Instruments and Effects

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28 Sculpture
Sculpture is a synthesizer that generates sounds—based on a
simulated string or bar—that is in motion, or vibrating.
To keep things clear, this chapter will always refer to the string, even though many of
the sounds you can create with Sculpture have nothing in common with what you’d
expect from a stringed instrument!
Sculpture uses a method of synthesis called component modeling. This approach to
tone generation shares some aspects and parameters with other synthesis techniques,
such as those found in additive and subtractive synthesizers. As such, many of the
parameters used by Sculpture will be immediately familiar to you, such as LFOs, vibrato,
envelopes, and so on. Many others, however, will be very new.
Sculpture’s recordable envelopes provide massive scope for sonic animation, with the
payoff being some just plain astonishing sounds! Sculpture’s flexibility in this area
provides a level of control that will amaze you, even if you’re an experienced
synthesizer user.
Make full use of every control and parameter that is available—when initially
auditioning some of the supplied factory sounds, and when creating new ones of your
own. Sculpture is very much a performance synthesizer, that benefits from use of
controllers, modulations, and different playing techniques. On the sound design side of
things: don’t be afraid to experiment—that’s what Sculpture was created to do!
The creation of particular types of sounds is discussed in the “Programming: Quick
Start Guide” on page 511.
Before taking a look at the feature set, please read the following brief section on the
synthesis core of Sculpture.