Electric bass programming in Sculpture in MainStage

This section concentrates on a single instrument type—the electric bass, including all of its important variations and articulations. The physical nature of electric basses is not as complex as their acoustic counterparts. This instrument is therefore an excellent choice for the sound programming tutorials, the goal of which is to acquaint you with the art of using Sculpture to accurately reproduce detailed sounds.

Note: To see the settings for these tutorials in the Sculpture window, choose Tutorial Settings from the Settings pop-up menu.

To build a bass and all its components in Sculpture, you need to understand the basic, physical process of sound production within the instrument. In general, the electric bass has four strings. The lowest string is usually tuned to E 0 or E (MIDI note number 28). The strings above the low E are tuned in fourths—thus A, D, and G. There are basses that have five, six, or more strings, but because Sculpture has no tonal limits, this is unimportant.

What is much more important for sound programming is the overtone content of the bass sound, which depends primarily on the qualities of the strings.

Round wound strings: A very fine wire is wound around a steel cable core, which results in a metallic sound full of overtones.
Flat wound strings: The fine wire wrapping is ground down or polished smooth, and the sound has far fewer overtones in comparison. (These are much less popular today.)

In contrast to guitar strings, the structure and workmanship are the same for all strings in a set. Sets combining wound and non-wound strings do not exist.

The relationship between string length and string tension has a significant impact on the overtone content. Disregarding basses that can be adjusted to different scale lengths (different vibrating string lengths), the actual playing position that is used plays an important role. When you play D at the tenth fret on the low E string, it sounds more muffled than the same pitch played on the open D string.

The number of frets differs from bass to bass and depends on the scale length. Don’t worry about pitches higher than a single ledger line C; the actual functional range of this instrument is primarily in its two lower octaves—between E 0 and E 2.

Also worth mentioning is the fretless electric bass. Like all instruments of this type, it is freely tunable and possesses a distinctive, individual sound. See Program a fretless bass sound in Sculpture.

There are three types of articulations that are discussed:

Fingered: The strings are played with the alternating index and middle fingers.
Picked: The strings are played with a pick. See Program a picked bass sound in Sculpture.
Thumbed/Slapped: The strings are either played with the side of the thumb on the fingerboard or plucked strongly with the fingers. See Program a slap bass sound in Sculpture.

The vibration of the strings is captured by an electromagnetic pickup. When the string is vibrating, its steel core affects the magnetic field. The pickups are almost always found some distance to the side, nearer to the bridge and stop tailpiece. There are different pickup concepts for electric basses, and often two or more pickups are combined to make the sound. To avoid getting into too much detail at this point, there is a rule of thumb that applies: The farther you move the pickup toward the middle of the string, the bassier the sound becomes and the more hollow it sounds. The farther you move the pickup toward the end of the string, the more overtone content is heard, becoming more dense and compact. The sound has more mid-range frequencies, or buzz, and less bass. If the pickup is positioned at the very end of the string, the sound becomes very thin. This behavior mirrors the actual playing position of a real string: If you play more toward the middle of the string, you get a smooth, even, and powerful sound that contains limited harmonic denseness (overtones). If the string is played at the bridge, the sound develops a nasal twang and features more buzz and more overtones.

Now to the body of the instrument, and its resonant properties. Almost all electric basses have a steel rod running through the neck, to strengthen it, and a body made of solid wood. This construction allows the strings to vibrate relatively freely (sustain), even though very little direct sound is generated. The pickups and the amplifier and speaker systems are responsible for the actual sound of the instrument.

The acoustic interaction between body, strings, and external sound sources is much less complex than with pure acoustic instruments.

The vibration of the strings is, of course, naturally hampered by several physical factors: the radius of motion of the string (the antinode) is impeded by the left bridge or by the first fret that’s pressed down upon, and the frets in between. This can lead to the development of overtones that can take the form of anything from a slight humming or buzzing to a strong scraping or scratching sound.

In addition, factors such as the material properties of the strings and the instrument, as well as the softness of your fingertips, also serve to dampen the vibration of the string.

Download the guides:

MainStage User Guide: PDF

MainStage Instruments: PDF

MainStage Effects: PDF

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