Sketching sonic interactions by imitation-driven sound synthesis

Sketching is at the core of every design activity. In visual design, pencil and paper are the preferred tools to produce sketches for their simplicity and immediacy. Analogue tools for sonic sketching do not exist yet, although voice and gesture are embodied abilities commonly exploited to communicate sound concepts. The EU project SkAT-VG aims to support vocal sketching with computeraided technologies that can be easily accessed, understood and controlled through vocal and gestural imitations. This imitation-driven sound synthesis approach is meant to overcome the ephemerality and timbral limitations of human voice and gesture, allowing to produce more refined sonic sketches and to think about sound in a more designerly way. This paper presents two main outcomes of the project: The Sound Design Toolkit, a palette of basic sound synthesis models grounded on ecological perception and physical description of sound-producing phenomena, and SkAT-Studio, a visual framework based on sound design workflows organized in stages of input, analysis, mapping, synthesis, and output. The integration of these two software packages provides an environment in which sound designers can go from concepts, through exploration and mocking-up, to prototyping in sonic interaction design, taking advantage of all the possibilities of- fered by vocal and gestural imitations in every step of the process

miMic: The microphone as a pencil

miMic, a sonic analogue of paper and pencil is proposed: An augmented microphone for vocal and gestural sonic sketching. Vocalizations are classified and interpreted as instances of sound models, which the user can play with by vocal and gestural control. The physical device is based on a modified microphone, with embedded inertial sensors and buttons. Sound models can be selected by vocal imitations that are automatically classified, and each model is mapped to vocal and gestural features for real-time control. With miMic, the sound designer can explore a vast sonic space and quickly produce expressive sonic sketches, which may be turned into sound prototypes by further adjustment of model parameters

Cooperative sound design: a protocol analysis

Formal protocol analysis and linkographic representations are well-established approaches in design cognition studies, in the visual domain. We introduce the method and tools in the auditory domain, by analysing a case of collaborative sound design. We show how they can provide relevant qualitative and quantitative information about the efficiency of the creative process

Multisensory texture exploration at the tip of the pen

A tool for the multisensory stylus-based exploration of virtual textures was used to investigate how different feedback modalities (static or dynamically deformed images, vibration, sound) affect exploratory gestures. To this end, we ran an experiment where participants had to steer a path with the stylus through a curved corridor on the surface of a graphic tablet/display, and we measured steering time, dispersion of trajectories, and applied force. Despite the variety of subjective impressions elicited by the different feedback conditions, we found that only nonvisual feedback induced significant variations in trajectories and an increase in movement time. In a post-experiment, using a paper-and-wood physical realization of the same texture, we recorded a variety of gestural behaviors markedly different from those found with the virtual texture. With the physical setup, movement time was shorter and texture-dependent lateral accelerations could be observed. This work highlights the limits of multisensory pseudo-haptic techniques in the exploration of surface textures

Reverberation still in business : Thickening and propagating micro-textures in physics-based sound modeling

Artificial reverberation is usually introduced, as a digital audio effect, to give a sense of enclosing architectural space. In this paper we argue about the effectiveness and usefulness of diffusive reverberators in physically-inspired sound synthesis. Examples are given for the synthesis of textural sounds, as they emerge from solid mechanical interactions, as well as from aerodynamic and liquid phenomena

A design exploration on the effectiveness of vocal imitations

Among sonic interaction design practices a rising interest is given to the use of the voice as a tool for producing fast and rough sketches. Goal of the EU project SkAT-VG (Sketching Audio Technologies using Vocalization and Gestures, 2014-2016) is to develop vocal sketching as a reference practice for sound design by (i) improving our understanding on how sounds are communicated through vocalizations and gestures, (ii) looking for physical relations between vocal sounds and sound-producing phenomena, (iii) designing tools for converting vocalizations and gestures into parametrized sound models. We present the preliminary outcomes of a vocal sketching workshop held at the Conservatory of Padova, Italy. Research through design activities focused on how teams of potential designers make use of vocal imitations, and how morphological attributes of sound may inform the training of basic vocal techniques

To “Sketch-a-Scratch”

A surface can be harsh and raspy, or smooth and silky, and everything in between. We are used to sense these features with our fingertips as well as with our eyes and ears: the exploration of a surface is a multisensory experience. Tools, too, are often employed in the interaction with surfaces, since they augment our manipulation capabilities. “Sketch-a-Scratch” is a tool for the multisensory exploration and sketching of surface textures. The user’s actions drive a physical sound model of real materials’ response to interactions such as scraping, rubbing or rolling. Moreover, different input signals can be converted into 2D visual surface profiles, thus enabling to experience them visually, aurally and haptically

Physically informed car engine sound synthesis for virtual and augmented environments

The richness of crossmodal feedback in car driving makes it an engaging, complex, yet “natural” activity. Audition plays an important role, as the engine sound, perceived in the cabin, conveys relevant cues about the vehicle motion. In this paper, we introduce a procedural and physically informed model for synthetic combustion engine sound, as an effective, flexible and computationally efficient alternative to sample-based and analysis/resynthesis approaches. The sound model, currently being developed as Max/MSP external, has been integrated in GeneCars, a driving simulator environment for industrial sound design, and SkAT Studio, a demonstration framework for the rapid creation of audio processing workflows

SELEKSI KETAHANAN BEBERAPA GENOTIPE PADI TERHADAP PENYAKIT HAWAR DAUN BAKTERIRN(XANTHOMONAS ORYZAE PV. ORYZAE)

WIRA HADIANTO. Seleksi ketahanan beberapa genotype padi terhadap penyakit hawar daun bakteri (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae), dibawah bimbingan Bakhtiar sebagai pembimbing ketua dan Lukman Hakim sebagai pembimbing anggota.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan mendapatkan genotipe padi yang tahan terhadap penyakit hawar daun bakteri (HDB). Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di rumah plastic Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, mulai bulan Februari 2014 sampai Januari 2015. Inokulum daun padi yang terinfeksi HDB dikumpulkan dari Gampong Blang Kecamatan Blang Bintang Kabupaten Aceh Besar, pada musim tanam 2013/2014. Semua bahan tanam (71 genotipe), masing-masing terdiri atas 5 tanaman dalam 1 ulangan dan diulang 3 kali. Penanaman dilakukan dalam bak plastic dan ditempatkan dalam rumah plastic Fakultas Pertanian Unsyiah Banda Aceh. Inokulasi bakteri dilakukan dengan cara pengguntingan daun padi untuk pelukaan sebagai jalan masuk bagi infeksi bakteri pada saat tanaman berumur 42 hari setelah tanam (HST). Pengamatan percobaan 1 dilakukan terhadap periode inkubasi dan panjang lesio. Percobaan 2 dilakukan untuk mengevaluasi reaksi ketahanan terhadap bakteri Xoo. Varietas yang tahan terhadap HDB pada fase vegetatif ditanam kembali dalam pot dengan menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) non factorial dengan 3 ulangan. Adapun peubah-peubah yang diamati meliputi tinggi tanaman dan jumlah anakan umur 15, 30, 45 dan 60 HST, umur berbunga, tinggi tanaman saat panen, jumlah anakan produktif, umur panen, panjang malai, jumlah biji per malai, presentase gabah bernas, presentase gabah hampa, bobot 1000 butir gabah dan berat biji per pot.Percobaan 1. Uji hipersensitivitas menunjukkan bahwa gejala penyakit (nekrosis) terlihat jelas akibat terinfeksi bakteri Xoo yang diamati 48 jam setelah penyuntikan. Masa inkubasi paling lama dijumpai pada IR-BB27, Limboto, Inpari 10, Situ Patenggang, Sirendeh Semantuk Wayla, Tamboen, Sepasie, Bontok dan Arias. Genotipe yang menunjukkan reaksi tahan terhadap HDB dengan tingkat keparahan penyakit berdasarkan panjang lesio adalah IR-BB27, Inpari 1, Limboto, Tuwoti, Inpari 10, Lekat Rambot Linuet, Rom Mokot, Paki Gajah, Tamboen, Bo 100, Sipasie, Bo Minyek, Bontok, Sirendeh Semantuk Wayla dan Sambei.Percobaan 2. Berdasarkan seleksi terhadap 7 genotipe yang menunjukkan reaksi tahan pada fase vegetatif yaitu genotipe Rom Mokot, Situ Bagendit, Tamboen, Towuti dan IR-BB27. Namun pada fase generatif yaitu genotipe IR-BB27 menunjukkan reaksi tahan, dua genotipe agak tahan terhadap bakteri Xoo yaitu Rom Mokot dan Tamboen. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa genotipe berpengaruh sangat nyata terhadap tinggi tanaman umur 30, 45, 60 HST, tinggiiitanaman saat panen, jumlah anakan umur 15, 30, 45, 60 HST, jumlah anakan produktif, umur berbunga, umur panen, jumlah biji per malai, persentase gabah berisi, persentase gabah hampa, berat 1000 butir dan berat biji per pot. Namun berpengaruh tidak nyata terhadap tinggi tanaman umur 15 HST dan panjang malai. Hasil terbaik berdasarkan berat 1000 butir gabah dijumpai pada genotipe Towuti dan berat biji per pot dijumpai pada genotipe IR-64.Kata kunci : Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, hawar daun bakteri, genotipe padi.Banda Ace

Improving the Analog Ensemble Wind Speed Forecasts for Rare Events

Abstract An analog-based ensemble technique, the analog ensemble (AnEn), has been applied successfully to generate probabilistic predictions of meteorological variables, wind and solar power, energy demand, and the optimal bidding in the day-ahead energy market. The AnEn method uses a historical time series of past forecasts from a meteorological model or other prediction systems and observations of the quantity to be predicted. For each forecast lead time, the ensemble set of predictions is a set of observations from the past. These observations are those concurrent with the past forecasts at the same lead time, chosen across the past runs most similar to the current forecast. Recent applications have demonstrated that the AnEn introduces a conditional negative bias when predicting events in the right tail of the forecast distribution of wind speed, particularly when the training dataset is short. This underestimation increases when the predicted event occurs less frequently in the available historical data. A new bias correction for the AnEn using wind observations from more than 500 U.S. stations is tested to reduce the AnEn's underestimation of rare events. It is shown that the conditional negative bias introduced by the AnEn in its standard application is significantly reduced by our novel approach. Also, the overall probabilistic AnEn performances improve when predicting wind speed higher than 10 m s−1 as demonstrated by lower values of the continuous ranked probability score. These improvements can be attributed to an increased reliability achieved by introducing the proposed bias correction algorithm