A Comparative Latency Study of Hardware and Software Pitch-Trackers

Abstract

In this empirical study, results show that recently developed software pitch-trackers can be as fast as some current commercial hardware pitch-trackers. Since latency was the most crucial factor in the performability of the ZETA system, comparative analyses were made of the ZETA and the AXON interfaces, as well as the fiddle~ object, a real-time audio analysis tool in the Opcode's MAX/MSP environment on a 400MHz G3. A RetroPak-fitted ZETA violin was used to provide the audio input. The audio signal emitted by the ZETA pickup was sent independently to the ZETA VC--225 Violin MIDI Controller interface, the AXON AX--100 guitar interface, and the fiddle~ object, to be analyzed by their pitch-tracking algorithms. Both plucked and bowed (legato) articulations of the violin's open G and E strings were used as stimuli. Once the pitch was analyzed, the interfaces and the fiddle~ object triggered a MIDI xylophone sound sample on a K2000R synthesizer. Both the acoustic audio signal and the output..