Program a slap bass sound in Sculpture in MainStage

You’re actually dealing with two different articulations here. The low notes originate when the thumb literally slaps the strings on the upper part of the fingerboard. The high notes are produced when the strings are strongly plucked or popped with the fingers. This is achieved by hooking a finger under the string, pulling it away from the instrument, then allowing it to slap back onto the fingerboard. In conjunction, these articulation methods make up the typically aggressive and overtone-rich slap bass sound.

Emulate a slap bass sound in Sculpture

In MainStage, load the E-Bass Fingered Basic EQ1 setting.
Turn off the Body EQ.
Also turn off Object 2 and Object 3 for now.
Because the basic sound of a slap bass is brighter than a standard fingered bass, you need to adjust some Material Pad settings.
Return the Low Keyscale parameter to its initial value by Option-clicking the small green triangle (found below the main Resolution slider).
Drag the ball down a little, and the sound becomes more wiry. The ball should now be directly above the word “Steel” on the horizontal axis.
From the models at your disposal, Strike is the most suitable for simulating a thumb physically striking the strings from above. This model is not, however, as appropriate for the slapped (popped) strings. It makes the most sense to choose the Pick model for this purpose.
To be safe, turn the Level knob to −25 dB.
Choose the Pick model for Object 1.
Drag Object 1 to position 0.90 in the Pickup display. This position corresponds to a playing position above or on the fingerboard.

Note: Given its universal concept, Sculpture does not react exactly like a bass, where one would tend to play in the middle of the string on the upper part of the fingerboard. Try moving Object 1 to this position and see how it sounds. You’ll find that the sound is a little too smooth.

Set the parameters for object 1 in Sculpture

In MainStage, set Timbre to a value of 0.38, which corresponds to a rapid attack.
Timbre determines the angle of the obstacle to the string.
Set the Strength parameter to 0.53.
Set the Variation parameter to −0.69.
This defines the softer material that constitutes the fleshy part on the side of your slapping thumb. Put more technically, Variation defines the type and degree of reflection.
Choose Bound in the Object 2 Type pop-up menu to emulate the typical bright rattling that is created when the string strikes the fingerboard.
Bound limits the antinode of the string in exactly the same way as the fingerboard on a real electric bass.

Adjust object 2 parameters in Sculpture

In MainStage, set Timbre to 0.39.
This corresponds to a fingerboard that runs almost parallel to the string.
Set the Strength parameter to 0.33.
Note: Try some higher values as well. You’ll see that the sound becomes softer and softer until it’s completely dampened by the obstacle.
Set Variation to 0.64. Despite the overtone-rich reflection, the string can still vibrate freely.
Note: Try some negative values—you’ll see that the reflections can no longer develop in an unhindered fashion.
Set the Level knob to −3 dB. The Bound obstacle has made the sound softer.
Notice that the sound is still too smooth for a real slap bass, so try using the Body EQ again. Turn on the Body EQ, and adjust the parameters as follows: Low 0.25, Mid 0.43, High 0.51, and drag the Mid Frequency slider to 0.59.
Save this sound as Slap Bass Basic#1.

Download the guides:

MainStage User Guide: PDF

MainStage Instruments: PDF

MainStage Effects: PDF

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