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Guidelines for Synthetic Spectrum Simulation

The document discusses the challenges and techniques for creating synthetic spectra using an array prototype, emphasizing the importance of amplitude and frequency settings. It suggests that lower frequencies should have higher amplitudes to create more realistic sounds and recommends adding random variations to avoid mechanical buzzes. Specific coding examples are provided for setting amplitudes and frequencies to achieve a more lively and interesting synthetic spectrum.

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Samuel Sacher
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12 views2 pages

Guidelines for Synthetic Spectrum Simulation

The document discusses the challenges and techniques for creating synthetic spectra using an array prototype, emphasizing the importance of amplitude and frequency settings. It suggests that lower frequencies should have higher amplitudes to create more realistic sounds and recommends adding random variations to avoid mechanical buzzes. Specific coding examples are provided for setting amplitudes and frequencies to achieve a more lively and interesting synthetic spectrum.

Uploaded by

Samuel Sacher
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as RTF, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

spectrum from array

I have been getting interesting results when experimenting with the synthetic
spectrum from array prototype lately, but as soon as I start editing the amp or
frequencies window (i.e. changing its default values) I get either temporal
deafness by some unforeseen brutal outburst of noise terror or just uninteresting
hum.

As far as my limited knowledge about this goes, this prototype simulates a


synthetic spectrum sort of like a parametric function right ? Now basically Im
asking if there are any guidelines as to what kinds of spectrums one wants to
simulate here...im guessing random amp and freq entries off the back of ones
head wont cut it here, right ?

Spectra in the physical world tend to have higher amplitudes at the lower
frequencies than at higher frequencies (probably because it takes more energy
to produce those high harmonics). So if you weight the amplitudes of the low
frequencies more than the higher ones, you will tend to get spectra that will
sound more reasonable and not burn your ears out.
For example, if you were to set the Amplitudes array to:

code:

{1 to: 128 collect: [ :i | 1.0 / i]}

then the larger the harmonic number, i, the smaller the amplitude, 1.0/i. In the
SyntheticSpectrumFromArray, set Envelope to a hot control like !Envelope, so
you can attenuate the 128 sine waves.

Then if you set the Frequencies to:

code:

{1 to: 128 collect: [:i | i * !FreqLow hz]}

the frequencies would be harmonics of !FreqLow (integer multiples of a


fundamental of !FreqLow).

Static spectra, no matter what the frequency and amplitude content, quickly end
up sounding like mechanical buzzes. So another tip would be to include a little
random jitter or variation in the amplitudes (and/or frequencies) to make the
sound more "lively". In the physical world, a static spectrum is pretty rare.

For example, if in the Frequencies field you put:

code:

{1 to: 128 collect: [:i | i * !FreqLow hz + ((1 s random smooth: 1 s) * 100 hz)]}

you would have a basic harmonic spectrum but once per second, each harmonic
would have a random number of hertz added to or subtracted from it (plus or
minus 100 hz). The random number is smoothed so you hear the harmonics
sliding around continuously. To reduce the deviation, change 100 hz to a smaller
value like 10 hz (but I like the larger deviations better

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