Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Defining a vibrotactile toolkit for digital musical instruments: characterizing voice coil actuators, effects of loading, and equalization of the frequency response

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The integration of vibrotactile feedback in digital music instruments (DMIs) is thought to improve the instrument’s response and make it more suitable for expert musical interactions. However, given the extreme requirements of musical performances, there is a need for solutions allowing for independent control of frequency and amplitude over a wide frequency bandwidth (40–1000 Hz) and low harmonic distortion, so that flexible and high-quality vibrotactile feedback can be displayed. In this paper, we evaluate cost-effective and portable solutions that meet these requirements. We first measure the magnitude–frequency and harmonic distortion characteristics of two vibrotactile actuators, where the harmonic distortion is quantified in the form of total harmonic distortion (THD). The magnitude–frequency and THD characteristics in two unloaded cases (actuator suspended freely or placed on a sandbag) are observed to be largely identical, with minor attenuation for actuators placed on the sandbag. Loading the actuator (when placed in a DMI) brings resonant features to its magnitude–frequency characteristics, increasing the output THD and imposing a dampening effect. To equalize the system’s frequency response, an autoregressive method that automatically estimates minimum-phase filter parameters is introduced, which by design, remains stable upon inversion A practical use of this method is demonstrated by implementing vibrotactile feedback in the poly vinyl chloride chassis of an unfinished DMI, the t-Stick. We finally compare the result of equalization by performing sinesweep measurements on the implementation and discuss the degree of equalization achieved using it.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Measured in the form of ntermodulation Distortion (IMD) [19].

  2. Only equalizing the actuator’s response or additionally compensating for the sensitivity curve of VT perception [24], where sensitivity is highest at 250 Hz and tapers off with a 12 dB/octave slope as frequencies diverge [13].

  3. http://old.bryston.com/PDF/Manuals/300004[2BLP].pdf.

  4. Sensitivity: \(0.5\ \hbox {mV/m/s}^2\).

  5. https://www.mathworks.com/help/signal/ref/pwelch.html.

  6. https://www.mathworks.com/help/signal/ref/thd.html.

  7. Poor low-frequency performance was previously observed for piezo actuators by Marshall [24].

  8. https://ccrma.stanford.edu/jos/fp/Definition_Minimum_Phase_Filters.html Link: CCRMA, J. O. Smith: Minimum Phase Definition.

  9. The phase of a realization of a stationary random process is also random.

  10. https://www.mathworks.com/help/signal/ref/decimate.html.

  11. https://www.mathworks.com/help/signal/ref/interp.html.

  12. The poles of the estimated model become zeros of its inverse filter (i.e., an MA filter as described in Sect. 7).

References

  1. Birnbaum DM (2007) Musical vibrotactile feedback. Ph.D. thesis, McGill University

  2. Bukkapatnam AT (2019) A pre-characterized vibrotactile toolkit. Master’s thesis, McGill University

  3. Bukkapatnam AT, Depalle P, Wanderley MM (2019) Autoregressive parameter estimation for equalizing vibrotactile systems. In: International workshop on haptic and audio interaction design (HAID). HAL, Lille, France

  4. Choi S, Kuchenbecker KJ (2013) Vibrotactile display: perception, technology, and applications. Proc IEEE 101:2093–2104. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2012.2221071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Egloff DC, Wanderley MM, Frissen I (2018) Haptic display of melodic intervals for musical applications. In: 2018 IEEE haptics symposium (HAPTICS). IEEE, San Francisco, CA, pp 284–289. https://doi.org/10.1109/HAPTICS.2018.8357189

  6. Farina A (2000) Simultaneous measurement of impulse response and distortion with a swept-sine technique. In: Audio engineering society convention 108. Audio Engineering Society

  7. Farina A (2007) Advancements in impulse response measurements by sine sweeps. In: Proceedings of 122nd AES convention, pp 1–21

  8. Fontana F, Papetti S, Järveläinen H, Avanzini F, Giordano BL (2018) Perception of vibrotactile cues in musical performance. In: Papetti S, Saitis C (eds) Musical haptics, Chap. 4. Springer, Cham, pp 49–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58316-7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  9. Gescheider GA, Wright JH, Verrillo RT (2009) Information-processing channels in the tactile sensory system, 1st edn. Psychology Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  10. Giordano M (2016) Vibrotactile feedback and stimulation in music performance. Ph.D. thesis, McGill University

  11. Giordano M, Sullivan J, Wanderley MM (2018) Design of vibrotactile feedback and stimulation for music performance. In: Papetti S, Saitis C (eds) Musical haptics, Chap. 10. Springer, Cham, pp 193–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58316-7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  12. Giordano M, Wanderley MM (2011) A learning interface for novice guitar players using vibrotactile stimulation. In: Proceedings of the sound and music computing conference, SMC, Padova, Italy, pp 368–374

  13. Giordano M, Wanderley MM (2013) Perceptual and technological issues in the design of vibrotactile-augmented interfaces for music technology and media. In: Oakley I, Brewster S (eds) Haptic and audio interaction design. 8th international workshop, HAID 2013, Daejeon Korea, vol LNCS 7989. Springer, Berlin, pp 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41068-0_10

  14. Gray AH, Markel JD (1974) A spectral-flatness measure. IEEE Trans Acoust Speech Signal Process ASSP–22(3):207–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Hattwick I, Franco I, Wanderley MM (2017) The vibropixels: a scalable wireless tactile display system. In: Yamamoto S (ed) Human interface and the management of information: information, knowledge and interaction design. HIMI 2017, vol. LNCS, Springer, Cham, Vancouver, Canada, pp 517–528. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58521-5_40

  16. Hayward V (2018) A brief overview of the human somatosensory system. In: Papetti S, Saitis C (eds) Musical haptics, Chap. 3. Springer, Cham, pp 29–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58316-7

  17. Israr A, Zhao S, Mcintosh K, Schwemler Z, Fritz A, Mars J, Bedford J, Frisson C, Huerta I, Kosek M (2016) Stereohaptics: a haptic interaction toolkit for tangible virtual experiences. In: ACM SIGGRAPH 2016 studio, Jul 2016. Anaheim, United States. https://doi.org/10.1145/2929484.2970273

  18. Kay SM, Marple SL (1981) Spectrum analysis—a modern perspective. Proc IEEE 69(11):1380–1419. https://doi.org/10.1109/PROC.1981.12184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Klippel W (2006) Tutorial: loudspeaker nonlinearities—causes, parameters, symptoms. AES: J Audio Eng Soc 54(10):907–939. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ljung L (1987) System identification theory for user. PTR Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-1098(89)90019-8

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  21. MacLean KE (2008) Foundations of transparency in tactile information design. IEEE Trans Haptics. https://doi.org/10.1109/TOH.2008.20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Maeda S, Griffin MJ (1994) A comparison of vibrotactile thresholds on the finger obtained with different equipment. Ergonomics 37(8):1391–1406. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139408964917

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Malloch J, Wanderley MM (2007) The T-stick: from musical interface to musical instrument. In: 2007 conference on new interfaces for musical expression (NIME07), pp 66–70

  24. Marshall MT (2008) Physical interface design for digital musical instruments. Ph.D. thesis, McGill University

  25. Marshall MT, Wanderley MM (2006) Vibrotactile feedback in digital musical instruments. In: Proceedings of NIME 2006, pp 226–229

  26. Medeiros CB, Wanderley MM (2014) A comprehensive review of sensors and instrumentation methods in devices for musical expression. Sensors 14(8):13556–13591. https://doi.org/10.3390/s140813556

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Merchel S, Altinsoy ME (2013) Auditory-tactile music perception. In: Proceedings of meetings on acoustics ICA2013, vol 19. Acoustical Society of America, p 015030

  28. Minamizawa K, Kakehi Y, Nakatani M, Mihara S, Tachi S (2012) TECHTILE toolkit: a prototyping tool for design and education of haptic media. In: Proceedings of the 2012 virtual reality international conference (VRIC ’12). ACM Press, Laval, France. https://doi.org/10.1145/2331714.2331745

  29. O’Modhrain S, Gillespie RB (2018) Once more, with feeling: revisiting the role of touch in performer-instrument interaction. In: Papetti S, Saitis C (eds) Musical haptics, Chap. 2. Springer, Cham, pp 11–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58316-7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  30. Papetti S, Fröhlich M, Fontana F, Schiesser S, Avanzini F (2018) Implementation and characterization of vibrotactile interfaces. In: Papetti S, Saitis C (eds) Musical haptics, Chap. 13. Springer, Cham, pp 257–282. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58316-7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  31. Papetti S, Saitis C (2018) Musical haptics: introduction. In: Papetti S, Saitis C (eds) Musical haptics, Chap. 1. Springer, Cham, pp 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58316-7

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  32. Proakis JG, Manolakis DG (2007) Digital signal processing: principles, algorithms & applications, 4th edn. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River

    Google Scholar 

  33. Rovan J, Hayward V (2000) Typology of tactile sounds and their synthesis in gesture-driven computer music performance. In: Wanderley MM, Battier M (eds) Trends in gestural control of music. IRCAM, Paris, pp 297–320

    Google Scholar 

  34. Rustighi E, Kaal W, Herold S, Kubbara A (2018) Experimental characterisation of a flat dielectric elastomer loudspeaker. Actuators 7(28):1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/act7020028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Ryu J, Jung J, Kim S, Choi S (2007) Perceptually transparent vibration rendering using a vibration motor for haptic interaction. In: RO-MAN2007—the 16th IEEE international symposium on robot and human interactive communication. IEEE, Jeju, Korea, pp 310–315. https://doi.org/10.1109/ROMAN.2007.4415100

  36. Salisbury C, Gillespie RB, Tan HZ, Barbagli F, Salisbury JK (2011) What you can’t feel won’t hurt you: evaluating haptic hardware using a haptic contrast sensitivity function. IEEE Trans Haptics 4(2):134–146. https://doi.org/10.1109/TOH.2011.5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Smith JO (2007) Introduction to digital filters with audio applications, 2007 edn. online book. https://ccrma.stanford.edu/jos/fp/Definition_Minimum_Phase_Filters.html

  38. Temme S (1992) Why and how to measure distortion in electroacoustic transducers. In: AES 11th international conference: test & measurement (May 1992). Portland, Oregon

  39. Verrillo RT (1992) Vibration sensation in humans. Music Percept 9(3):281–302. https://doi.org/10.2307/40285553

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Voishvillo A (2006) Assessment of nonlinearity in transducers and sound systems—from THD to perceptual models. In: 121st AES convention on loudspeakers

  41. Walker G (1931) On periodicity in series of related terms. Proc R Soc Ser A 131(818):518–532. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1931.0069

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  42. Welch P (1977) On the variance of time and frequency averages over modified periodograms. In: ICASSP 1977. IEEE international conference on acoustics, speech, and signal processing. IEEE, Hartford, CT, USA, pp 58–62. https://doi.org/10.1109/icassp.1977.1170279

  43. Wyse L, Nanayakkara S, Seekings P, Ong SH, Taylor EA (2012) Palm-area sensitivity to vibrotactile stimuli above 1 kHz. In: NIME’12 proceedings of the international conference on new interfaces for musical expression. Michigan

  44. Yule GU (1927) On a method of investigating periodicities in disturbed series, with special reference to Wolfer’s sunspot numbers. Philos Trans R Soc Lond Ser A 226(642):267–298. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.1927.0007

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was made possible by the test equipment and facilities available at The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research In Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT). The authors would additionally like to thank Gary Scavone, Romain Dumoulin, Yves Méthot, Esteban Mae-stre, Marcelo Giordano, Harish Venkatesan, Ian Marci and Christian Frisson for extending their support and advice during the course of this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    Aditya Tirumala Bukkapatnam, Philippe Depalle & Marcelo M. Wanderley

  2. Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), McGill University, Montréal, Canada

    Philippe Depalle & Marcelo M. Wanderley

  3. Inria Lille, Nord Europe, Lille, France

    Marcelo M. Wanderley

Authors
  1. Aditya Tirumala Bukkapatnam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Philippe Depalle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marcelo M. Wanderley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aditya Tirumala Bukkapatnam.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This research is funded in part by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to the third author.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bukkapatnam, A.T., Depalle, P. & Wanderley, M.M. Defining a vibrotactile toolkit for digital musical instruments: characterizing voice coil actuators, effects of loading, and equalization of the frequency response. J Multimodal User Interfaces 14, 285–301 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12193-020-00340-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12193-020-00340-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation