2009

Table Of Contents
Is the instrument polyphonic or monophonic?
This is a significant factor, which ties in to the next question about how the instrument
is played. Some differences between monophonic and polyphonic instruments are obvious,
such as the inability to play chords on a flute. A more subtle difference involves the way
a modeled string will interact with any currently active string. This, of course, can’t happen
in a flute, which is strictly a one-note instrument.
How is the instrument played?
Is it bowed, blown, struck, or plucked?
Are there other elements that form part of the instrument sound?
Changes in lip pressure and mouth position with brass and wind instruments.
Breath or mechanical noises.
Momentary pitch changes—for example, when fingers are pressed into a fretboard, or
when a string is plucked.
Momentary tonal or level changes—such as when brass players are running out of
breath, or fluttering the valves.
After you mentally, or physically, construct a list of properties, try to emulate
eachcomponent that contributes to the sound’s character. This is what component
modeling is all about.
Before you begin, it should be stressed that the following examples are just
that—examples. There are many ways to model each component of the sound.
Experiment with the suggested parameters to create your own versions of sounds, and
feel free to use your own parameter values if the supplied values don’t quite match
your ideal bass sound.
Subtle changes—particularly when it comes to Keyscale parameters—result in more
controlled sounds. Take your time, and try everything as you follow these examples.
Make use of other user settings, and the factory settings—either as a starting point for
your own sounds or as an object of study. Looking at existing settings provides an
insight into how the sound was created. Enable and disable different parameters to
see what each does.
Have fun and take risks—you can’t break anything!
Creating Bass Sounds with Sculpture
Creating bass sounds with Sculpture is fairly straightforward.
To create a bass sound
1 Load the #default (or your vanilla) setting file.
386 Chapter 14 Sculpture