Eigensynth: Derivative Beat Box

Eigensynth is a novel synthesis engine for extracting and generating rhythms. The idea being that the user trains the synthesizer with drumming samples instead of programming them in a traditional paradigm. Rhythms are extracted using signal processing techniques, normalized and then sent for analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The original rhythms are projected into this PCA allowing for recovery at a later time. What is exciting about Eigensynth is not its ability to recreate the original rhythms, but its ability to generate new rhythms that are related to the original training samples. The result is a drum machine like synthesizer that can generate an incredibly large number of rhythmic patterns from a small set of seed examples. The User can interact with the PCA space in real time using a midi controller and/or the GUI.