Computational Organology: Building & Analyzing Digital String Models

To develop accurate physics-based digital models of vibrating strings and use them to analyze how instrument parameters and playing techniques shape sound—so we can better understand real string instruments and create realistic, controllable virtual string synthesis models.

• Study how string parameters (tension, length, stiffness, damping) shape vibration and timbre.
• Build and simulate digital string models for pluck/bow/strike excitation.
• Analyze outputs (harmonics, resonance, sustain, transients) using signal processing.
• Validate and tune models against real recordings/measurements for realism.
• Prepare models for practical use in research and virtual instrument synthesis.

📅 Day 1 — Fundamentals & Model Setup

• Computational organology overview + goals of digital string modeling
• String vibration basics: tension, length, stiffness, damping, boundary conditions
• Excitation types (pluck/bow/strike) and how they affect the model
• Selecting an approach: modal / finite-difference / digital waveguides
• Quick demo: basic simulation + waveform/spectrum interpretation

Hands-on

• Run a baseline digital string simulation and interpret waveform + spectrum outputs.

📅 Day 2 — Implementation & Sound Analysis (Hands-on)

• Build a working digital string model step-by-step
• Add realism: losses, damping profiles, stiffness/inharmonicity
• Generate outputs for different parameters and excitations
• Analyze: harmonics, resonance, decay, transients + stability checks

Hands-on

• Implement the model, run parameter sweeps, and extract key spectral + decay metrics.

📅 Day 3 — Validation, Tuning & Deliverable

• Tune parameters using reference recordings/measurements
• Compare targets: fundamentals/partials, decay times, spectral balance
• Finalize a reusable workflow (notebook/scripts)
• Deliverable: tuned digital string model + concise analysis summary

Hands-on

• Calibrate the model to a reference sample and export a final notebook + summary results.

• Develop and implement physics-based digital string models for plucked, bowed, and struck excitations.
• Run stable simulations and interpret model behavior through time- and frequency-domain analysis.
• Quantify key acoustic attributes, including harmonic structure, resonance, decay characteristics, and timbre.
• Calibrate and validate model parameters using reference recordings and/or measurement data.
• Produce a reusable digital string modeling workflow suitable for research studies and virtual instrument synthesis.