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Abstract

A spectral mapping is a transformation from a ‘source’ spectrum to a ‘destination’ spectrum. One application is to transform nonharmonic sounds into harmonic equivalents. More interestingly, it can be used to create nonharmonic instruments that retain much of the tonal quality of familiar (harmonic) instruments. Musical uses of such timbres are discussed, and forms of (nonharmonic) modulation are presented. The sound examples demonstrate both the breadth and limitations of the method.

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag London

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Sethares, W.A. (1998). Spectral Mappings. In: Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4177-8_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4177-8_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4176-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4177-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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