How to make a good Pitch Pipe Sound in Pure Data

Question

Here's the pitch pipe sound I want to emulate: http://www.harmonize.com/metropolis/images/Sounds/CNatural.mp3

I read through the synthesis techniques for PD here http://pd-tutorial.com/english/ch03.html

I analyzed the sound file in Audacity to try and get an understanding of what combination of sound waves and synthesis techniques could create the sound.

I used saw and sine waves with a high-pass filter. In result, I still get a primitive sound.

I'm new to the sound waves and filtering. Hopefully the pitch pipe example helps you to explain what waves and filters would get that sound.

Answer 1

Combination? It's nothing more than a pulse-wave, if anything plain through a high-pass filter. From the thin characteristics and fluxing pitch/overtones (which is NOT a good thing in a pitch-pipe) I guess this comes from an old, yet pretty cheap and not yet warmed up analogue synth. And with basic fades in the beginning and end, though the change in characteristics during the course of the sound tells it's probably directly ADSR from the synth even if it can easily be made in an audio editor. Absolutely any synth can do it, just chose the right waveform and turn everything except the oscillator and the final amp off - keeping it as simple as possible and rather subtracting things than adding is the key here.