Operation Manual

30 Parameters
low notes which is a feature found in many keyboard instruments. Clicking on the inverter LED at
the top of the modulation knob inverts this behavior.
4.2 The String Module
In a string instrument most of the sound we hear is radiated from
the body of the instrument. The strings themselves radiate just a small
amount of sound directly but it is their vibrations that are transmitted to
the body of the instrument, through the bridge, where they can be radiated
efficiently. It is also the strings that fix the pitch of the sound we hear
depending on their effective lengths.
In a real string, the material of the string will affect how it vibrates.
For example, a metal string will oscillate for a longer time than a nylon one; its sound will also be
brighter. In the String module, this behavior is adjusted with the Damping and Decay knobs. The
Damping knob is used to set the amount of high frequencies in the string vibration, this amount
being increased as the knob is turned clockwise. The decay time of the vibrations is controlled
with the help of the Decay knob and it is increased by turning the knob clockwise. Both of these
parameters can be modulated with the pitch signal received from the keyboard.
In a first approximation, a string can be considered to be harmonic meaning that its partials are
located at frequencies equal to multiples of its fundamental frequencies. Real strings, however, are
more or less inharmonic depending mostly on the width of the string. This characteristic of strings
is adjusted with the Inharm knob. When the Inharm knob is in its leftmost position, the string will
be perfectly harmonic and turning the knob clockwise will increasingly detune the partials toward
higher frequencies.
When the Ratio LED is on (LED lit and value of 1), the gray knob located below the Decay
knob is used to adjust the ratio between the decay time of the oscillation of the string when the a
note is depressed and when it is released. When the knob is in its leftmost position, both decay
times are the same and equal to the decay time determined by the settings of the Decay knob.
Turning this knob clockwise will decrease the decay time of the note when it is released while
keeping the decay time when the key is depressed to its current setting. Note that this control
constitutes an easy mean to reproduce the action of dampers on the string. When the Damper
module is used and the Rto knob is turned clockwise, the effect of the both damping mechanisms
will add up.