Recent Developments

Much recent experience in piano modeling is represented by the 2003 paper of Bank et al. [14], including good summaries of prior research on efficient computational string models, loss-filter design, dispersion filter design, and soundboard models. A careful computational model of the piano, partially based on physical modeling and suitable for high-quality real-time sound synthesis, has been recently developed by Bensa in the context of his thesis work [20]. Related publications include [21,22]. An excellent simulation of the clavichord, also using the commuted waveguide synthesis technique, is described in [175]. A detailed simulation of the harpsichord, along similar lines, but with some interesting new variations, is presented in [179].

A software example of commuted synthesis for the mandolin appears in the Synthesis Tool Kit¹⁹(STK) [40] as Mandolin.cpp. This software is written in the C++ programming language, and runs in real time on typical personal computers. It can be controlled in real time from a MIDI device, a Tcl/Tk graphical user interface (GUI), or driving software.