Reach me at

elena @ elenadesign . eu

Elena here. Yep, the only one, the original !
*Where science meets art, behind numbers there is a pulsing heart*




I am a musician, coder, graphics artist, scientist. Despite my versatility and multi-skilled nature, I am *primarily* a composer of music across various genres. I've been composing music since I was 11. I only compose good, melodic music, with original melodies and harmony. Not noises. I compose Pop/Rock music, melodic dance music, instrumental, piano or electronic music. Not Ambient, not Hardcore, not Techno, not Trance, no Rap/Trap. It looks like there isn't good music anymore nowadays, and as a side effect people's tastes are now ruined. There is still plenty of room for good music, and I will do whatever possible to throw it out of me so that the whole world one day may enjoy it.

At present, I am chiefly dedicated to music and DSP programming under Windows.





QUICK LINKS

Official Repository
KVR page
Spectral Domain framework for Synth Edit (ESD)
ED Module Pack for Synth Edit
Synlay synthesizer





My most notable work in recent years is an advanced modular STFT spectral processing framework for SynthEdit: Elena Spectral Domain [ESD] Modules for SynthEdit. This framework allows realtime spectral "STFT" processing and creation of VST plugins for realtime spectral manipulation and synthesis. I started this project with the aim of providing myself with a very advanced toolkit for vocal timbre manipulation for my music arrangements.
My most notable achievements so far include an innovative spectral envelope extraction algorithm (codename WHISPER), an original comb-based pitch-detection algorithm, a brand new peak estimation algorithm and a special STFT filtering process for Hann-windowed frames (these will be object of future Papers, the ones once published here are now undergoing revision and are momentarily unavailable, very sorry).
I have also developed a natively real FFT implementation that works directly on real sequences and on half-complex spectra, which is about 30/40% faster than the standard approach of feeding a complex FFT with two real sequences and post-processing the result. All these algorithms are implemented in ESD 3.0.




I've also been experimenting with new sound synthesis techniques, like delay-based synthesis. I've always been intrigued since infancy by how certain noises (like the background noise of the far city, or the noise of a jet plane flying over) could acquire a "pitchness" when naturally mixing with delayed reflections of themselves. I started experimenting in this direction since 2019, and the product of my efforts is Synlay, which now reached Version 2. Synlay is a professional sound synthesizer plugin capable of very diverse timbres and of high quality. I am genuinely astonished by how versatile this synthesis technique turned out (as long as implemented properly): Synlay is capable of incredible violins, brasses, orchestral and original synthetic sounds !




Currently in the works is also MIKTAR, a very innovative VST plugin which allows you to simulate an acoustic guitar (or other plucked string instruments) with unprecedented realism. Thanks to accurately engineered Feedback Delay Networks acting as virtual strings, entirely developed by me, you will be able to "play" a microphone with your right fingers as you would do with guitar strings while playing the notes on your MIDI keyboard with your left hand. MIKTAR will be available as a commercial product. An audio demo, a demo video and a first public beta version will hopefully be available in 2024 (despite the program is pretty finished, publishing suffered a big delay because of technical problems related to its commercial distribution and licensing. If you are interested to test it, please contact me privately. An official page should be ready in a short time though).




Many people will surely remember me as a former Amiga developer (late 90s/early 2000s) and fractal artist. For many years I was passionate about creating fractals - which in simple and less technical terms translate mathematics to art, revealing that the two are not mutually exclusive and can be bridged together in fascinating visuals. For those who are interested, my old program ZoneXplorer (ZX 2.0 BETA, for MorphOS) can be downloaded here. Nevertheless, this is a discontinued project which I have no time or intention of resuming. I do, however, have some images made with the latest True Recursive formulas in 2017 here. You can also access my old fractal gallery here. Keep in mind that since 2017 I closed the Amiga chapter forever. I would like to port ZoneXplorer to Windows some day, but hardly I'll have the time needed for that !




Somebody else may also remember me for my past research about the Testatika machine, in the years from about 2009 to 2015. This has been the darkest chapter of my life. As a scientist (not a pseudo-one !!!) I was almost compulsively captured by this legend, to the point it became a psychosis, or an obsession. Unlike most similar "free energy" inventions, nobody to date could really demonstrate it was a "hoax". I really started my passionate research, in an almost forensic fashion, to the unique purpose of studying the whole story SCIENTIFICALLY, and to prove to myself it was indeed yet another scam. I failed my goal, therefore this mystery (which not without a reason I defined "the greatest mystery of the 20th century") will keep disturbing my nights perhaps up to the last of my days...
My current opinion is that it was actually a genuine invention able to harvest thermal air ions, but it ended up in the oblivion for having been managed VERY POORLY, from beginning to end, both by their inventors and by third party researchers.
However, to put the word END on this unhappy (and embarassing) chapter of my life, in 2015 I decided to write a book, Tutta la verita sul caso Testatika. [NOTE: the second edition, completely revised, is on its way and will be ready in most stores before the end of 2024 !]
I have been the first person in the world dedicating a book to this case.
(The book is currently published in Italian only, but I hope to arrange for an English translation eventually.)

NOTE: the old Testatika work group on Yahoogroups does not exist anymore. I created a new one with the sole purpose of collecting all important hystoric material and however as an official reference for future discussions.







My real life ? I am not completely normal, despite I don't know what I have got. Nobody ever diagnosed me with anything but I know I am not normal. A part of my brain is hyper-developed, evidently leaving less room somewhere else... However, I am a Highly Sensitive Person for sure. I perceive everything amplified 10x, both the good and the bad things.
I bought my boyfriend at the supermarket, at a 50% off. I love him despite we are totally different beasts. He is not completely average either: he has some pathological childish traits, some bad habits, a moral depth which is perhaps 1% of mine, has several compulsions and is a nerd/fandom (despite handsome, unlike most of them); but if he had been 100% normal, he would have dumped me suddently... However I am engaged and I will love him forever, so please don't bother chasing me; also, I am not the vanilla one you may expect, you are warned !
I was born to be a daughter all life long, neither wife, nor housewife, nor mother (our planet is overcrowded already). I support the idea that the only illness of our planet is overcrowding, and Nature will rebel decimating us eventually, unless we take some measures in time.
Normal, average things always bored me, causing me depression. The only "normal" (read: simple) things I love despite all are going for excursions, picking mushrooms and visiting abandoned houses (yes, I am passionate with Urban Exploration !) And I love CATS (dogs are cute aswell but they stink and shit too much).
I am 100% atheist and against the catholic church and its materialism (if Jesus Christ could come back, he would strike them all), but I don't disregard Christian morale and spirit (after all IT IS PART OF OUR ITALIAN CULTURE AND IDENTITY !)
I am deadly against cremation and against any means of disrespecting our dears/beloved or treating them like waste.
I have already understood everything one should understand about what we are, why we are, what our universe is and in particular WHY it is. Therefore, no need to believe in humanized divinities or religions in general.
I love eating pizza BUT... only Marinara pizza !!!! I am not vegan (I HATE vegans) but I also hate most animal foods (in particular meat, fish and cheeses), because they disgust me. I LOVE carbs and sweets and I HATE those who talk bad of my diet.
Politically I define myself as a Right extremist or almost so (so I'll leave you figure out which other things or people I hate...), but I think with my brain and I have my own ideas. But I am NOT bad or wicked !
I actually hate bad people, and A LOT. And most people either love or hate me - there is not any way in between. I love who loves me to the point of giving upto to self consuming, but I also hate who hurts or hates me (again, to the point of self annihilating by revenge instincts). I do not forget friends AS I WILL NEVER FORGET ENEMIES AND THE WRONGS I RECEIVED. I am bloody true and have a profund, huge, immense sense of justice.

Currently in my deathlist (but it was THEM choosing so):
-J.M.C (an asshole, maschilist and lunatic man, a traitor)
-A.M (a dangerous drug addict, violent yet coward man, who hurt me, my family and all my acquaintances)
-mr. NTDev (an inept, fag, asshole)
-M.M (a lunatic, insane, false former friend, politically deviated one, and traitor)
...do you want to be one in the list ? You're welcome:
MANY ENEMIES, MUCH HONOUR !

Jokes aside, seeding love instead of war, reacting with love feelings before wrongs or bad people will surely make you feel better. Identically, "make love, not war" is not necessarily something only homosexuals, Left people or drug addicts from the 60's should say, that is rather an universally valid concept I fully agree with.
Unfortunately, as life teaches us, that is
NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE :(





STRIVING FOR FREEDOM
(I.e opposing to the so-called "Progress-Regress")


I am a rebel, a bloody one, because when something is bad or wrong, you MUST rebel: who obeys and bends silently is a sheep, and will NOT contribute to a better world !
I have been using computers since infancy or almost, out of necessity. Computers must be precious tools and companions for our art, creativity, science, to help us reach our goals, NOT to substitute us or to control us. They are to make our life easier, not to make it worse !
Unfortunately, as time passed by, the opposite happened: huge mass control powers (like Micro$oft, Google or Apple...) formed and grew up, whose purpose is to own our lives and our freedom and to control us within every respect.
Since the times when I had to switch from AmigaOS to Windows, and since I started using modern smartphones, my battle for freedom began and never ended.

I have been using Windows 7 for several years, and I would have kept doing so indefinitely, because it was a very fast, slender OS, if properly configured. I can't tolerate intrusive policies, ads, unrequired bloat and crap. For my purposes an OS must be reactive, responsive, fast, boot and shut down in few seconds, and it must be under my total control. Because we must be the unique owners of our machines, and not the other way around !
Whenever I notice that something tries to escape my control, I fight for days, weeks, months until it goes back under my total control.
I hate Apple and Macs, by having an even more tyrannic policy, as well as I cannot symphatize with all those who still insist using Macs or IPhones.
And Linux is NOT an option, unfortunately: there is very few professional software for Linux, in particular Audio / Music software, and no official drivers for hardware. Also, Unix philosophy is very far from my experience.

I have always been using pirate software with very few exceptions. When I buy a good, I want to have total ownership on it and forever, and often using a hacked / pirated copy is the only way to achieve so (it is NOT just a matter of money). The only programs I bought in my life are SynthEdit, Reaper, NTLite and Themida and few others, because of their still honest and relaxed policies.

With time, more and more people started stressing me about moving to Windows 10, and more and more programs progressively dropped support for Windows 7, so I had to plan a careful migration. But I had to fight hard, thanks to NTLite, to create an installation ISO completely devoid of "bloat": I removed Windows Updates, Cortana, Edge, Defender, all Micro$oft apps and cr@ps, all unrequired and intrusive services, and everything else which may slow down the system and/or cause distraction. I never bought one Windows license in life, but I would even spend 1000 $ for an OS made the way I want and which is totally under my control.

Another example ? I have a professional Epson inkjet printer I am still using for graphic arts. I could not tolerate that somebody imposed me to buy chipped ink cartridges, just to spend more, and without the freedom of using the inks I want. Also, I was very disappointed with the printing algorithms used. Therefore, I started a very long and exhausting journay, in 2010, and which lasted several months, to literally reverse-engineer and "hack" the printer's firmware, in order to disable any imposition and limitation; I also wrote a personal program ("RIP") to drive the print head directly, so I could have total control on the printing process.

As for software development I only use free and open source solutions, like GCC and Code Blocks. Also, GCC is likely the best compiler in the world and still produces a much better assembly code than Visual C.

A similar story applies to smartphones. At beginning, Android was a free, open source OS. Then Google acquired it, turning it in a big mass control machine. Whenever I have to switch to a new phone, I have to work hard for several days in order to "root" it and "de-bloat" it, removing every Google cr@p and control stuff: a very hard work, that's why I tend to keep my phones for 4/5 years at least.
I use only Firefox and other open source software on my smartphones, plus a file manager, and I always "side-load" apps downloaded freely from the sources I prefer.

For me, smartphones must be small computers, but computers must NOT be large smartphones !!!!!

Freedom as you can see comes for a cost, which not everybody can afford (therefore, the few ones like me don't quite harm those big powers sadly, still being a minority). Freedom costs blood, time (stolen from actual life and work), patience, stubbornness and the price to pay is neural exhaustion. This is true today, virtually, as it was true in the past: it costed wars and blood, as History taught us. But this is the price if one wants to be a free man or woman, and to be able to WORK, or to LIVE !



I oppose to Progress when it means Regress, and to Evolution when I rather judge it Involution



My boyfriend understands my attitude only marginally, partially criticizing me, often laughing at me, supporting the idea that I am the only cause of all my stress and exhaustion, that I ruin my life with my radical positions, and blah blah... He may surely live better, as most people do, but as SLAVES. Sadly I was born with a brain together with a strong personality, so I cannot tolerate being a slave. It is not entirely my choice.
What a horrible world it has become...
I just wonder: will I have the needed strenght to keep fighting forever, in a battle which gets every day harder and harder ?