Reference Manual

457 Live Instrument Reference
24.9 Tension
The Tension Instrument.
Tension is a synthesizer dedicated to the emulation of string instruments, and developed in col-
laboration with Applied Acoustics Systems. The synthesizer is entirely based on physical mod-
eling technology and uses no sampling or wavetables. Instead, it produces sound by solving
mathematical equations that model the different components in string instruments and how they
interact. This elaborate synthesis engine responds dynamically to the control signals it receives
while you play thereby reproducing the richness and responsiveness of real string instruments.
The full version of Tension is not included with the standard version of Live, but is a special fea-
ture available for purchase separately.
Tension features four types of excitators (two types of hammer, a pick and a bow) an accurate
model of a string, a model of the fret/finger interaction, a damper model and different types of
soundboards. The combination of these different elements allows for the reproduction of a wide
range of string instruments. Tension is also equipped with filters, LFOs and envelope parameters
that extend the sound sculpting possibilities beyond what would be possible with “real-world“
instruments. Finally, Tension offers a wide range of performance features, including keyboard
modes, portamento, vibrato and legato functions.
24.9.1 Architecture and Interface
It is the vibration from the string which constitutes the main sound production mechanism of the
instrument. The string is set into motion by the action of an excitator which can be a hammer, a
pick or a bow. The frequency of the oscillation is determined by the effective length of the string,
which is controlled by the finger/fret interaction or termination. A damper can be applied to the
strings in order to reduce the decay time of the oscillation. This is the case on a piano, for exam-