Pitch block

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User contributions

What is pitch shifting

• Wikipedia

IMART

• Firmware 8.00: New IMART (Intelligent Maximum-Likelihood Adaptive Real-Time) pitch detectors provide greatly improved pitch detection. Pitch detectors can now track complex chords. The Pitch Source parameter in the Pitch blocks has been changed to simply “Global” or “Local”. In either mode the tracking performance is the same, only the source of the pitch data is changed. The Pitch blocks benefit significantly from this improvement. Many presets that previously only worked with single notes now work with chords, even complex chords. Note, however, that intelligent pitch shifting is necessarily only single notes, by definition.

Pitch Learn feature

• The Pitch block has a Learn function. Turn it on, play a note, hold it. The Axe-Fx II sets the key according to the note you played. Source

Arpeggiator

• The Arpeggiator used 16 steps. Here's a trick to expand that to 32 steps.

Detune effect

• In general: detune up and down the same amount, between +/-5 and +/-10, delay the voices for more width (7ms), set mix at 25% or lower, place the block after the Amp block but before the Cab block, pan the voices hard left and right. Check for Phase cancellation when running in mono.

Octaver effect

• If you need an Octaver effect (1 octave down voice):
  • set the pitch shifter to Fixed Harmony, 1 octave down
  • or use the Ring Modulator (block) in tracking mode
  • or set the Pitch block to Octave Divide.

Whammy pedal

• Go to Controllers and modifiers#Modifier curves for tips about optimizing the curve of the expression pedal.

Position of the Pitch block

• Cliff: "When going direct, pitch shifting often sounds best when placed BEFORE the cab block. The factory presets may have the block doing the shifting (pitch or multidelay) after the cabinet block. Try moving the pitch before the cabinet block for smoother results." Background (source: Bakerman): "The pitch block basically shifts the entire cab freq. response up/down if it's after cab. A slight detune might sound about the same either way but with a half step, whole step, etc. the difference becomes more apparent."

Harmony scales

• The manual contains a table with the harmony scales, see Harmony scales.

Dropped tuning simulation

• Use a Pitch a the start of the grid. Set it to Fixed Harmony. Set to the desired voice. Set Mix to 100%. Set Tracking to On. Adjust Track Adjust if necessary.
• If you can't stand the latency (there always will be some latency), try this trick from Simeon.

Shimmer

• The Shimmer effect is an effect where notes are pitchshifted higher and higher and reverberated in a parallel path. Nice for ambient sounds and used a lot by U2’s The Edge. You can use the Plexi Shift mode of the Multi Delay or the Pitch Shifter's Crystals mode (reverse feedback). A low pass Filter on the shifted notes helps to keep the signal clear. There are examples among the factory presets.

Dive bomb

• The Axe-Fx II can simulate an automated dive bomb effect. It works with any floor controller that supports momentary switches and multiple CCs per switch.
• On the Axe-Fx:
  1. Create a preset.
  2. Insert a Pitch block after the Amp block.
  3. Set Pitch mode to Classic Whammy, Down 1 octave, Pitch Track off, 100% mix, Level to taste.
  4. Enter the Modifier menu of the Control parameter in the Pitch block. Set source to (for example) External 8. Set Damping to 1000ms.
  5. In I/O > Ctrl: verify that Ext 8 is set to CC 23.
  6. Bypass the Pitch block and save the preset.
• On the floor controller:
  1. Program a momentary switch.
  2. For "ON": program a command to activate the Pitch block. Use CC 77 for Pitch 1, or CC 78 for Pitch2, value "on" or "127".
  3. Program a command to activate the actual dive, set this to CC 23 (External 8), value "on" or "127".
  4. For "OFF": use commands to bypass the Pitch block and to return the Pitch to normal (set the above CCs to "off" or "0").
• To operate:
  1. Select the preset. Press and hold the momentary switch for the effect to kick in. Release to stop and bypass the Pitch block.
• You can adjust the length of the dive with the use of Damping, or change the pitch to go up instead of down, or make it even more dramatic by adding a flanger, etc