String position sensor

Based on a quartet of microphones. Used to study the 3-D nonlinear interaction of strings and soundboard. By the end of the summer 2011 this device should be available to test real strings on real instruments.

Calculation of acoustic radiation from a soundbox

Calculating radiation from a vibrating shell with a hole is a vital part of musical acoustics but it is a difficult theoretical task requiring the solution of the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz equation. However, new freeware code (http://acousto.sourceforge.net/ ) makes the problem accessible to an undergraduate project.

Modal Analysis of soundboxes

Learn this widely applicable technique to map the modal shapes of instruments at their resonant frequencies. We have an automated impact hammer that allows repeated, reproducible excitation and consequently excellent data quality.

Sound Radiation from Asian String Instruments

Work in CEME's world-class anechoic chamber and learn how to map acoustic radiation. We have the equipment to build a 32-microphone array to allow detailed angular distributions to be acquired quickly. Sophisticated data analysis techniques allow acoustic imaging to identify which part of the instrument is responsible for the sound.

Analysis of vehicle noise

Analysis of the acoustic signal from a traffic accident allows important information about speed to be extracted. However, its not an easy problem. This project entails recording passing traffic and attempting to link the sound with known speeds.