Driving Chaos
Virtual Analog Modelling of a Chaotic Circuit with Wave Digital Filters
What happens when analog circuits behave unpredictably—even chaotically? This beginner-friendly talk dives into the fascinating world of non-linear dynamical systems and their applications in audio circuit modelling. You'll be introduced to key concepts like chaos, bifurcations, and attractors through intuitive explanations and classic examples such as the Lorenz attractor and the Chua circuit—the simplest known circuit to exhibit chaotic behaviour.
We'll then explore how to apply Wave Digital Filters (WDFs)—a technique for virtual analog modelling of analog circuits—to the real-time simulation of the Chua circuit, and make it a valuable tool for creating unique sonic textures and virtual analog effects.
No background in chaos theory or advanced maths is required—just curiosity and an interest in audio DSP modelling. Whether you're into experimental sound design or exploring modelling techniques, this session offers a practical starting point to the chaotic side of audio circuits.
Francisco Bernardo
Hi, I'm Francisco Bernardo, I am a Research Associate in Digital Musical Instrument Design at the Augmented Instruments Lab, at Imperial College London.
My research interests and focii include critical design, virtual analog modelling, embedded audio systems, and human-centred machine learning.