Composing instrument control dynamics
Composing instrument control dynamics
The expression gestural mapping is well imbedded in the language of instrument designers, describing the function from interface control parameters to synthesis control parameters. This function is in most cases implicitly assumed to be instantaneous, so that at any time its output depends only on its input at that time. Here more general functions are considered, in which the output depends on the history of input, especially functions that behave like physical dynamic systems, such as a damped resonator. Acoustic instruments are rich in dynamical behaviour. Introducing dynamics at the control stage of an electronic instrument can help compensate for lack of dynamics in later non-physical synthesis stages. A broadening of the function space offers new aesthetic possibilities for composing instruments. Examples are presented to illustrate the new design/composition mode as well as practical techniques. In this context, it is suggested that the word mapping be updated with the more descriptive expression dynamic control processing.
255-266
Menzies, Dylan
0cc76abc-8a10-4b7f-96e5-56eceb0b2c5c
December 2002
Menzies, Dylan
0cc76abc-8a10-4b7f-96e5-56eceb0b2c5c
Abstract
The expression gestural mapping is well imbedded in the language of instrument designers, describing the function from interface control parameters to synthesis control parameters. This function is in most cases implicitly assumed to be instantaneous, so that at any time its output depends only on its input at that time. Here more general functions are considered, in which the output depends on the history of input, especially functions that behave like physical dynamic systems, such as a damped resonator. Acoustic instruments are rich in dynamical behaviour. Introducing dynamics at the control stage of an electronic instrument can help compensate for lack of dynamics in later non-physical synthesis stages. A broadening of the function space offers new aesthetic possibilities for composing instruments. Examples are presented to illustrate the new design/composition mode as well as practical techniques. In this context, it is suggested that the word mapping be updated with the more descriptive expression dynamic control processing.
Text
menzies03_composingInstrumentControlDynamics-withFigs.pdf
- Author's Original
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Published date: December 2002
Organisations:
Acoustics Group
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Local EPrints ID: 371713
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/371713
ISSN: 1469-8153
PURE UUID: f09d8e2a-9779-4aa3-8792-92a98b7d87fd
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Date deposited: 27 Jul 2015 09:31
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 18:24
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