The Sound Analysis & Synthesis team carries out research and development activity in sound analysis, transformation, and synthesis of sound signals. The analysis of sounds includes methods enabling the permanent extraction or automatic structuring of diverse sorts of information given off by the signal, such as the fundamental frequency or the spectral evolution determining the pitch and timbre of a perceived sound.
Information outside what is strictly musical is also taken into consideration, notably concerning industrial acoustics, sound design and multimedia as well as the automatic indexing of recorded sounds. The methods used are based on signal processing, statistical analysis, learning techniques and deep learning, recognition techniques, but also on knowledge of auditory perception.
Techniques of transformation and synthesis are initially created to respond to the needs of musicians in the production of new sounds and new music. A typical example of this is the computer synthesis of a virtual choir for an opera. However, the work is frequently applied to the fields of mobile telecommunications, video games, and virtual reality.
Analysis and synthesis is based on the conception of both signal models (the modeling of sound effects produced via their signals) and physical models (the acoustical modeling of the source of sound production). These models are integrated into pieces of computer software for PC or Macintosh (Mac OS X, Windows, or Linux) equipped with graphical interfaces specifically designed for musicians, but adaptable for sound engineers, acousticians and amateurs.
Major Themes
- Signal Models
- Sound Characterization
- Analysis, transformation, and synthesis of the voice and speech, models of the voice, conversion of speakers
- Analysis of sound scenes
Specialist Areas
Signal processing, statistics, information theory, learning techniques, form recognition, digital analysis, modeling.