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Chapter 13 Sculpture 289
Explore Sculpture’s string
The string is the central synthesis element of Sculpture and is responsible for the basic tone. It
oers parameters that enable you to adjust its material—what it’s made of, in other words—and
to dene the environment that it’s being played in—water or air, for example.
Tip: Before starting, Control-click the string (the green horizontal line in the Pickup display), then
choose “enable string animation” from the shortcut menu. When active, the string vibrates when
you play a note, making it easier to visualize the impact of the objects and pickups.
Release button
Keyscale button
Media Loss slider
Tension Mod slider
Resolution slider
Keyscale slider
Keyscale slider
Keyscale slider
Ball
Set a basic tone
1 Click the Keyscale button at the bottom of the Material Pad ring.
2 Strike and hold or repeatedly strike middle C on your keyboard. Middle C is the default pitch of
the string.
3 While striking middle C, drag the ball around the Material Pad. Listen to the sonic changes as you
move between the Nylon, Wood, Steel, and Glass materials. Keep an eye on the string (the green
horizontal line in the Pickup display, to the left) as you’re doing so.
4 When you nd a basic tone that you like, release the mouse button.
Change the string properties
1 Now experiment with the values of each of the sliders that surround the Material Pad—the
Media Loss, Tension Mod, and Resolution parameters—while continuing to strike middle C. Note
the changes that each makes to the sound, and also to the string animation in the Pickup display.
Play a few notes above and below middle C, again keeping your eye on the string.
2 You probably noticed that moving the Media Loss, Tension Mod, and Resolution sliders also had
an eect on the green and blue Keyscale sliders inside and outside the ring. Drag each of these
Keyscale slider arrowheads to dierent positions—one by one—while you play a few notes
either side of middle C. Notice the changes that happen up or down the keyboard range.
3 When you’re done, click the Release button at the bottom of the Material Pad ring, and adjust the
blue Media Loss Release slider while you strike notes.