Getting Started Modeling

I am trying to get started with creating new instruments in Pianoteq Pro 6. My interest is in creating gamelan-type percussion. I have read the rather sparse documentation on note edit and spectrum profile in the user manual and I am wondering whether there is more detailed or more advanced documentation available.
As an experiment, starting with the Marimba Original, I tired changing the Direct Sound Duration. I dragged it up to the max (5.00) throughout the instrument's range and nothing happened—the audible duration of the notes did not change at all. Either something is wrong or I don't understand what "Direct Sound Duration" is supposed to mean.

Philippe Guillaume wrote:

dbdoty wrote:

I am trying to get started with creating new instruments in Pianoteq Pro 6. My interest is in creating gamelan-type percussion. I have read the rather sparse documentation on note edit and spectrum profile in the user manual and I am wondering whether there is more detailed or more advanced documentation available.
As an experiment, starting with the Marimba Original, I tired changing the Direct Sound Duration. I dragged it up to the max (5.00) throughout the instrument's range and nothing happened—the audible duration of the notes did not change at all. Either something is wrong or I don't understand what "Direct Sound Duration" is supposed to mean.

Direct sound duration makes mainly sense for pianos, where the presence of several strings per note induces two stages in the sound: a first stage with a fast decay, a second stage with a slow decay. The first stage is called direct sound, and its duration is controlled by the Direct sound duration parameter. Moreover, even on a piano, those two parts are clearly present only if the strings of the note are closely tuned (small unison width).

Well, if that is so, what control would I use to transform a relatively short, "dry" sound, such as a marimba, to a sound with a longer decay, such as a struck metal bar. More generally, to repeat my initial question, where do I get information on how to create new sounds totally from scratch, rather than modifying existing sounds? I upgraded to Pro with the understanding that it would give me this capability, but so far I am not seeing how to do it. Since Modarrt sells instrument packs such as vibes and glockenspiel, it is obviously possible to make these sounds; I need to learn how.

Thanks for suggestions above. Is it possible to retune the frequencies of individual partials? E.g., A struck bar as a series of inharmonic partials that are very different from the harmonic partials of a string. I know that Modartt has produced instruments with inharmonic partials, e.g., chimes, church bells.