1. The ASTRA Project Domenico Vicinanza Giuseppe La Rocca
DANTE, Cambridge, UK –
Giuseppe La Rocca
INFN Catania, Italy –
COMETA Meeting, Catania 12 February 2009

2. Ancient instrument Sound/Timbre Reconstruction Application - ASTRA
Multi-disciplinary project involving archaeologists, musicians, physicists, computer scientists, engineers in an international distributed environment
The goal: taking archaeological findings of extinct musical instruments, and lets us play them again.
The idea: recreate a model of the musical instrument and produce the sound by simulating its behavior as a mechanical system.

3. Modelling and computation on the Grid
The Grid Network
Computer
model
Computer
model
Reconstructed sounds

4. Instrument ASTRA is reconstructing

5. ASTRA on the Grid Environment
Reconstructing the sound of Epigonion is quite demanding in terms of computation
This computing power has only just become readily available thanks to the available Grid environment
More than 450 computer processors across the Mediterranean working together for ASTRA
ASTRA not only makes it possible to recreate instruments not existing anymore, it also allows students, researchers, musicians to share experiences and knowledge

6. (image harmony-central.com)
Physical modeling
The modeling process is known as physical modeling synthesis
Physical modeling creates a virtual model of the instrument and reproduces its sound by simulating its behaviour as a mechanical system.
(image harmony-central.com)

7. Physical modeling history
Physical modelling is not a new concept in acoustics and synthesis
It uses wave equations created by Hiller and Ruiz in 1971
The computation is highly demanding
Its practical use has only just become feasible thanks to the GRID
To have an idea of the needed time for simulation, on a Pentium IV1.6 Ghz, 512MB RAM Personal Computer to correctly reproduce a sound lasting for 30 seconds it could be required more than 4 hours.
(image unisa.it)

8. Equations inspired by archaeology
The physical modeling sound synthesis technique aims in fact to use a set of equations and algorithms that describe the physical materials used in the ancient instruments to generate physical source of sound.

9. Modeling a drum Strings and violins
For example, to model the sound of a drum, a formula for how striking the drumhead injects energy into a two dimensional membrane would be created.
Strings and violins
Similar modelling can be carried out on instruments such as a violin, modeling
the width of the bow
the transfer of string vibrations through the bridge
the resonance of the soundboard
Tavola armonica

10. GEANT2 support
This computing power has only just become readily available thanks GEANT2 support
GEANT2 computing environments for large-scale distributed computation was used to carry out the simulations thanks to GILDA, the GRID INFN Laboratory for Dissemination Activities
(image CERN)

11. EUMEDGRID
and EUMEDGRID, a EU-funded project to bring GRID technologies to the Mediterranean area, based on EUMEDCONNECT project

12. ASTRA on GEANT2 and GILDA /1
ASTRA software experiment
Computing Element(s)
WMS UI
VOMS Server
From July 2007, a fully functional ASTRA demo is available on the GILDA and EUMEDGRID Infrastructures

13. ASTRA on GEANT2 and GILDA /2

14. Achievements
September 2008: epigonion (ancient Greek harp-like instrument) fully reconstructed
October 2008: Reconstruction-on-demand demo available on GILDA/Genius
November 2008: concert given using the epigonion (Amman, Jordan, EUMEDCONNECT2 opening ceremony)
December 2008: ancient music public concert (Naples, Italy, with SONORA Network Ensemble,
January 2009: GILDA/Genius demo allows to generate sound samples libraries on demand
Librerie di suoni campionati on demand

15. Dissemination

16. Benefits
The benefits of this system are far-reaching. ASTRA not only makes it possible to recreate instruments that previously would have been either too expensive or too difficult to manufacture by hand, it also allows any model and its associated data to be accessed by other parties.
ASTRA is currently able to create sound samples library on demand on the GILDA/Genius environment.
Students can generate sound libraries for free
to be used to make virtual instruments
to give concerts using the epigonion

17. A truly international project
This means that the research data can be shared around the world, making it a a truly international project of immense value to working archaeologists and historians.

18. Downloads
Amman, Variations on Bach, Live Epigionion, wooden resonant structure, plucked and hammered strings
Middle age piece (G. Dufay) played on 4 recostructed Epigonions, wooden resonant structure, plucked and hammered strings
Excerpt from a XVII Century piece (C. Monteverdi) played on 4 reconstructed Epigonions, wooden resonant structure, plucked and hammered strings
Bach fugue played on a reconstructed series of monochords, wooden resonant structure, plucked strings

19. Credits ASTRA project: www.astraproject.org
Project coordination: Domenico Vicinanza (DANTE, Cambridge), Francesco De Mattia (Conservatory of Music of Salerno)
Responsible for development activities: Salvatore Avanzo (ASTRA project)
Responsible for gridification activities: Giuseppe La Rocca (GILDA - INFN Catania - Italy and EUMEDGRID)
Responsible for testing and modeling: Mariapaola Sorrentino (Conservatory of Music of Salerno)
For any information or enquiry:

20. Incoming events .. http://egee-uf4.eu-egee.org/
EGEE 4h User Forum/OGF25 & OGF-Europe’s 2nd International Event 2-6 March 2009, Catania – Italy
Terena networking conference - Málaga from 8 to 11 June