User Guide

516 Chapter 28 Sculpture
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 impact upon it. Some tips and uses of these
parameters are discussed below.
Creating Basic Sounds
This section covers the creation of basic types of sounds, such as organs, basses,
guitars, and so on.
The idea here is to provide you with a starting point for your own experimentation, and
to introduce you to different approaches for tone creation with Sculpture.
As you become familiar with the synthesizer, 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 modelled using different techniques and tools available in Sculpture.
This flexible approach allows you to create, say a brass sound, in several ways—using
the Waveshaper as a major tonal element in one patch. In another brass patch, the filter
and Body EQ can be used to emulate the same sonic component that the Waveshaper
provided in the first patch.
A good understanding of the physical properties of the instrument that you are trying
to emulate is obviously advantageous. This type of knowledge is pretty specialized, but
it can easily be found on the Internet.
You can certainly do some detailed research, but for most sound creation tasks with
Sculpture, you can follow this general breakdown formula when creating your string.
How is the sound of the instrument created?
This means:
 Is it a string that is vibrating and resonating in a box (guitar or violin, as examples)?
 Is it a column of air that is vibrating in a tube (flute, trumpet)?
 Is it a solid object that is struck, causing vibration (woodblock)?
 Is it a hollow object that is struck, causing vibration/resonance? (drum, bell)?
What are the physical properties of the instrument? In other words, what is it made
of?
When answering 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.