Wave Terrain Hardware for Modular Synthesis

In recent years, modular synthesizers have been rapidly increasing in popularity amongst electronic musicians, due in part to their flexibility and open-ended nature. Similarly, these descriptors have long been applied to wave terrain synthesis: A powerful synthesis technique which, despite a 44 year history of research, remains underexplored, with remarkably few public implementations and no dedicated hardware interface. Those wishing to explore wave terrain synthesis usually resort to designing the tools themselves. Likewise, despite the technique’s parallels with modular synthesis, previous implementations have tended towards fixed architectures, further limiting possible exploration.

This thesis investigates these issues, and documents the development of a dedicated hardware interface for wave terrain synthesis that embraces modularity and facilitates deeper exploration of the technique. The resulting system is a Eurorack module that successfully implements a modular approach to wave terrain synthesis, and introduces novel features to the technique, such as voltage controlled arbitrary trajectory specification and control voltage output. Open-sourced, it will be of significant benefit to modular synthesists interested in wave terrain synthesis, and provides a successful template for future wave terrain research to engage with modular approaches to the method.