Operation Manual

34 Parameters
of the Size drop-down menu from Tiny to Huge. Basically, reducing the size of the Body, shifts its
frequency response toward higher frequencies while increasing it, results in a shift toward lower
frequencies. In addition to its shape and size, the material of the body also influences its radiation
and filtering effects. This behavior is adjusted with the Damp and Decay knobs. The Damp knob
is used to set the amount of high frequencies in the body 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; it is increased by turning the knob clockwise.
The output signal from the Body module can further be monitored with the Mix and Level
knobs. The Mix knob is used to adjust the ratio of direct signal from the String module and the
signal filtered by the Body in the output signal of the Body module. In its leftmost position the
output signal from the Body module will be that from the String module only while in its rightmost
position, there is no direct signal from the String module. When this knob is in its center position,
there is equal amounts of direct and filtered signal in the output signal of the Body module. Finally,
the general level of the output signal from the Body module is controlled with the Level knob. Note
that the level of the output signal can be monitored with the Signal LED. This can be helpful when
trying to adjust the signal level at the input of the Distortion module or the other effect modules.
The color of the LED gives a rough indication of the sound level, when it is green the signal from
the body is faint, when it is orange the level is in the middle range while when it is red, the signal
level is high.
Note that the Body module is made inactive or bypassed by selecting the Off option in the Type
control. Even when this option is chosen, the Level knob is active which means that the sound level
from the String can still be monitored by this knob.
4.5 The Damper Module
The Damper module is used to attenuate rapidly the vibration
of the string. In a piano or harpsichord, this role is played by
felts while for the violin or the guitar, the performer’s finger is
used to damp the string vibrations. Basically, the damper can be
viewed as a mass/spring system acting on the string as illustrated
in Figure 15. The Mass and Stiff knobs are used to adjust these
parameters, which affect how the damper interacts with the string.
These physical parameters can be modulated with the pitch signal
from the Keyboard and fine-tuned over the whole range of the
instrument. The Velocity knob is used to adjust the velocity at which the damper is applied and
released from the string. This parameter can also be modulated with the pitch signal from the
Keyboard module. The last parameter of the Damper module is controlled with the Damp knob
and refers to the ability of the damper to absorb energy from the string. Turning this knob clockwise
will increase the damping exerted on the string by the damper.
Note that the Damper module responds to the sustain pedal signal via the Damper MIDI Con-
trol Change message (CC#64). In order for String Studio VS to respond to a sustain pedal, simply