3D Printing has been around long enough for playable 3D-printed instruments to exist, but most musicians will still opt for one made using traditional methods. That could soon change, however, as researchers have found a way to design and 3D print musical instruments capable of producing unique notes that traditional instruments can’t.
Researchers from the University of Wollongong in Australia, led by Dr Terumi Narushima, started with existing mathematical models that explain exactly how a wind instrument like a flute produces various notes. And using that know-how, they were able to go one step further to create a 3D model of a flute that was specially customized in terms of diameter, length, and hole placement so that it produced unique microtonal notes that are smaller than a semitone.
via Gizmodo
