User Manual

CHAPTER 23. LIVE INSTRUMENT REFERENCE 376
parameters can be tweaked to values not possible with the real instruments to get some
truly amazing new sounds that still retain a warm acoustic quality.
The full version of Electric is not included with the standard version of Live, but is a special
feature available for purchase separately.
23.4.1 Architecture and Interface
The mechanism of the electric piano is actually quite simple. A note played on the keyboard
activates a mallet that hits a fork. The sound of that fork is then amplied by a magnetic
coil pickup and sent to the output, very much like an electric guitar. The fork is made of
two parts, called the tine bar and tone bar. The tine bar is where the mallet hits the fork
while the tone bar is a tuned metal resonator, sized appropriately to produce the correct
pitch. Once the fork is activated, it will continue to resonate on its own for a long time. But
releasing the key applies a damper to the fork, which mutes it more quickly.
The Electric interface is divided into ve main sections, some of which are further divided
into related subsections. The rst four main sections (Mallet, Fork, Damper and Pickup)
correspond to the sound producing components mentioned above. The Global section
contains parameters that affect overall behavior and performance, such as pitch bend and
polyphony.
23.4.2 Mallet Section
The Mallet section contains the parameters related to the physical properties of the mallet
itself, as well as how it's affected by your playing.
The Stiffness control adjusts the hardness of the mallet's striking area. Higher values simulate
a harder surface, which results in a brighter sound. Lower values mean a softer surface and
a more mellow sound. The Force knob adjusts the intensity of the mallet's impact on the
fork. Low values simulate a soft impact while high values mean a hard impact.
The stiffness and force can also be modied by velocity and note pitch, via the Vel and Key
sliders found below the knobs.