About Workshop
Computational Organology: Building & Analyzing Digital String Models is about using physics-based computing to simulate how strings vibrate in instruments (pluck/bow/strike), then analyzing the resulting sound—harmonics, resonance, damping, and timbre—to build realistic digital string instrument models for research and virtual instrument design.
Aim
To develop accurate physics-based digital models of vibrating strings and use them to analyze how instrument parameters and playing techniques shape sound—so we can better understand real string instruments and create realistic, controllable virtual string synthesis models.
What Participants Will Learn
- Study how string parameters (tension, length, stiffness, damping) shape vibration and timbre.
- Build and simulate digital string models for pluck/bow/strike excitation.
- Analyze outputs (harmonics, resonance, sustain, transients) using signal processing.
- Validate and tune models against real recordings/measurements for realism.
- Prepare models for practical use in research and virtual instrument synthesis.
Structure
📅 Day 1 — Fundamentals & Model Setup
- Computational organology overview + goals of digital string modeling
- String vibration basics: tension, length, stiffness, damping, boundary conditions
- Excitation types (pluck/bow/strike) and how they affect the model
- Selecting an approach: modal / finite-difference / digital waveguides
- Quick demo: basic simulation + waveform/spectrum interpretation
Hands-on
- Run a baseline digital string simulation and interpret waveform + spectrum outputs.
📅 Day 2 — Implementation & Sound Analysis (Hands-on)
- Build a working digital string model step-by-step
- Add realism: losses, damping profiles, stiffness/inharmonicity
- Generate outputs for different parameters and excitations
- Analyze: harmonics, resonance, decay, transients + stability checks
Hands-on
- Implement the model, run parameter sweeps, and extract key spectral + decay metrics.
📅 Day 3 — Validation, Tuning & Deliverable
- Tune parameters using reference recordings/measurements
- Compare targets: fundamentals/partials, decay times, spectral balance
- Finalize a reusable workflow (notebook/scripts)
- Deliverable: tuned digital string model + concise analysis summary
Hands-on
- Calibrate the model to a reference sample and export a final notebook + summary results.
Important Dates
Registration Ends
04:30 PM
Workshop Dates
2026-02-12
05:30PM
05:30PM
What You Will Gain
Outcomes
- Develop and implement physics-based digital string models for plucked, bowed, and struck excitations.
- Run stable simulations and interpret model behavior through time- and frequency-domain analysis.
- Quantify key acoustic attributes, including harmonic structure, resonance, decay characteristics, and timbre.
- Calibrate and validate model parameters using reference recordings and/or measurement data.
- Produce a reusable digital string modeling workflow suitable for research studies and virtual instrument synthesis.