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

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

Sandor Mehes, Maarten van Walstijn, and Paul Stapleton. 2017. Virtual-Acoustic Instrument Design: Exploring the Parameter Space of a String-Plate Model. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1176296

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}
}