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Emulating String and Fret Vibrations in the Basic Bass Sound
The vibration of a bass string does not occur in a vacuum. The antinode of the string
frequently encounters the natural, physical limitations of the instrument. This is heard as
the typical buzzing and rattling that occurs when the strings touch the frets.
To simulate these disturbing elements with Object 2
1 Activate Object 2, and choose Bouncing from the Type pop-up menu. The sound should
now vaguely remind you of a mandolin tremolo. This is far too strong an effect for this
kind of sound.
2 Move Object 2 all the way to the right (a value of 1.00).
3 Experiment with Object 2’s parameters. A discrete and realistic result can be achieved
with the following parameter values: Strength 0.33, Timbre −1.00, and Variation −0.69.
Play some low notes, and you’ll find that once again the overtones sustain a little too
long—somewhat like the lowest notes or strings on a piano.
To use Object 3 to dampen these overtones
1 Activate Object 3 and choose Damp from the Type pop-up menu.
2 Move Object 3 all the way to the right (value 1.00).
3 Set the Strength parameter to 0.18.
Note: Experiment with how the Strength parameter of Object 3 interacts with the Inner
Loss Material Pad parameter. The higher the Inner Loss value, the smaller the Strength
value can be, and vice versa.
Setting the Range for the Basic Bass Sound
To more realistically replicate the different tonal ranges of the bass, use Sculpture’s scaling
function.
402 Chapter 14 Sculpture