[sdiy] Harmonic bandwidth

[Peter Keller]

On Mon, Jan 07, 2008 at 10:08:33AM -0800, Ben Lincoln wrote:
> Yes, sorry, I should have phrased what I wrote in a better way. I agree 
> that the main part of his approach is to replace pure harmonics with 
> clusters of closely-spaced (frequency-wise) sine waves. What I meant was 
> that since he lists the phase aspect as a separate step, that he was 
> using it to "smear" the harmonics in a different way to alter or 
> increase the complexity of the effect that he obtains with the previous 
> step.

After close reading, I don't think that the randomness smears the
harmonics (since the complex spectrum might be changing, but not the real
spectrum--where we actually hear the sounds) but instead does two things:

1. Preventing beat frquencies due to inconveniently in phase superposition
with itself or the source signal.

2. He has a (reasonable) idea that no instrument can ever produce the
same exact note, so he uses the random phases as an element in supporting
that theory.

Number one would have a dramatic effect if it happened, but number
two is much more subtle and I don't know if my ear is trained enough
to consciously hear it.

Thank you.

-pete