Sound Systems and Signals: Audio/Acoustics, InstruMents

The team is interested in exploring, understanding, reproducing, and inventing sound objects in audio, acoustics, focusing on musical instruments and the production of the human voice.

More precisely, the objectives are to model, simulate, identify, and optimize these systems (voice, musician/instrument, loudspeakers, audio electronic effects, etc.) using physics to reveal and benefit from their intrinsic structures. The team creates methods for analysis, transformation, control, and simulation of sounds as well as tools to assist conception in virtual, real, or hybrid paradigms.

This global approach, “systems and signals” creates a synergy in the conception of these tools, connecting—not merely juxtaposing—several disciplines and scientific fields: physics, theory of systems and control, differential geometry, numerical analysis, signal processing, computer science, electronics, mechatronics, and robotics. Target applications concern scientific, artistic, educational, and healthcare domains.

Major Themes

• Physical modeling of musical instruments and voice
• Sound synthesis based on physical modeling
• Experimental robotic platforms: robotic artificial mouth to play brass instruments, robotic  apparatus at a 1:1 scale
• Identification of non-linear systems
• Control of non-linear systems
• Instrumental acoustics

Specialist Areas

Acoustics, mechanics, non-linear systems, control, signal theory, differential geometry, digital analysis, experimentation, mechatronics, real and virtual instrument-making, sound synthesis.

Team Website