Loading Sound Bowl…
Sound Bowl
A friction-driven singing bowl model with strike and rub excitation. The bowing simulation recreates the stick-slip interaction between a mallet and the bowl rim, producing sustained singing tones with natural harmonic overtones.
Friction-Driven Bowing
Stick-slip simulation produces sustained singing tones with natural harmonics
Dual Excitation
Strike for a bell-like attack, or hold for sustained evolving tones
Sympathetic Resonance
Bowls resonate with each other for complex, layered soundscapes
Instrument & FX
Play it as an instrument, or route any audio through the resonator as a VST3/CLAP effect
Explore Sound Together
Share a live session and shape the sound together — randomise parameters, tweak patches, and hear every change in real time
MIDI & MPE
Full MPE support for per-note pitch bend, pressure, and slide — connect any controller and play expressively
The puja mallet circles the rim, alternating between sticking and slipping — recreating the friction-driven interaction that produces the singing bowl's sustained voice.
Dual Excitation Modes
Strike a bowl for a clear bell-like attack, or hold to enter rub mode for sustained, evolving tones with rich harmonic content.
Controls
- Brightness — Tone brightness
- Reverb — Room ambience
- Decay — Sustain length
- Volume — Output level
- Sympathetic — Sympathetic resonance between bowls
- Bow Force — Friction pressure for rub mode
Effect Plugin
Also available as an audio effect (VST3/CLAP). Route any audio through the bowl's resonator to excite its harmonic modes with external sound.
Research
The singing bowl bowing model uses an elasto-plastic friction simulation to recreate the stick-slip interaction between a puja stick and the bowl rim. Inspired by:
- E. Matusiak, V. Chatziioannou & M. Van Walstijn, "Numerical modelling of elasto-plastic friction in bow–string interaction with guaranteed passivity," Frontiers in Signal Processing, 2025.
- S. Serafin, "The sound of friction: Real-time models, playability and musical applications," Ph.D. dissertation, Stanford University, 2004.
- P. Dupont, V. Hayward, B. Armstrong & F. Altpeter, "Single state elasto-plastic friction models," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 787–792, 2002.