Ircam - Centre Georges-Pompidou Equipe Analyse/Synthèse

Model of the Trumpet Functionning: Real-Time Simulation and Experiments with an Artificial Mouth Model

Christophe Vergez & Xavier Rodet

to appear in ISMA'97, Edinburgh, England, August 97

Abstract

For several years, we have been developing and studying computer-simulated models of brass instruments including the player's lips. We demonstrate here such a physical model. It is played in real-time with MIDI events. We present recent developments concerning both physical functioning and real-time controls. They result in great improvements of sound quality and musical expressivity. To better understand the physics of real lips, we have built a latex model of the lips. We show that this artificial mouth can play a trumpet like a real trumpet player. We make comparisons between naturally blown trumpet signals, artificially blown trumpet signals, and simulations with our computer model.