First look at the Mutable Instruments "Elements" Modal Synthesis Oscillator. This patch was inspired by Bernard Parmegiani Incidences / Résonances piece on | De Natura Sonorum | INAGRM | 1978.
To imitate nature and acoustic instruments, modal
synthesis breaks down the creation of sounds into two
steps:
1. Synthesizing a noisy and/or percussive excitation
signal, which represents the raw energy transferred to
the instrument by the musician when (s)he strikes, bows
or blows it.
2. Processing this excitation by a resonator modeling
the vibrating structure itself be it a string, tube or
plate. Properties such as its size, tuning, shape and
material can be simulated by adjusting the parameters of the resonator.