A Few Of My Favourite Synths - Part 1

Sculpture

Sculpture is a software synth that comes with Logic Pro X - the software of choice for Lizard Brain. It’s a modelling synth which means it tries to emulate things in the real world - in this case a stringed instrument. However it’s much more fun using it to make up sounds that are unpredictable.

Basically you pick a material - from steel, nylon, wood or glass - or some hybrid of these four. Then you decide how to agitate the string - eg strike it, bow it, blow it and so on (Objects 1,2 and 3). Finally you mount it on a body - such as an acoustic guitar, cello, flute etc (Body EQ):

In Just Relax it's used for the bell sound - which is synthesised from a strike on a string mainly made of steel with a bit of nylon and glass. It is also the gritty low sound that comes in about 1 minute in - it’s a bow, then a bouncing hit on a steel and nylon string. In Dance For Me it's the weird, slightly deranged owl sound at about 45 secs in - a blow, then a bow which is then damped on a string that varies from mainly wood to wood with a bit of everything else thrown in.

The fun bit is that you can vary some other parameters that often behave in an unpredictable way - which is what gives the Dance For Me it's slightly out of control edge. I originally called the sound Space Pancakes when I was looking for a sound for a song (yet to be written) about Chicken farmer, Joe Simonton, from Eagle River, Wisconsin in the US who reported an alien encounter. The aliens were in a vehicle that stopped outside his house. They gave him some food in exchange for water. The food was analysed at the Air Force Technical Intelligence Center and was found to be made from flour, sugar and grease - pretty much a pancake.

It was the unpredictability of Sculpture that gave the final sound, it wasn’t a sound I had in my head.

Cheers, Mark