Gesture Synthesis Demo

This demo aims to showcase the Gesture Synthesis Algorithm, which can be thought of as "SVG for audio-rate line generators".

After clicking begin, what will be heard is a vocal synthesizer performing a rendition of the riff from "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Varga (notably one of the first songs ever to be encoded to the mp3 format). Moving the tempo slider will change the speed at which this vocal melody is performed.

Notice how the legato jumps between the notes will instantaneously stretch or squash relative to the tempo changes. This is a key characteristic of the Gesture Synthesis Algorithm. This is accomplished by using an audio-rate phasor signal as a clock source. The Gesture Signal Generator controlling the pitch then takes this phasor signal and uses it to control timing between lines relative to the speed of the phasor using a phase-locked loop. When the tempo of the clock is changed, the gesture signal generator is able to adapt and respond to the changes within a few samples.