their sonic output. In this work, we focus on real-time timbre remapping with percussion instruments, combining technical development with practice-based methods to address these challenges. As a technical contribution, we introduce a genetic algorithm - applicable to black-box synthesizers including VSTs and modular synthesizers - to generate datasets of synthesizer presets that vary according to target timbres. Additionally, we propose a neural network-based approach to predict control features from short onset windows, enabling low-latency performance and feature-based control. Our technical development is grounded in musical practice, demonstrating how iterative and collaborative processes can yield insights into open-ended challenges in DMI design. Experiments on various audio representations uncover meaningful insights into timbre remapping by coupling data-driven design with practice-based reflection. This work is accompanied by an annotated portfolio, presenting a series of musical performances and experiments with reflections.}, address = {Canberra, Australia}, articleno = {66}, author = {Jordie Shier and Rodrigo Constanzo and Charalampos Saitis and Andrew Robertson and Andrew McPherson}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression}, doi = {10.5281/zenodo.15698926}, editor = {Doga Cavdir and Florent Berthaut}, issn = {2220-4806}, month = {June}, numpages = {10}, pages = {452--461}, title = {Designing Percussive Timbre Remappings: Negotiating Audio Representations and Evolving Parameter Spaces}, track = {Paper}, url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2025/nime2025_66.pdf}, year = {2025} }