Course Overview

Music 420 is about computational acoustic modeling for digital audio effects, sound synthesis, and signal processing for physical modeling in general. Topics addressed include sampled traveling waves; acoustic simulation using delay lines, digital filters, and nonlinear elements; comb filters, allpass filters, and artificial reverberation; delay-line interpolation and sampling-rate conversion; phasing, flanging, and chorus effects; computational models of selected musical instruments; virtual analog modeling; and efficient finite difference schemes. Musical instruments considered include plucked, struck (piano), and bowed strings; woodwinds (primarily the clarinet); flute and organ pipes; and brasses.

Prerequisites:

1. Music 320 or equivalent (prior exposure to complex numbers, sinusoids, elementary linear systems theory, digital filters, and $z$ transform analysis);
2. Physics 21 (mechanics), or equivalent experience with Newton's law of motion, ``$f=ma$''.

Recommended: Physics 113 (computational physics). A recommended concurrent course is Music 150 (introduction to musical acoustics). CS 106B is a good way to learn C++, if you don't already know it.

Software: Basic C++ and Matlab or Octave is required for homework and lab exercises.