6
7
Resonator Selection
The
MODE button selects from the three available types
of resonators. They are:
Modal Resonator (Green)
Modal synthesis works by simulating the phenomena
of resonance at play in vibrating structures, that is to
say the way a string or plate (for instance) will absorb
certain frequencies while it will
ring
at some other
frequencies, called the
modes
.
When we pluck a string, strike a drum or blow in a tube,
the short burst of energy of the blow/impact contains
many frequencies. Some of these fall outside of the
modes, and are absorbed. Some of these excite the
modes, producing a stable, pitched sound. Each mode
corresponds to a harmonic or partial in the spectrum of
the sound, and is modeled by a band-pass filter.
The Q factor of the filter determines how sustained the
oscillations are of the corresponding partial. Various
materials or structures are characterized by different
relationships between the frequencies of their modes,
which
Rings
recreates.
