Description:

This course introduces the fundamentals of sound synthesis algorithms (everyday, music and speech), digital audio effects and sonification. Multimedia synthetic signals are used in modern digital systems, virtual reality systems, computer animations, games and film. Understanding of theoretical concepts will be consolidated through practical programming assignments in Matlab.

Contents:

1. Introduction to digital audio signal synthesis; musical scale generator
2. Wavetable synthesis; time expansion and compression, time envelopes
3. Concatenative and granular synthesis; parameters, synchronous and asynchronous
4. Additive synthesis and spectral modelling; periodical nonharmonic signals
5. Phase vocoder; signal modification in frequency domain
6. Subtractive synthesis; excitation sources, simple filters, equalizers, color noise
7. Formant synthesis; Klatt synthesizer, cascade and parallel configuration, FOF
8. Linear prediction; cross synthesis speech and music, non-speech sound modelling
9. Modulation synthesis; AM, tremolo, FM, vibrato, alarm, everyday sounds and tools
10. Nonlinear and waveshaping synthesis; Chebyshev polynomials, limiters, distortion
11. Delay effects; echo, reverb, comb and all-pass filters
12. Spatial effects; Doppler effect, panning, hall, Schroeder?s reverb
13. Introduction to physical modelling; digital waveguides, Karplus-Strong algorithm
14. Sonification of biological signals (ECG, EMG, EEG, FCG, EOG), applications

Seminar contents:

1. Musical scale, Morse code; aliasing, quantization and compression simulation
2. Time and frequency scale modification, clarinet and banjo wavetable synthesis
3. Concatenative speech synthesis, "sci-fi" sound synthesis
4. Birdcall, brass, bells, gongs, cymbals, banjo, cllarinet and phone synthesis
5. Length changes of audio signals, pitch shift, noise enhancement
6. Synthesis of percussion, plane, wind, waves, violin, steps , consonant "s"
7. Formant synthesis of vowels, music instrument and animal voice
8. Speech, guitar, piano and hammer resynthesis; "cross" synthesis music and speech
9. Vibrato, tremolo, coins, bubles, alarms, klepání, dřevo, klarinet, žestě, zvony
10. Application of waveshaping to plucked string instruments, percussion and speech
11. Digital reverb implementation (cellar, shover, cathedral)
12. Spatial effects in sérech and music
13. Guitar, harp, piano and drums synthesis
14. Sonification of EEG, ECG, FCG, EMG

Recommended literature:

Miranda, E.R.: Computer Sound Design, ISBN 0-240-51693-1, Focal Press, Oxford, 2002
Zölzer, U.: DAFX - Digital Audio Effects, ISBN: 0-471-49078-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2002

Keywords:

Sound syntesis

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar