Auditory feedback through continuous control of crumpling sound synthesis

A realtime model for the synthesis of crumpling sounds is presented. By capturing the statistics of short sonic tran- sients which give rise to crackling noise, it allows for a con- sistent description of a broad spectrum of audible physical processes which emerge in several everyday interaction con- texts. The model drives a nonlinear impactor that sonifies every transient, and it can be parameterized depending on the physical attributes of the crumpling material. Three dif- ferent scenarios are described, respectively simulating the foot interaction with aggregate ground materials, augment- ing a dining scenario, and affecting the emotional content of a footstep sequence. Taken altogether, they emphasize the potential generalizability of the model to situations in which a precise control of auditory feedback can significantly in- crease the enactivity and ecological validity of an interface. Author Keywords Interaction design, auditory feedback, walking interfaces, crumpling sound.