Developing a flexible and expressive realtime polyphonic wave terrain synthesis instrument based on a visual and multidimensional methodology

The Jitter extended library for Max/MSP is distributed with a gamut of tools for the generation, processing, storage, and visual display of multidimensional data structures. With additional support for a wide range of media types, and the interaction between these mediums, the environment presents a perfect working ground for Wave Terrain Synthesis. This research details the practical development of a realtime Wave Terrain Synthesis instrument within the Max/MSP programming environment utilizing the Jitter extended library. Various graphical processing routines are explored in relation to their potential use for Wave Terrain Synthesis

ethologies of synthetic memory and collective imagination

Elektronische Version der gedr. Ausg. 199

Sample-level sound synthesis with recurrent neural networks and conceptors

Conceptors are a recent development in the field of reservoir computing; they can be used to influence the dynamics of recurrent neural networks (RNNs), enabling generation of arbitrary patterns based on training data. Conceptors allow interpolation and extrapolation between patterns, and also provide a system of boolean logic for combining patterns together. Generation and manipulation of arbitrary patterns using conceptors has significant potential as a sound synthesis method for applications in computer music but has yet to be explored. Conceptors are untested with the generation of multi-timbre audio patterns, and little testing has been done on scalability to longer patterns required for audio. A novel method of sound synthesis based on conceptors is introduced. Conceptular Synthesis is based on granular synthesis; sets of conceptors are trained to recall varying patterns from a single RNN, then a runtime mechanism switches between them, generating short patterns which are recombined into a longer sound. The quality of sound resynthesis using this technique is experimentally evaluated. Conceptor models are shown to resynthesise audio with a comparable quality to a close equivalent technique using echo state networks with stored patterns and output feedback. Conceptor models are also shown to excel in their malleability and potential for creative sound manipulation, in comparison to echo state network models which tend to fail when the same manipulations are applied. Examples are given demonstrating creative sonic possibilities, by exploiting conceptor pattern morphing, boolean conceptor logic and manipulation of RNN dynamics. Limitations of conceptor models are revealed with regards to reproduction quality, and pragmatic limitations are also shown, where rises in computation and memory requirements preclude the use of these models for training with longer sound samples. The techniques presented here represent an initial exploration of the sound synthesis potential of conceptors, demonstrating possible creative applications in sound design; future possibilities and research questions are outlined

Compositions Utilizing Fractal Flame Algorithms

“Music, by its very abstract nature, is the first of the arts to have attempted reconciliation of artistic creation with scientific thought” – Xenakis, 1992 This portfolio explores how the iterative and recursive processes employed within fractal flame algorithms can be used to create new and aesthetically pleasing micro and macro sounds from which coherent compositions can be created. A variety of existing electronic compositional procedures, including wave-set substitution and granular synthesis, as well as a number of classical compositional practices, such as hocketing, are deployed to generate a complex and diverse set of compositions. The portfolio shows how marrying these sound manipulating techniques and compositional processes with the sonic events produced by the unexplored field of fractal flame algorithms has allowed me to generate – in the words of Iannis Xenakis – ‘sounds that have never existed before’. The portfolio shows the creative potential fractal flame programs have for electronic music generation and how they offer a terra nova (new earth) upon which computergenerated music can lay down solid foundations and expand in new directions to harvest exciting results

Non-Standard Sound Synthesis with Dynamic Models

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.This Thesis proposes three main objectives: (i) to provide the concept of a new generalized non-standard synthesis model that would provide the framework for incorporating other non-standard synthesis approaches; (ii) to explore dynamic sound modeling through the application of new non-standard synthesis techniques and procedures; and (iii) to experiment with dynamic sound synthesis for the creation of novel sound objects. In order to achieve these objectives, this Thesis introduces a new paradigm for non-standard synthesis that is based in the algorithmic assemblage of minute wave segments to form sound waveforms. This paradigm is called Extended Waveform Segment Synthesis (EWSS) and incorporates a hierarchy of algorithmic models for the generation of microsound structures. The concepts of EWSS are illustrated with the development and presentation of a novel non-standard synthesis system, the Dynamic Waveform Segment Synthesis (DWSS). DWSS features and combines a variety of algorithmic models for direct synthesis generation: list generation and permutation, tendency masks, trigonometric functions, stochastic functions, chaotic functions and grammars. The core mechanism of DWSS is based in an extended application of Cellular Automata. The potential of the synthetic capabilities of DWSS is explored in a series of Case Studies where a number of sound object were generated revealing (i) the capabilities of the system to generate sound morphologies belonging to other non-standard synthesis approaches and, (ii) the capabilities of the system of generating novel sound objects with dynamic morphologies. The introduction of EWSS and DWSS is preceded by an extensive and critical overview on the concepts of microsound synthesis, algorithmic composition, the two cultures of computer music, the heretical approach in composition, non- standard synthesis and sonic emergence along with the thorough examination of algorithmic models and their application in sound synthesis and electroacoustic composition. This Thesis also proposes (i) a new definition for “algorithmic composition”, (ii) the term “totalistic algorithmic composition”, and (iii) four discrete aspects of non-standard synthesis

The Fricative Sound Source Spectrum Derived From a Vocal Tract Analog.

The applications of speech synthesis for computer voice response and speech analysis present the need for highly intelligible and natural synthesized speech. In order to improve the synthesis of fricative and related sounds, the use of simple models for the source spectrum of fricative sounds is investigated. The investigation is based on the use of a vocal tract analog and experimental measurements. Measurements of the sound pressure spectra of fricative consonants are made. Simple sound pressure measurements and measurements based on the technique for measuring intensity are utilized. The fricatives studied are /f/, /th/, /s/, /sh/, and /h/. Fricative sound source spectra are determined by applying an inverse filter to the measured fricative sound pressure spectra. The inverse filtering function is derived from a vocal tract analog. The resulting fricative source spectra are fit to a truncated Fourier series. The results show that structure is evident in all the source spectra except /f/. The presence of structure was related to turbulent flows. The structure of turbulent flows is relevant since fricative sound production is induced by turbulence. The structure of turbulent flows with Reynolds number near the critical Reynolds number is dependent on the initial conditions, the boundary conditions, and on the nonlinearity of the Navier Stokes equations. These three factors are tied together by bifurcation theory which is used to explain the structure present in the fricative source spectra. Also, the possibility that the structure is a by-product of the vocal tract analog is allowed. In any case, the structure evident in the source spectra indicates the use of simple models for the source spectra of fricative sounds is in error or the vocal tract analog requires revision. The fricative source spectra determined in this study can be used in future speech synthesizers. Also, the same procedure employed in this study can be used for speech analysis of speech impaired subjects

Digital Signal Processing Research Program

Contains table of contents for Section 2, an introduction and reports on fourteen research projects.U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-91-J-1628Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-89-J-1489MIT - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint ProgramLockheed Sanders, Inc./U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research Contract N00014-91-C-0125U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research Grant AFOSR-91-0034U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research Grant N00014-91-J-1628AT&T Laboratories Doctoral Support ProgramNational Science Foundation Fellowshi

Precis of neuroconstructivism: how the brain constructs cognition

Neuroconstructivism: How the Brain Constructs Cognition proposes a unifying framework for the study of cognitive development that brings together (1) constructivism (which views development as the progressive elaboration of increasingly complex structures), (2) cognitive neuroscience (which aims to understand the neural mechanisms underlying behavior), and (3) computational modeling (which proposes formal and explicit specifications of information processing). The guiding principle of our approach is context dependence, within and (in contrast to Marr [1982]) between levels of organization. We propose that three mechanisms guide the emergence of representations: competition, cooperation, and chronotopy; which themselves allow for two central processes: proactivity and progressive specialization. We suggest that the main outcome of development is partial representations, distributed across distinct functional circuits. This framework is derived by examining development at the level of single neurons, brain systems, and whole organisms. We use the terms encellment, embrainment, and embodiment to describe the higher-level contextual influences that act at each of these levels of organization. To illustrate these mechanisms in operation we provide case studies in early visual perception, infant habituation, phonological development, and object representations in infancy. Three further case studies are concerned with interactions between levels of explanation: social development, atypical development and within that, developmental dyslexia. We conclude that cognitive development arises from a dynamic, contextual change in embodied neural structures leading to partial representations across multiple brain regions and timescales, in response to proactively specified physical and social environment

Leadership as role and relationship in social dynamics: An exploratory study seeking a leadership archetype

Previous research on leadership as archetype considered archetype as metaphor and not as it is understood in other literatures as a collectively accepted and defined role within and across cultures. Archetypical theories are posited as useful because they help us understand universal aspects of human behavior; however, empirical research demonstrating archetypical thinking and behavior remains rare. Accordingly, this phenomenological study investigated whether a leadership archetype exists as a shared cognitive template and if so, what characteristics define it. The theoretical framework used to examine the phenomenon of leadership combined leadership theory, philosophy of the mind, Jungian psychology, social constructionist theory, and neuro-linguistic programming. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews from a convenience sample of 10 Midwestern subjects belonging to professional and social organizations and having an expressed interest in leadership. Interviews were coded and sequentially analyzed using a semiotic--phenomenological method that included thematic descriptions, reduction, and interpretation. Results failed to identify an archetypical view of a leader, but identified choice and attribution as key elements in selecting leaders and accepting their leadership. These findings suggested an explanation of leadership as a group consensus that emerges through a dynamic process rather than solely from leader behavior. Implications for positive social change result from the study\u27s contribution toward further understanding of the psychology of leader selection and follower behavior. Given the multiplicity of existing leadership models, the insights gained from this research contribute to the scholarly literature highlighting group-dynamic influences and can lead to improvements in leadership training and leadership development outcomes

Models and analysis of vocal emissions for biomedical applications

This book of Proceedings collects the papers presented at the 3rd International Workshop on Models and Analysis of Vocal Emissions for Biomedical Applications, MAVEBA 2003, held 10-12 December 2003, Firenze, Italy. The workshop is organised every two years, and aims to stimulate contacts between specialists active in research and industrial developments, in the area of voice analysis for biomedical applications. The scope of the Workshop includes all aspects of voice modelling and analysis, ranging from fundamental research to all kinds of biomedical applications and related established and advanced technologies