SLINKY SOUND SYNTHESIS AND MEASUREMENTS
Aalto Dept. Sig. Proc. and Acoust. / Research


Paper title
Modelling methods for the highly dispersive Slinky: An exciting musical toy
Authors
Julian Parker (1), Henri Penttinen (1), Stefan Bilbao (2), and Jonathan S. Abel (3)
(1) Dept. of Signal Processing and Acoustics, Aalto University Espoo, Finland
(2) Dept. of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
(3) Dept. of Music, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA
Abstract
The 'Slinky' spring is a popular and beloved toy for many children. Like its smaller relatives, used in spring reverberation units, it can produce interesting sonic behaviors. We explore the behavior of the 'Slinky' spring via measurement, and discover that its sonic characteristics are notably different to those of smaller springs. We discuss methods of modeling the behavior of a Slinky via the use of finite-difference techniques and digital waveguides. We then apply these models in different structures to build a number of interesting tools for computer-based music production.
Presented at
The 13th International Conference on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx10), held in Graz, Austria, 6th-10th September 2010.
Full paper
DAFx10.
Sound samples
Software donwload
Get the Max for Live plugins**HERE**. The package contains the Slinkstrument and the Feedback Slinky Network. Max for Live is an extension used on top of Ableton Live.
Selected figures

Measurement setup

Slinky measurement setup:
Actual measurement setup:
Inside the Slinky:

Measurement and synthetic responses

Measured Slinky response:
Synthesized Slinky with a waveguide model:
 Synthesized Slinky with a finite difference model:

Slinky Plugins for Ableton Max for Live:
Slinkstrument Plugin:
Feedback Slinky Network Plugin:

 

http://www.acoustics.hut.fi/publications/papers/dafx10-rasqueado/
Authors: Henri Penttinen, Julian Parker, Jonathan S. Abel, Stefan Bilbao
Modified: 03.09.2010, Henri Penttinen

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