Physics-Based Sound, Synthesis & Energy Radiation
This research direction studies how mechanical excitation becomes sound. Kaduk applies established synthesis and acoustical models with a focus on pianistically relevant phenomena, treating sound as physically radiated energy rather than reproduced signal. The samples below mark moments where this focus forced changes in synthesis priorities, soundboard design, and radiation strategy.
Active Soundboard Technology
Active soundboard technology was developed to study sound radiation as a distributed vibrational process rather than piston-based reproduction. Unlike loudspeakers, which must behave as rigid pistons and fail once breakup occurs, soundboards rely on controlled breakup to radiate sound naturally. In passive soundboards, this wave motion must be introduced mechanically and builds up through inertia, creating an inherent delay between excitation and audible response. Active soundboards remove this limitation: mathematically defined vibration models calculate the desired wave behavior in real time, which is then induced directly across the entire membrane via electric fields. By comparing passive wooden soundboards with polymer-based and actively driven variants, the research showed that response speed, energy distribution, and radiation behavior—rather than signal fidelity—are decisive for pianistic realism, establishing the soundboard as a core system component rather than a playback element.
This research line studies how soundboard placement and orientation shape perceived projection, clarity, and room coupling when mechanical constraints no longer dictate the acoustic layout. In a conventional grand, the soundboard is forced into a fixed location and radiation pattern because it must coexist with a large mechanical action, harp, and structural frame. Kaduk’s instruments allow the acoustic radiator to be treated as an architectural variable: the radiating surface can be positioned, angled, and coupled to the enclosure and room for specific radiation behavior rather than inherited tradition. This led to deliberate experiments in alternative soundboard placements—including configurations where the primary radiator is integrated into the lid (as in Individu)—to control how energy enters the room, how early reflections form, and how the instrument “speaks” at different distances. From this point on, soundboard placement became a first-order acoustic design choice, not a mechanical leftover.
