Echoes From the Cosmos
Building a Reverb from Star Data
What if a reverb could be shaped by the stars around us? This talk will discuss the process and challenges of developing a convolution reverb plugin that transforms astronomical data into unique reverberation textures. Using star data from the ESA Gaia mission and the parameters set by the user, impulse responses are generated and convolved with the input signal.
Inspired by the Stellaverb Max MSP patch originally developed by electronic musician and sound designer Katsuhiro Chiba, this project aims to recreate Stellaverb's core features as a plugin using JUCE, as well as expand upon it by adding different modes, adjustable parameters and additional signal processing effects.
Topics include data processing, impulse response generation and visual representation of star data. This talk offers a glimpse into how scientific datasets can be transformed into creative audio effects, opening new possibilities for sound design, music production and data-driven audio tools.
Adrian Lam
Adrian Lam is a software developer and recent graduate of the MSc in Sound and Music Computing at Queen Mary University of London. After completing his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Toronto and spending some time working as a software developer in computer networking, he chose to pursue his longstanding passion for audio technology. He is particularly interested in developing creative audio plugins and tools that help musicians and producers explore new ideas and make music in more intuitive and inspiring ways.