Real time synthesis of a plucked guitar string using physical modelling techniques

The project dissertation I undertook for my Msc Audio Acoustics course was titled “Real time synthesis of a plucked guitar string using physical modelling techniques.” This involved using the DirectX SDK and the direct X instrument (DXi) SDK to create a real time playable virtual instrument. The physical model of a string uses a digital waveguide, which is a block of memory that is certain length relating to the length of the string and which data propagates down. This waveguide is then used to model the propagation of the transverse waves along the string. A number of digital filters are then used and a number of different properties of the string added
• Experimental determination of guitar body resonances and implementation into model.
• Dual polarization of string model (vertical and horizontal vibration of string).
• Pluck position and pickup position.
• Distortion and feedback.
• Sympathetic string vibrations (plucking one string excites another).
All these were implemented to a model that could be played in real-time using a standard MIDI keyboard as input and the program Cakewalk Sonar as the host application.

Here is the report:

Real time synthesis of a plucked guitar string using physical modelling techniques

Real time synthesis of a plucked guitar string using physical modelling techniques

and the program here; (dxi plugin) Plucked guitar synthesis