arXiv · 2407.04547
Real-time Timbre Remapping with Differentiable DSP
Abstract
Timbre is a primary mode of expression in diverse musical contexts. However, prevalent audio-driven synthesis methods predominantly rely on pitch and loudness envelopes, effectively flattening timbral expression from the input. Our approach draws on the concept of timbre analogies and investigates how timbral expression from an input signal can be mapped onto controls for a synthesizer. Leveraging differentiable digital signal processing, our method facilitates direct optimization of synthesizer parameters through a novel feature difference loss. This loss function, designed to learn relative timbral differences between musical events, prioritizes the subtleties of graded timbre modulations within phrases, allowing for meaningful translations in a timbre space. Using snare drum performances as a case study, where timbral expression is central, we demonstrate real-time timbre remapping from acoustic snare drums to a differentiable synthesizer modeled after the Roland TR-808.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Jordie Shier, Charalampos Saitis, Andrew Robertson, Andrew McPherson. 2024-07-05. Real-time Timbre Remapping with Differentiable DSP. https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.04547
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.