MoReeSC : a framework for the simulation and analysis of sound production in reed and brass instruments

This paper presents a free and open-source numerical framework for the simulation and the analysis of the sound production in reed and brass instruments. This tool is developed using the freely distributed Python language and libraries, making it available for acoustics student, engineers and researchers involved in musical acoustics. It relies on the modal expansion of the acoustic resonator (the bore of the instrument), the dynamics of the valve (the cane reed or the lips) and of the jet, to provide a compact continuous-time formulation of the sound production mechanism, modelling the bore as a series association of Helmholtz resonators. The computation of the self-sustained oscillations is controlled by time-varying parameters, including the mouth pressure and the player’s embouchure, but the reed and acoustic resonator are also able to evolve during the simulation in order to allow the investigation of transient or non-stationary phenomena. Some examples are given (code is provided within the framework) to show the main features of this tool, such as the ability to handle bifurcations, like oscillation onset or change of regime, and to simulate musical effects.