Characterization of the timbre of a sound from its spectrum or time series
is of limited use in the context of electroacoustics because of the huge da
ta set that is usually involved. The concept of a timbral space offers the
potential to characterize sounds using a smaller set of variables, but it i
s not clear how the signal-derived parameters map onto their psychoacoustic
correlates. Sculptor is a package that enables the analysis, parameterizat
ion, and editing of sounds in real time, requiring only inexpensive hardwar
e. State-space techniques are used to decompose models of a selected sound
into parallel second-order sections. The second-order resonator parameters
can then be edited and the results auditioned in real time. The source code
of the package is available, so that researchers may provide additional fu
nctionality as required.