Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

The Psychoacoustics of Unease: A Comparison Between Granular and Physical Modeling Synthesis

Ariel Yixuan LiuLord Byng Secondary School*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This paper investigates the psychoacoustic responses of unease produced by two popular techniques of sound synthesis in the modern age: granular synthesis and physical modeling synthesis. Both methods have the capability of generating unsettling sounds, which are discussed and analyzed based on their techniques and applications. Granular synthesis evokes discomfort through randomness, overlapping grains, and roughness. In contrast, physical modeling synthesis unsettles listeners through hyper-realistic instrument simulations, triggering the “uncanny valley” of sound. Comparing these two techniques, this study highlights the unique ways in which each synthesis method influences human auditory systems and findings suggest that physical modeling synthesis may provoke a strong sense of unease, offering valuable implications for sound design choices in music in the future.

Keywords: Computational Sound Synthesis; Granular Synthesis; Physical Modelling; Psychoacoustics.
Published: October 28, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.KM28806
Volume: CHR Vol.89
pp. 158-164
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