# Wizardry and Steamworks/Sound Combinators

 Note: Some formulas used here are using the Mediawiki-maths system. They show up fine on the WaS wiki where we write our articles but, for now, they may not display properly on the Second Life wiki.

Created by Flax Quirina of the Wizardry and Steamworks group.

# Terminology

## Blurring

• We name a sound blurr, the action of dissolving the high pitched sounds so that they fade-in with other sounds.

This contrasts well to a blurr in graphics terms which dissolves pixels and bringing their RGB values closer together. We apply that concept to sounds.

## Primary Combinators

• We map a Monophthong to an $\alpha$ sound combinator consisting of one dominant high-pitched sound.
• We map a Hiatus to a $\eta$ a pause or a dampening of a previous combinator which separates combinators.

## Composition

• We call a Diphthong composition, a $\beta$ sound combinator consisting of two $\alpha$ dominant high-pitched sounds.
• We call a $\Gamma$-composition, the association of a sequence of sounds:

$\Gamma = (\alpha, \eta, \alpha, \alpha, \alpha, \alpha, \eta, \beta)$

which, we believe, is a natural occurring sound-pattern. The number of $\alpha$ primary combinators between $\eta$s may be composed of alternating pitches, yet still dominant enough to preserve the pattern of the $\Gamma$ composition.

The primary combinators which are part of the $\Gamma$ composition may be produced by any event occurring in nature, although possibly blurred as per the first chapter. The sequence of the composition holds through the dominant nature of $\alpha$, respectively $\beta$ combinators, as well as the relatively-short time span between them.

## Examples of Simple Compositions

• Any movie you have seen recently: watch the honks (Why do people either honk once, or twice and, much rarely three times?). The used primary combinators $\alpha$ and $\beta$ composition.