An experimental investigation of orchestral crotale vibrational modes in water is presented, along with a qualitative virtual mass model describing the observed effects. Changes in frequency, overtone ratio, and mode splitting as a function of water depth are reported for a C(6) crotale using electronic speckle-pattern interferometry. These data are related to perceived changes in pitch and tim...

Some combinations of musical notes are consonant (pleasant), whereas others are dissonant (unpleasant), a distinction central to music. Explanations of consonance in terms of acoustics, auditory neuroscience, and enculturation have been debated for centuries. We utilized individual differences to distinguish the candidate theories. We measured preferences for musical chords as well as nonmusica...

Archeological acoustics is a part of acoustics that studies ancient environments which were dedicated (completely or partly) to sound performing. The combination of this acoustic area in conjunction with room acoustics enables the study of the acoustic evolution of existing buildings (in terms of the historical documentation) or even, make the acoustic reconstruction of rooms which were destroy...

The Australian didjeridu is a deceptively simple instrument acoustically but, because it is closely coupled to the playerÕs vocal tract without an intervening mouthpiece, a skilled player can produce a wide variety of striking musical effects. Measurements and supporting theory elucidate the roles of passive instrument acoustics, lip motion, controllable vocal tract resonances, and active vocal...

Physical models of different Intonarumori, musical instruments invented by the Italian Futurist composer Luigi Russolo, are proposed. The acoustics of the instruments is described, and a physical model to simulate such instruments is proposed. We also introduce the Croaker, a new interface made with Lego which is inspired by Russolo’s original instruments.

Physical modeling is a modern approach to musical acoustics and high-quality sound synthesis of musical instruments. In this paper, a time-domain method is used to measure acoustical properties of wind instruments. The instrument bore is modeled by an acoustical tube and a DSP-based measurement system is used to characterize transmission and reflection functions in the duct. Inverse filtering t...

The art form of manipulating vinyl records done by disc jockeys (DJs) is called scratching, and has become very popular since its start in the seventies. Since then turntables are commonly used as expressive musical instruments in several musical genres. This phenomenon has had a serious impact on the instrument-making industry, as the sales of turntables and related equipment have boosted. Des...

A new technology for music has emerged with unprecedented speed. Just over forty years ago, the first digitally-produced sounds gave pioneering composers from around the world a taste of vast new possibilities. Numerical experiments with sound became a logical extension of compositional interests that were pushing the boundaries of timbre, perception, new instruments and performance techniques,...