1/f Aspects of Music

Brownian Noise

Another example of scaling noise is called Brownian noise, a name suggested by Brownian motion, the motion visible in a drop of water when pollen grains are buffeted by water molecules.

To generate Brownian noise use the random number generator to produce not the durations and the tones of the notes, but rather the changes in the durations and tones.

The analogy is that the water molecules executing thermal (white) motion affect changes in the moton of the pollen grains.

With the obvious considerations for changes of durations, playing a tape of Brownian noise at a different speed still sounds like Brownian noise, so this is a scaling noise.

While this, too, wanders all over the place, most steps are very small, and playing a Brownian composition has the expected effect.

It is too predictable, too correlated, in a word - boring.

Listen:

Thanks to Harlan Brothers for the midi files of these tunes.

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