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Chapter 13 Sculpture 240
Sculpture’s basic Material Pad parameters
The Material Pad works as a matrix of Stiness (x-axis) and Inner Loss (y-axis) values.
Stiffness axis
Material Pad ball
Inner Loss axis
The four corners of the Material Pad display dierent material names. These each represent a
combination of maximum/minimum Stiness and Inner Loss values. The combination of the
Inner Loss and Stiness parameter positions determine the string material and, therefore, the
general timbre of your sound. Here are examples of how Inner Loss and Stiness settings can
change the tonal color:
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Low Stiness values, combined with low Inner Loss values, lead to metallic sounds.
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Higher Stiness values, combined with low Inner Loss values, make the sound become more
bell-like or glass-like.
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Higher Inner Loss values, combined with a low Stiness level, correspond to nylon or
catgut strings.
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High Stiness values, combined with high Inner Loss values, simulate wood-like materials.
Material Pad parameters
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Inner Loss: Emulates damping of the string caused by the string material—steel, glass, nylon, or
wood. These are frequency-dependent losses that cause the sound to become more mellow
during the decay phase.
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Stiness: Sets the rigidity of the string. In reality, this is determined by the string material
and diameter—or, to be more precise, by its geometrical moment of inertia. Increasing the
Stiness parameter to the maximum value turns the string into a solid metal bar. Stier strings
also exhibit an inharmonic vibration, where overtones are not integer multiples of the base
frequency. Rather, they have higher frequencies, which can make upper/lower notes sound
somewhat out of tune with each other.
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Material Pad ball: Controls both the Inner Loss and Stiness parameters simultaneously when
you drag it within the Material Pad. The ball marks a specic point on the X and Y planes.
Note: The thickness of the string—the green horizontal line in the Pickup display—changes as
you move the ball. See Use Sculpture’s string parameter sliders on page 242