ADC26: Open University - Additive Synthesis Supercomputer

We spoke to Alan at Audio Dev 26 about an Additive Synthesis Supercomputer, a research project focused on high-partial-count synthesis and a more practical way to describe complex evolving sounds.

The project is at an early stage and now produces musical material rather than only test tones. It is not a real-time synth. Instead, it uses a distributed systems approach, where many computers can share the calculations needed for additive synthesis. Current simulations already handle a few thousand partials on a basic laptop.

The system uses the Hertz L language to define sounds. Code changes can be reflected on the next loop, depending on complexity. Rendering can also start from an arbitrary point in the audio, rather than requiring a full piece to render from the beginning.

Features include polyphonic operation, partial-by-partial morphing between harmonic, noisy and percussive material, and spatial placement for individual partials. Playback is effectively sample playback, while the rendering stage handles the main computation. CPU cores, GPUs, Apple silicon, x64 systems and local compute clusters are all relevant to the project's direction.

More Info: https://musiclab.stem.open.ac.uk/