Automated Real-Time Articulation Selection

The thesis Automated Real-Time Articulation Selection in a Sample-Based Virtual Instrument (2012, in Finnish) is my Bachelor’s final project for the degree of Bachelor of Music in Music Technology at the Sibelius Academy. The thesis is an investigation on methods for selecting suitable sampled musical articulations automatically when a virtual instrument is being played (e.g. with a piano-style keyboard), in contrast to the established methods of selecting articulations manually with physical or virtual controllers (in real-time or after-the-fact).

The thesis consists of a sample-based viola virtual instrument that demonstrates simple scripting techniques for automatic articulation selection. With such methods, the user only needs to control the keyboard and a sustain pedal, and the most suitable articulations are automatically selected based on finger legato and the sustain pedal.

Examples

The following examples demonstrate the automatic articulation selection in the viola virtual instrument. All of the examples are played directly on a keyboard. The only controller user in addition to the keyboard is a sustain pedal. No post-processing has been applied.

• Example 1

  Presenting the following articulations: sustain, spiccato, slow run, fast détaché, and release samples.

• Example 2

  Presenting the following articulations: sustain, spiccato, fast détaché, and release samples.

• Example 3

  Presenting the following articulations: sustain and release samples.

• Example 4

  Presenting the following articulations: sustain, slow run, and release samples.