User Manual

CHAPTER 23. LIVE INSTRUMENT REFERENCE 434
The String Section
Tension's String Section.
The vibration of the string is the main component of a stringed instrument's sound. The
effective length of the string is also responsible for the pitch of the sound we hear.
The theoretical model of a resonating string is harmonic, meaning that the string's partials
are all exact multiples of the fundamental frequency. Real-world strings, however, are all
more or less inharmonic, and this increases with the width of the string. The Inharm slider
models this behavior, causing upper partials to become increasingly out of tune as its value
increases.
The Damping slider adjusts the amount of high frequency content in the string's vibration.
Higher values result in more upper partials (less damping). This parameter can be modulated
by note pitch via the <Key slider to its right.
The Decay slider determines how long it takes for the resonating string to decay to silence.
Higher values increase the decay time. The <Key slider next to Decay allows decay time to
be modulated by note pitch.
The Ratio knob sets the ratio of the decay time of the string's oscillation during note onset
and release. When Ratio is turned all the way to the left, the time set by the Decay knob
sets the decay time for both the onset and release of the note. As you turn Ratio up, the
release time decreases but the onset decay time stays the same.