The pickup parameters discussed in this section apply on a per-voice basis. A number of parameters can be morphed between up to five morph points. These are indicated in the parameter descriptions. See Sculpture morph overview.
The pickups are the first element beyond the sound-generating portion of Sculpture—consisting of the string and objects—and act as the input to the virtual signal processing chain. You can view the pickups as being like those of an electric guitar or clavinet. Obviously, changing their positions alters the tone of your instrument, just like the pickups in Sculpture.
The green horizontal line within the Pickup display represents the string. As the Stiffness parameter value of the string is increased, the line becomes thicker. The line can be animated and can show the range of string motion.
The Pickup A and B ranges are shown as transparent bell curves, which represent the position and widths of pickups A and B.
Object position sliders: Drag sliders 1, 2, and 3 to determine the respective position of each (excite/disturb/damp) object along the string. This parameter can be morphed.
Pickup A position slider: Set the position of Pickup A along the string. Values of 0.0 and 1.0 determine the left and right ends of the string, respectively. This parameter can be morphed.
Pickup B position slider: Set the position of Pickup B along the string. This parameter can be morphed.
Invert button: Invert the phase of Pickup B. Options are: normal or inverted.
Note: If the phase of Pickup B is inverted, the sound can become thinner due to portions of the Pickup A and Pickup B signals canceling each other out. Depending on the position of the pickups, however, the reverse may happen, with the sound actually becoming richer.
Drag the slider handle at the top or bottom of the Pickup display.
Drag the corresponding numerical slider handle (the 1, 2, or 3 arrows) for each object.
Adjustments to object positions will disturb/excite a given portion of the string. The vertical orange lines represent the positions of Objects 1, 2, and 3. The thickness and brightness of these lines indicate the strength of the objects. Object 1 can be an exciter. Object 3 can be a damper. Object 2 has two arrows, indicating that it can be used as either an exciter or damper.
Control-click the green horizontal line—the string—to enable or disable string animation.
When animation is active, the string vibrates, making it easier to visualize the impact of the objects and pickups. Note that string animation increases CPU overhead, so disable it if your computer is struggling to process all data in real time.