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Go at your own pace
9 Sessions / 8-10 hours of work per session
Price
Free
Included w/ premium membership ($20/month)
Skill Level
Intermediate
Video Transcripts
English, Spanish; Castilian, Chinese, Portuguese
Topics
Chuck, Synthesis, Physical Modeling, Waveguide Models, Voice Models, Digital Audio

Not available for purchase in India

Open for Enrollment

Physics-Based Sound Synthesis for Games and Interactive Systems

Open for Enrollment
You can also start immediately after joining!

Would you like to enroll?

Enrollment for this course has closed. But you can enroll in a future offering (please select)

Enrollment has closed

Go at your own pace
9 Sessions / 8-10 hours of work per session
Price
Free
Included w/ premium membership ($20/month)
Skill Level
Intermediate
Video Transcripts
English, Spanish; Castilian, Chinese, Portuguese
Topics
Chuck, Synthesis, Physical Modeling, Waveguide Models, Voice Models, Digital Audio

Not available for purchase in India

Course Description

This course introduces the basics of Digital Signal Processing and computational acoustics, motivated by the vibrational physics of real-world objects and systems. We will build from a simple mass-spring and pendulum to demonstrate oscillation, learn how to simulate those systems in the computer, and also prove that these simple oscillations behave as a sine wave. From that we move to plucked strings and struck bars, showing both solutions as combined traveling waves and combined sine wave harmonics. We continue to build and simulate more complex systems containing many vibrating objects and resonators (stringed instruments, drum, plate), and also learn how to simulate echos and room reverberation. Through this process, we will learn about digital signals, filters, oscillators, harmonics, spectral analysis, linear and non-linear systems, particle models, and all the necessary building blocks to synthesize essentially any sound. The free open-source software provided will make it possible for anyone to use physical models in their art-making, game or movie sound, or any other application.

Reviews
schedule

This course is in adaptive mode and is open for enrollment. Learn more about adaptive courses here.

Session 1: The Time Domain: Sound, Digital Audio, PCM files, Noise vs. Pitch, a Hint of Spectra (April 2, 2024)
a) Sound in Air, Traveling Waves b) Digital Audio, Sampling, Quantization, Aliasing c) Soundfiles, Wavetables, Manipulating PCM d) Pitch (vs. Noise), Spectral Analysis 0.1 e) Time-domain Pitch/Noise Detection: ZeroXings, AMDF, Autocorrelation
6 lessons
1. Physics Based Sound Synthesis and DSP COURSE Intro
2. Sound, Digital Audio, PCM files, the Time Domain and a Hint of Spectra
3. Julius Smith, What is DSP, and Why is it Important?
4. Pitch vs. Noise, Intro to Spectral Analysis I
5. Time Domain Features and DSP
6. Assignment 1
Session 2: Physics, Oscillators, Sines & Spectra, Spectral/Additive Synthesis (April 9, 2024)
a) Mass-Spring-Damper system, also simple Pendulum b) Fourier analysis/synthesis, Spectrum Analysis 1.0 c) More on additive Sine-wave synthesis
6 lessons
1. Physics, Oscillators, Sine Waves & Spectra, Sine/Spectral Synthesis
2. Mass-Spring Damper System, also Simple Pendulum
3. Fourier Analysis/Synthesis Spectrum Analysis II1
4. Fourier Analysis and the Fourier Transform
5. Additive Sine-wave (Fourier) Synthesis
6. Assignment 2
Session 3: Digital Filters, Modal Synthesis (April 16, 2024)
a) Digital Filters, Finite Impulse Response (FIR) b) Linearity, Time-invariance, Convolution c) Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) Digital Filters d) BiQuad Resonator Filter, Modal Synthesis
10 lessons
1. Digital Filters and Modal Synthesis
2. The Two Point Moving Average Filter
3. Changing the Sign
4. Averaging More Past Input Samples
5. Arbitrary Weights on Delayed Samples
6. The Impulse Response
7. Linearity, Time-invariance, Impulse Response, and Convolution
8. Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) Digital Filters
9. The BiQuad Resonator Filter and Modal Synthesis
10. Assignment 3
Session 4: Physical Modeling Synthesis: 1D systems (April 23, 2024)
a) 1-D systems, Strings, Modal (Fourier) Solution b) Strings II: Waveguide (D’Alembert) Solution c) 1-D systems, Bars, Tubes, solutions d) Advanced Waveguide Synthesis for 1-D systems
6 lessons
1. Physical Modeling Synthesis: 1D Systems
2. 1-D Systems, Strings, Modal (Fourier) Solution
3. Strings II: Waveguide (D'Alembert Solution)
4. Karplus Strong in Code
5. More 1-D Systems, Bars, Tubes, Solutions
6. Assignment 4
Session 5: Physical Modeling II: 2 and 3-D Systems (April 30, 2024)
a) 2-D systems, plates, drums, higher-order modes Fourier (Sine and/or Modal) Solutions, Waveguide Solutions b) 3-D systems, rooms, resonators, Meshes, Waveguides c) Resonator/Modal view and solution of 3-D systems Pop bottles and other lumped resonators
7 lessons
1. Physical Modeling II: Waves/Modes in 2D and 3D
2. 2D Systems: Drums and Plates
3. Boundary conditions Fourier Modal Synthesis
4. Residual Extraction and Excitation
5. 3-D systems, Rooms, Waveguide Synthesis
6. More 3D systems
7. Assignment 5
Session 6: Subtractive Synthesis, Vocal Sounds and Models (May 7, 2024)
a)  Subtractive Synthesis, Voice Synthesis, Formants b) Linear Prediction, LPC c) FOFs d) FM Synthesis: Horns, Bells, Voices
6 lessons
1. Subtractive Synthesis: Vocal Sounds
2. Voice Synthesis: Formants, Formant Synthesizers
3. Linear Predictive Coding
4. Formant Wave Functions (FOFs in French)
5. Frequency Modulation (FM) Synthesis
6. Assignment 6
Session 7: Grains, Particles and Statistical Models (May 14, 2024)
a) Wavelets b) Granular Synthesis c) Particle Models, Statistical Modal Synthesis d) Wind, Water, Surf, and Other Whooshing Sounds
6 lessons
1. Grains, Particles and Statistical Models
2. Wavelets
3. Granular Synthesis
4. Particle Models, Statistical Modal Synthesis
5. Wind, Water, Surf, and Other Whooshing Sounds
6. Assignment 7
Session 8: Extending and Refining Physical Synthesis Models (May 21, 2024)
a) Waveshaping Synthesis, Distortion Modeling b) Time-Varying Systems c) Stiffness, All-Pass Filters, Banded Waveguides d) Commuted Synthesis e) JULIUS on KS, strings, demos
7 lessons
1. Extended and Refining Physical Synthesis Models
2. Waveshaping Synthesis
3. Time-Varying Systems
4. Stiffness, All Pass Filters, Banded Waveguides
5. Commuted Synthesis
6. Julius, Strings, and MoForte
7. Assignment 8
Session 9: Tying it All Together: Applications, Sonification, Interactions, and Control (May 28, 2024)
a) Scanned Synthesis b)  Don’t forget the laptop!!! SMELT:   c) Controlling Synthesis with game controllers (Wii, mobile TouchOSC, more) d) Walking Synthesis, a complete system e) Procedural Audio: Driving synthesis from process, game state, etc. f) Data set Sonification
8 lessons
1. Tying it all together
2. Scanned Synthesis
3. SMELT
4. Controlling Synthesis with Game Controllers
5. Foley: Walking Synthesis
6. Procedural Audio
7. Data Sonification (Auditory Display)
8. Assignment 9
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Learning Outcomes

Below you will find an overview of the Learning Outcomes you will achieve as you complete this course.

Instructors And Guests
What You Need to Take This Course
  • Materials:
  • Equipment:
  • Software: ChucK (also optionally STK, PeRColate for Max/MSP, Processing, GL/Glut)
  • Recommended (highly) Textbook:

Real Sound Synthesis for Interactive Applications (Kadenze discount available in Course Resources when course begins: Free Users=20%, Premium=50%).

  • Familiarity with ChucK programming language

Introduction to Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists (Kadenze ChucK course)

Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists (ChucK book, Kadenze Discount available in Course Resources when course begins)

  • Operating system: Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux (Planet CCRMA recommended)
  • Desired: familiarity with algebra. no calculus required.
  • Helpful to have: some personal sound-making things: a guitar or other stringed instrument, a drum, a kitchen pan, a prayer bowl, glasses, bowls, voice...
Additional Information

Please note: Taking part in a Kadenze course as a Premium Member, does not affirm that a student has been enrolled or accepted for enrollment by Stanford University. 

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