3.5

534MainStage Instruments
As a rule, basses are mixed without effects (dry), but a small amount of reverb can be quite
appealing on a fretless bass, when used as a solo instrument. Use the Delay section to
emulate this. Heavy delays are, however, used on basses in “dub” style reggae.
Emulate a chorus effect by modulating pickup positions in Sculpture
1. In MainStage, make sure the Fretless Roundwound#1 setting is loaded.
2. Adjust the position of PickupB to 0.20.
3. Drag the Spread Pickup semicircle—which is beside the Level knob—upward.
Both of the light blue dots move downward toward the letters L and R.
You can hear how the stereo breadth of the fretless sound has increased. PickupA is
sent out on the right channel, while PickupB occupies the left channel.
Note: Although only modern basses offer such stereophonic features, it’s still fun to
process conventional sounds with this effect. Note that not all pickup positions are
monophonic-compatible. You can check this by returning the Spread Pickup setting to
monophonic—click the Spread Pickup semicircle while pressing the Option key.
Animate the pickup positions in Sculpture
1. In MainStage, select LFO1.
2. Click the 1button (next to the RateMod slider, at the upper right) to activate the first
modulation target.
3. Choose PickupPos A-B as the modulation target.
4. Set the Rate knob to 1.00Hz.
5. To hear the effect, you need to set the modulation intensity (amount). Familiarize
yourself with this effect by moving the amt slider gradually to the right. Set it to a final
value of 0.15, a moderate rate that doesn’t wobble too much.
6. Save this setting as Fretless Chorus Dry.
Tip: At the maximum stereo breadth, effects based on detuning are not as prominent,
especially when the beats heard in the sound result from signal differences between the
left and right channels. This is valid only to a certain degree, because the motion of the
pickup doesn’t create a true chorus or harmonizer effect. Try it out and see what happens
when the stereo breadth is reduced a little. Also test other modulation targets, such as
Pickup PosA+B, Pickup PanA+B, Pickup PanA−B, and String Stiffness.
Create an unobtrusive atmospheric space in Sculpture
This example shows that the Delay section can be used as a substitute reverb for small
spaces. For sophisticated reverb effects, it’s best to process Sculpture output with a
reverb plug-in.
1. In MainStage, load the Fretless Chorus Dry setting.
2. Click the Delay button to turn on the Delay section.