Balancing physical modeling and musical requirements: Algorithmically simulating the calls of Hyalessa maculaticollis for real-time instrumental control

TL;DR

This paper develops a real-time algorithm in SuperCollider that simulates Hyalessa maculaticollis cicada calls for musical applications, balancing physical accuracy with musical expressiveness and control.

Contribution

It introduces a physically modeled cicada call synthesis algorithm that allows real-time control, highlighting the trade-offs between physical realism and musical usability.

Findings

The algorithm enables real-time control of call phase, loudness, and pitch.

Physical modeling can be perceptually adjusted to produce musically useful sounds.

Pitch adjustments may cause perceptual shifts in sound source perception.

Abstract

This paper presents an algorithm that simulates the calls of the Hyalessa maculaticollis cicada for musical use. Written in SuperCollider, its input parameters enable real-time control of the insect call phase, loudness, and perceived musical pitch. To this end, the anatomical mechanics of the tymbal muscles, tymbal apodeme, tymbal ribs, tymbal plate, abdominal air sac, tympana, and opercula are physically modeled. This also includes decoherence, following the hypothesis that it, in H. maculaticollis, might explain the change in timbre apparent during the final phase of a call sequence. Overall, the algorithm seems to illustrate three main points regarding the trade-offs encountered when modeling bioacoustics for tonal use: that it may be necessary to prioritize musical requirements over realistic physical modeling at many stages of design and implementation; that the resulting adjustments may revolve around having physical modeling perceptually yield sonic events that are well-pitched, single-attack, single-source, and timbrally expressive; that the pitch-adjusted simulation of resonating bodies may fail musically precisely when it succeeds physically, by inducing the perception of different sound sources for different pitches. Audio examples are included, and the source code is structured and documented so as to support the further development of cicada bioacoustics for musical use.