Poisson Rhythm Synthesis — User Guide

Praat script.

Author: Shai Cohen Affiliation: Department of Music, Bar-Ilan University, Israel Version: 0.1 (2025) License: MIT License Repo: https://github.com/ShaiCohen-ops/Praat-plugin_AudioTools

Contents:

What this does Quick start Parameters Outputs

What this does

Praat script.

Process Description: This is a sophisticated generative system that uses two independent Poisson Point Processes to create a unique kind of aperiodic or non-metrical rhythm. Unlike a metronome or a Markov Chain (which creates rhythmic patterns with a "memory"), this script creates a rhythm that is statistically random. It doesn't rely on beats or measures; the time between events is purely random, giving the feel of two different streams of random tapping or clicks that never synchronize in a predictable way.

Quick start

Run script… → Poisson Rhythm Synthesis.praat.
Set parameters and click OK.
Output object appears (see Outputs).

Parameters (form fields)

Name (GUI)	Type	Default
Duration	real	8.0
Sampling_frequency	real	44100
Beat_rate	real	2.0
Subdivision_rate	real	8.0
Base_frequency	real	150
Percussive_decay	real	0.1

Outputs

Object name: poisson_rhythm
Sample rate: unknown
Normalization: Final peak scaled to 0.9