Describing sounds for electronic instruments


19 May 2013

Some imagined sounds, their parameters and possible modulations

High-pitched grains

Irregularly appearing grains, slightly pitched, possibly realised with a transiental noise burst fed through Resonz + HPF.

Frequency range could be somewhere between 1000 Hz and 8000 Hz.

Sound parameters are

  • pitch
  • density
  • amplitude
  • meta-density (creating bursts)
  • release single grain
  • Spatial parameters
    • direction
    • dispersion

Mechanical click-box as found attached to pedestrian traffic lights

Periodic signal, mechanical sound as if a motor turns around and swipes a piece of metal. Every cycle that metal rod hits an edge, resulting in a transiental sound.

Sound parameters are

  • length of one cycle
  • length of cycles as a pattern
  • pitch (cycling movement)
  • amplitude
  • amplitude relation between click and cycling movement
  • break between click and cycling movement
  • trigger a number of cycles

Throat singer

Sustained pitched sound based around a tone with several undertones.

Can resemble a vowel. Slightly irregular in pitch, waving around the specific frequency.

Sound parameters are

  • pitch
  • vowel