MIT researchers create computational model of 1715 Stradivarius violin

10 articles · Updated · ZME Science · May 4

Built from CT scans and millions of elements, the Titian-inspired model simulates wood, varnish, strings and surrounding air, and currently takes eight to 10 hours on four Dell workstations.
The team said coupling the violin body with air was crucial: removing that interaction shifted resonances by more than a semitone and changed some sound levels by over 10 decibels.
For now it produces only plucked notes, but could help luthiers test plate thickness, f-hole changes and listener-position effects virtually before cutting wood, the npj Acoustics study said.

If a perfect digital Stradivarius fails to match the original's sound, what unquantifiable 'magic' did the simulation miss?

Will this virtual luthier create a new golden age of perfect instruments or simply devalue the traditional craft of violin making?