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Chapter 13 Sculpture 296
Create ute-like sounds
Use this approach as the basis for instruments in the wind family, including utes, clarinets,
shakuhachis, pan pipes, and so on.
1 Load the #default (or your vanilla) setting le.
2 Make sure Keyboard Mode is set to mono, as utes and other wind instruments are monophonic.
After you’ve created the setting, feel free to experiment with this parameter while playing, and
make your choice.
3 Set Object 1’s type to Blow.
4 Set Object 2’s type to Noise.
5 Set the Gate of both objects to Always.
6 Adjust Object 2’s Strength to a value of around 0.25.
7 Adjust Object 1’s Velosens parameter to a value around 0.33.
8 Move the Material Pad ball to a position between the end of the Inner Loss text and below the
Nylon text.
9 Play the keyboard and you should hear a ute-like sound, but with a long release—which
obviously isn’t ideal. Drag the Amplitude Envelope Release slider down to around 0.99 ms.
10 Pickup A should be set to a value of 1.00 (far right).
11 Set Object 1’s pickup position to around 0.27.
12 Set Object 2’s pickup position to around 0.57.
13 Activate the Waveshaper and select the “Tube-like distortion” type.
14 Play a few notes, and adjust the Waveshaper Input Scale and Variation parameters to taste (try
Input Scale = 0.16 and Variation 0.55, for example).
15 As you play sustained notes, you may notice a distinct lack of interesting timbral shifts (typical
of real ute sounds—due to changes in the player’s breath, lip position, and so on) as the note
is held.
16 You can use a number of approaches to add interest to the sustained sound. These include using
the vibrato modulator (assigned to aftertouch, perhaps), recording or drawing in an envelope,
and controlling the Waveshaper Input Scale via Velocity and/or String Media Loss. You could even
use the Loop Alternate Sustain Mode. Feel free to experiment!
17 Choose Save Setting As from the Settings pop-up menu and save the setting with a new name.