A graphical tool for the timbre space exploration and interactive
design of complex sounds by physical modeling synthesis
is presented. It is built around an auditory representation
of sounds based on spike functions and provides the
designer with both a graphical and an auditory insight. The
auditory representation of a number of reference sounds, located
as landmarks in a 2D sound design space, provides the
designer with an effective aid to direct his search along the
paths that lie in the proximity of the most inspiring landmarks.
