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Follow the example above to create higher-pitched solo string instruments, but pay
special attention to all Keyscale parameters. Careless settings can lead to an out-of-tune
violin or viola.
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Use the Body EQ to alter the sound. Take care with settings as they can have a large
impact on the upper octaves in particular.
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For a truly radical change (using the example settings above), change Object 1’s type to
Pick, and you’ll have a round and rubbery synth bass sound in the lower octaves, and a
passable harp across the rest of the keyboard.
Creating Classic Synthesizer Sounds with Sculpture
One of Sculpture’s great strengths is the ability to create endlessly evolving pad and
atmospheric sounds. It can also easily do fat synth basses, powerful leads, and other types
of typical synthesizer sounds.
Sculpture has an advantage over traditional synthesizers in that its core synthesis engine
produces a wider variety of basic tones, and these tones have an organic quality and
richness to them.
To create a basic synthesizer pad sound
1 Load the #default (or your vanilla) setting file.
2 Set the Voices parameter to 16.
3 Set Object 1’s type to Bow.
4 Set Object 2’s type to “Bow wide.”
5 Drag the Material Pad ball to a position at the extreme left of the Pad, exactly halfway
between the top and bottom—on a line with the Material label.
6 Play a C chord (middle C), and you’ll hear a pad sound.
7 Move Pickup A to a position around 0.75, and the pad will become a little sweeter.
8 Move Object 1’s position to a value of 0.84.
9 Move Object 2’s position to a value of 0.34.
10 As a final step, click the Points icon that has five dots in the Morph Pad section.
11 Drag the Int slider in the Morph Pad Randomize section to a value of 25%, for example.
12 Click the Morph Rnd button one time.
13 Choose File > Save Setting As, and type in a new name, such as “vanilla_pad”, for example.
You’ll be using this basic pad sound for several other examples. Don’t be shy about
doctoring the “vanilla pad”—anything goes, so make use of the Filter, the Delay, EQ, and
Waveshaper to create new sounds.
To create an evolving synthesizer pad sound
1 Load the #default (or your “vanilla pad”) setting file.
394 Chapter 14 Sculpture