2009

Table Of Contents
All other parameters on the lower portions of the Sculpture interface (Modulation, Morph,
Envelope, and Controller Assignments) are not part of the core synthesis engine, although
they can obviously affect it.
Sculpture Tutorial: Creating Basic Sounds
This section covers the creation of basic types of sounds, such as organs, basses, guitars,
and so on. It contains a collection of programming guidelines, tips, tricks, and information
to assist you in creating particular types of sounds in Sculpture. For a more detailed look
at programming particular types of sounds, see Advanced Sculpture Tutorial: Programming
Electric Basses and Advanced Sculpture Tutorial: Programming Synthesized Sounds.
The idea here is to provide you with a starting point for your own experiments and to
introduce you to different approaches for tone creation with Sculpture.
As you become more familiar with Sculpture and component modeling, you’ll find that
there are many ways to achieve an end result. In other words, each component of the
sound can be modeled using different techniques and parameters.
This flexible approach allows you to create a brass sound, for example, in several
ways—using the Waveshaper as a major tonal element in one sound or the filter and
Body EQ to emulate the same sonic component in another sound.
It is helpful to have a good understanding of the physical properties of the instrument
you are trying to emulate. Although you can do some research on the Internet to obtain
this type of specialized knowledge, for most sound creation tasks with Sculpture you can
follow the general approach set forth below.
How is the sound of the instrument created?
Is it a string that is vibrating and resonating in a box (such as a guitar or violin)?
Is it a column of air that is vibrating in a tube (a flute or trumpet)?
Is it a solid object that is struck, causing vibration (a woodblock)?
Is it a hollow object that is struck, causing vibration or resonance (a drum or bell)?
What is the instrument made of?
When you answer this question, don’t just consider the body of the instrument. Take into
account the string material—nylon or steel on a guitar, or perhaps the thickness and
material of the reed in a clarinet or oboe, or a mute in a trumpet.
385Chapter 14 Sculpture