TSAM: a tool for analyzing, modeling, and mapping the timbre of sound synthesizers

Synthesis algorithms often have a large number of adjustable parameters that determine the generated sound and its resultant psychoacoustic features. The relationship between parameters and timbre is important for end users, but it is generally unknown, complex, and difficult to analytically derive. In this paper we introduce a strategy for the analysis of the sonic response of synthesizers subject to the variation of an arbitrary set of parameters. We use an extensive set of sound descriptors which are ranked using a novel metric based on statistical analysis. This enables the study of how changes to a synthesis parameter affect timbral descriptors, and provides a multidimensional model for the mapping of the synthesis control through specific timbre spaces. The analysis, modeling and mapping are integrated in the Timbre Space Analyzer & Mapper (TSAM) tool, which enables further investigation into synthesis sonic response and on perceptually related sonic interactions.