Virtual-Acoustic Instrument Design: Exploring the Parameter Space of a String-Plate Model

摘要

Exploration is an intrinsic element of designing and engagingwith acoustic as well as digital musical instruments.This paper reports on the ongoing development of an explorativevirtual-acoustic instrument based on simulationof the vibrations of a string coupled nonlinearly to a plate.The performer drives the model by tactile interaction witha string-board controller fitted with piezo-electric sensors.The string-plate model is formulated in a way that prioritisesits parametric explorability. Where the roles of creatingperformance gestures and designing instruments aretraditionally separated, such a design provides a continuumacross these domains, with retainment of instrument physicality.The string-plate model, its real-time implementation,and the control interface are described, and the systemis preliminarily evaluated through informal observations ofhow musicians engage with the system.