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• Tension Mod sliders: Control the momentary detuning of the string. Strings, such as
those of a guitar, exhibit a particularly prominent nonlinear behavior—if the string
excursion is large, the string is detuned upwards. Because this detuning is caused by
the momentary, rather than the average, excursion of the string, the detuning occurs
very quickly. This phenomenon is known, technically, as tension modulation
non-linearity. Non-technically, setting or modulating the Tension Mod slider to values
above 0.0 emulates this momentary detuning effect in Sculpture.
Note: This nonlinear effect can produce some surprising results, and can also make the
entire model unstable, especially when combined with low Media Loss and Inner Loss
values. So, if you have a sound that spikes or drops out during the decay phase, try
reducing Tension Mod, and perhaps Resolution.
To adjust Resolution key scaling
1 Enable the Keyscale button.
2 Drag the green low slider inside the top of the Material Pad ring for low notes—or the
blue high slider around the top of the outer ring for high notes—to the desired position.
To adjust Media Loss key scaling
1 Enable the Keyscale button.
2 Drag the green slider inside the left side of the Material Pad ring to the desired position.
To adjust the Media Loss release time
1 Enable the Release button.
2 Drag the blue slider in the outer ring at the left side of the Material Pad.
Values above 1.0 cause media losses to increase when the key is released. This parameter
can be used to simulate a string that is dropped into a bucket of water after initially
vibrating in air, for example. Obviously, this is not what the average violinist or pianist
would do, but it can be useful for a number of interesting sound variations.
To adjust Tension Mod key scaling
1 Enable the Keyscale button.
2 Drag the green low slider inside the right side of the Material Pad ring for low notes—or
the blue high slider around the right side of the outer ring for high notes—to the desired
position.
Tip: If you find that your instrument seems slightly sharp or flat as you play up or down
the keyboard, consider making adjustments to the Tension Mod and perhaps Media Loss
Keyscale parameters.
330 Chapter 14 Sculpture