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Table Of Contents
Chapter 24 Sculpture 415
A good understanding of the physical properties of the instrument that you are trying
to emulate is obviously advantageous. This type of knowledge, however, is not
common to most people, but it can be found online.
You can certainly do some detailed research, but for most sound creation tasks with
Sculpture, you can follow this general breakdown formula when creating your “string.
How is the sound of the instrument created?
By this, we mean:
is it a string that is vibrating and resonating in a “box” (guitar or violin, as examples)?
is it a column of air that is vibrating in a tube (flute, trumpet)?
is it a solid object that is struck, causing vibration (woodblock)?
is it a hollow object that is struck, causing vibration/resonance? (drum, bell)?
What are the physical properties of the instrument?
In other words, what is it made of?
When answering this question, don’t just consider the body of the instrument. Take
into account the string material—nylon or steel on a guitar, or perhaps the thickness
and material of the reed in a clarinet or oboe, or a mute in a trumpet.
Is it polyphonic or monophonic?
This is a pretty significant factor, that ties into the next question. Apart from the
obvious things such as the inability to play chords on a flute, a modelled string” will
interact with any currently active string. This, of course, can’t happen in a flute. Its
strictly a one-note instrument.
How is it played?
Is it bowed, blown, struck, plucked?
Are there other characteristics that contribute to the sonic character of the instrument?
Examples of this are:
changes to lip pressure and mouth position with brass and wind instruments.
breath or mechanical noises.
momentary pitch changes—as an example, when fingers are pressed into a
fretboard, or when a string is plucked.
momentary tonal or level changes—such as when brass players are running out of
breath, or “fluttering” the valves.
Once you’ve mentally, or physically, written down your “list of properties, try to
emulate each component that contributes to the sound’s character. This is what
component modelling is all about.