Controlling a Physical Model with a {2D} Force Matrix

Physical modeling has proven to be a successful method ofsynthesizing highly expressive sounds. However, providingdeep methods of real time musical control remains a majorchallenge. In this paper we describe our work towards aninstrument for percussion synthesis, in which a waveguidemesh is both excited and damped by a 2D matrix of forcesfrom a sensor. By emulating a drum skin both as controllerand sound generator, our instrument has reproduced someof the expressive qualities of hand drumming. Details of ourimplementation are discussed, as well as qualitative resultsand experience gleaned from live performances.