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One-Mass - Mono-directional (Harmonic Oscillator)

Description

A simple and inexpensive mass and spring model that can serve as lips, among other things. The harmonic oscillator models a mass attached to a spring of a given stiffness, fixed at one end. The frequency of resonance of the object is given by the formula 1/(2 pi) sqrt(stiffness / mass).

(make-object 'harmonic-oscillator ... )

Lisp Syntax and Default Values

A 'harmonic-oscillator can be created using the following Lisp syntax (the default values are shown for each of the physical parameters): 

(make-object 'harmonic-oscillator
         (mass .01)
         (stiffness 15000)
         (freq-loss 100)
         (const-loss 10))

Parameters

All physical parameters can be numerical values or controllers.

  • mass: The mass of the small mass in kg.
  • stiffness: The stiffness of the spring in the 'normal direction.
  • freq-loss: The usual frequency loss parameter. See the General Object Information for more info.
  • const-loss: The usual constant loss parameter. See the General Object Information for more info..

As usual, the freq-loss and const-loss parameters control the rate of decay of the sound. The higher they are, the more damped the sound is.

Accesses

The 'harmonic-oscillator can be accessed in only one direction: 'normal:

(make-access my-harmonic-oscillator my-controller 'normal)

Options

Tuning

A harmonic-oscillator can be tuned to a specific pitch, using the (set-pitch ... ) function, by adjusting one of the following physical parameters:

  • 'stiffness

  • 'mass

For example:

(setq my-lips (make-object 'harmonic-oscillator
         (mass 5e-3)
         (stiffness 10)
         (freq-loss 10)
         (const-loss 1) ))
(set-pitch my-lips 'stiffness 220)