This work explores the topic of digital audio signal processing for modular synthesizers and the design of digital oscillator for modular standard known as Eurorack. Introduction of the theoretical part is dedicated to basic terms and blocks used in modular synthesizers. The thesis also characterizes and presents the methods of sound synthesis. The second part of the theory concerns analog and digital signal conversion made by digital signal processors DSP, focusing on ARM with focus on ARM architecture. The practical part of the thesis concerns design and construction of the digital oscillator which generates periodic waveforms without aliasing distortion. The oscillator also allows several types of modulations and waveforming and the module has several inputs for connecting control voltages or external audio signals.

Det här arbetet diskuterar ett utforskande musikaliskt gestaltningsprojekt, Från botten av en brunn, som utgörs av fyra satser för klarinett, cello och modulärt synthesizersystem baserat på var sin person ur den japanska författaren Haruki Murakamis roman Kafka på stranden (Umibe no Kafuka, 海辺のカフカ) från 2002. Arbetet har utgått ifrån en metodisk bearbetning av romantexten med hjälp av grundad teori för att skapa både syntetiska och samplade klanger och komposition ur texten. Grundad teori togs ursprungligen fram inom sociologi för att forma ny kunskap ur kvalitativ data med hjälp av en rigorös process, där teoretisk känslighet stödjer och vägleder tolkningar. I mitt arbete har det här snarare handlat om estetisk sensibilitet som väglett mina tolkningar av texten, hjälpt mig att göra urval och omforma romanen till musik och framförande. / This work discusses an exploratory musical composition project, From the bottom of a Well, which consists of four movements for clarinet, cello, and modular synthesizer system, where each movement is based on each person from the Japanese author Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the beach (Umibe no Kafuka, 海辺のカフカ) from 2002. The work has been based on a methodical processing of the novel text with the help of grounded theory to create both synthetic and sampled sounds and composition from the text. Grounded theory was originally developed in sociology to shape new knowledge from qualitative data using a rigorous process, where theoretical sensitivity supports and guides interpretations. In my work, this has rather been about aesthetic sensibility that has guided my interpretations of the text, helped me to make selections, and to transform the novel into a music composition and a performance.

L’appropriation d’algorithmes existants, la création d’outils numériques et des recherches conceptuelles ont mené à la création de deux installations audiovisuelles interactives. La première, Deep Duo, met en scène des réseaux de neurones artificiels contrôlant des synthétiseurs modulaires. La deuxième, Morphogenèse, l’œuvre d’envergure de ce mémoire, met en relation le spectateur avec des modèles profonds génératifs et le place face à des représentations artificielles de sa voix et de son visage. Les installations et leurs fonctionnements seront décrits et, à travers des exemples de stratégies créatives et des concepts théoriques en lien avec l’interactivité et l’esthétique des comportements, des pistes pour favoriser l’utilisation d’algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique à des fins créatives seront proposées. / The appropriation of existing algorithms, the creation of digital tools and conceptual research have led to the creation of two interactive audiovisual installations. The first, Deep Duo, features artificial neural networks controlling modular synthesizers. The second, Morphogenesis, the major work of this dissertation, connects the viewer with generative deep models and places them in front of artificial representations of their voice and face. We will describe these installations and their functioning and, through examples of creative strategies and theoretical concepts related to interactivity and the aesthetics of behaviour, we will propose ways to promote the use of machine learning algorithms for creative purposes.