User manual APPLIED ACOUSTICS SYSTEMS STRINGSTUDIO VS1

[. . . ] USER MANUAL 2 Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. The software described in this manual is furnished under a license agreement. The software may be used only in accordance of the terms of this license agreement. It is against the law to copy this software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. [. . . ] The last parameter of the Damper module is controlled with the Damp knob and refers to the ability of the damper to absorb energy from the string. Turning this knob clockwise will increase the damping exerted on the string by the damper. 36 Parameters Mass Damping Velocity Stiffness Figure 21: Functioning of the Damper 4. 6 The Termination Module This module is used to model the fret/finger/string interaction as illustrated in Figure 22. In a real instrument, this interaction is used to change the effective length of the string and thereby fix the pitch of the note played. The physical parameters of the Finger can be varied with both the Stiff and Force knobs which fix respectively the stiffness of the termination and the force it applies on the string. Note that the Force parameter can be modulated by both the pitch and velocity signal from the Keyboard module. The termination can further be characterized by the stiffness of the fret on which the string, pushed by the finger, is applied. This parameter is controlled by the Stiff knob under the Fret label. Mass Finger Stiffness String Fret Stiffness Figure 22: The finger/fret interaction 4. 7 The Geometry Module 37 4. 7 The Geometry Module The Geometry module is used to set the location of the point of action of both the excitator and the damper on the string. These positions are adjusted with the Position knobs under the Excitator and Damper labels and can be set to any value between zero (the point of fixation of the string) and half the length of the string (value of 0. 5). When the Abs (absolute position) LED is switched on, the position of the excitator or the damper is fixed whatever the note played. This would be the case, for example, on a guitar when the player keeps the position of the pick fixed while varying the effective length of the string when changing notes. The actual position is determined with the setting of the Position knob applied to the length of a string corresponding to C3 (middle C). Note that when the note played is such that the string length corresponding to this note is shorter than this position, the excitator or the damper will follow the fixation point of the string. When the Abs LED is in its off position, the location of the damper or the excitator is changed in order to always correspond to a certain fraction of the length of the string. This fraction of the string length is that determined by the Position knob. This type of geometry is found in instruments such as the piano where hammers excite strings at about 1/7 of their length. Note that both the excitator and damper position can be modulated with the pitch signal or velocity signal received from the keyboard. The modulation will be relative to the value set by the excitator or damper Position knobs. 4. 8 The Pickup module The Pickup module reproduces the functioning of magnetic pickups such as found in electric guitars or electric pianos. This type of transducer is sensitive to the motion of a nearby metallic string. When a string vibrates near a pickup, the latter outputs an oscillating signal at the same frequency as that of the string and proportional to the string velocity. The only parameter to adjust in the Pickup module is its position relative to the string which affects the waveform of its output. Note that usually, the signal from a pickup is sent directly to an external device such as an amplifier. In other words, the body of the instrument does not play any role in the radiation of the sound. [. . . ] AAS retains title to the Software, including but not limited to any titles, computer code, themes, objects dialog concepts, artwork, animations, sounds, audio effects, methods of operation, moral rights, any related documentation and "applets" incorporated into the Software. AAS retains ownership of and title to all intellectual property rights in the Software, underlying technology, related written materials, logos, names and other support materials furnished either with the Software or as a result of this Agreement, including but not limited to trade secrets, patents, trademarks and copyrights therein. Licensee shall not remove or alter any copyright or other proprietary rights notices contained on or within the Software and shall reproduce such notices on all copies thereof permitted under this Agreement or associated documentation. Except for the foregoing, THE SOFTWARE IS provided "AS IS" without warranty or condition of any kind. [. . . ]