An architecture for the Java VST wrapper that supports the implementation of digital sound synthesis algorithms in an educational environment

Abstract

A framework to support the development in an educational environment of real-time, digital sound synthesis algorithms is proposed. Sound synthesis algorithms are an important subset of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and are an excellent way of teaching the application issues of many DSP concepts. Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is a very flexible format for creating digital sound synthesis and audio effect plugin applications. The company provides an associated C/C++ SDK, and an open source wrapper (jVSTwRapper) is available that allows the plugin code to be written in Java. However, the jVSTwRapper documentation is sparse and the examples bundled are difficult to extrapolate from, reducing its effectiveness in an educational context. This paper proposes an improved interface for the JVSTwRapper that comprises a novel generalised voicing structure. This simpler interface built on top of the existing jVSTwRapper architecture allows synthesis algorithms to be implemented more easily, thereby shifting the development emphasis from the VST implementation to the higher-level DSP & Synthesis concepts. This abstraction means that an educator can focus more thoroughly on the core DSP material while simultaneously taking advantage of the benefits that the Java language offers for students. (6 pages)