10.6

454Logic Pro Instruments
Sculpture
Logic Pro Sculpture overview
This section contains key information and concepts that you need to understand before
looking at Sculpture features and parameters. If you’re new to synthesizers, it might
be best to start off with Synthesizer basics overview, which will introduce you to the
terminology and give you an overview of different synthesis methods and how they work.
Sculpture is a synthesizer that generates sounds by simulating the physical properties
of a vibrating string. This approach to tone generation is called component modeling. It
enables you to create a virtual model of an acoustic instrument, such as a violin or cello.
Components such as the length of the neck, the material the instrument is made of—wood
or metal, for example—the diameter, tension, and material of the strings—nylon or steel, for
example—and the size of the instrument body can be modeled.
In addition to the physical properties of the instrument, you can determine how and where
it is played—softly bowed, or plucked, on top of a mountain, or under the sea. Other
aspects such as finger noise and vibrato can also be emulated. You can even hit your
virtual instrument strings with a stick, or emulate dropping a coin onto the bridge.
Sculpture is not limited to recreating real-world instruments. You are free to combine
components in any way, leading to bizarre hybrids such as a six-foot-long guitar with a
bronze bell for a body—played with a felt hammer.
You can also create more traditional synthesizer tones in Sculpture. These benefit from
the modeling process itself, which tends to add a level of richness and an organic quality
to sounds. The end results are lush, warm pads, deep and round synthesizer basses,
and powerful lead sounds. If you need to create an endlessly evolving texture for a film
soundtrack, or a spaceship takeoff sound, Sculpture is the perfect instrument for the job.
Like a real instrument, Sculpture generates sounds by using an object, such as a fingertip,
wind, drumstick, or violin bow, to stimulate another object, such as a guitar string or reed.
Note: For clarity, the stimulated object is always referred to as the string.
As with a real instrument, the sound consists of multiple elements. It’s not only the string
that is responsible for the tonal color, but also the objects that stimulate or otherwise
affect the string, and therefore the sound.