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Chapter 24 Sculpture 439
5 Move the ball down a little, and the sound becomes more wiry. The ball should now be
located directly above the word “Steel” on the horizontal axis.
From the models at our disposal, Strike is the most suitable for simulating a thumb phy-
sically striking the strings from above. This model is not, however, as appropriate for
the slapped (popped) strings. It makes the most sense to choose the Pick model for this
purpose.
6 To be safe, turn the Level dial to −25 dB.
7 Select the Pick model for Object 1.
8 Move Object 1 to position 0.90 in the Pickup window. This position corresponds to a
playing position above or on the fingerboard.
Note: Given its universal concept, Sculpture will not react exactly like a bass, where one
would tend to play in the middle of the string on the upper part of the fingerboard. Try
moving Object 1 to this position and see how it sounds. You’ll find that the sound is
little too smooth.
Setting the parameters for Object 1:
1 Set Timbre to a value of 0.38; this corresponds to a rapid attack.
2 Set the Strength parameter to 0.53.
3 Set the Variation parameter to −0.69; this defines the softer “material” that constitutes
the fleshy part on the side of your slapping thumb.
You’re probably familiar with the sound of low notes when played with your thumb.
What’s missing, thus far, is the typical bright rattling that is created when the string stri-
kes the fingerboard. We’ll use Object 2 to this end, and select the Bound Type menu
option. Bound limits the antenode of the string in exactly the same way as the finger-
board on a real electric bass.
Let’s review the functions of these parameters: Timbre determines the angle of the
obstacle to the string while Variation defines the type and degree of reflection.