Virtual Capo

Scott Germain

Scott Germain

Member
Ok, I'm going to assume I'm missing something with the Axe III's Virtual Capa block. It's pretty glitchy and misses a lot during strumming.

What am I missing, or is this one of the warts of the platform? Yes, I tried Poly and the other setting and fooled with the tracking.

I was hoping to get rid of my DigiTech Drop pedal, but it works pretty darned good.

Thanks in advance!
 
What’s your input you’ve selected? I seem to get better mileage when I select “input 1”.
Also, put the pitch block early in your signal chain, before the amp block.
Hope this helps.
 
Ok, I see where the manual says Whammy is a better solution. Will try that.

Still odd that a simple thing like a virtual capo is pretty much useless. (Well, at least for how I and 80% of other people might use it.)
 
Are you on the latest FW? I'm not home so cannot confirm on the latest FW, but I tried it on 2.03 and it worked perfectly.

Also, what is your CPU % on your preset?

Can you share the preset so we can have a look?

No one else has reported an issue with it so I'm not sure how you can say it is pretty much useless, it seems possible that the issue is isolated to your setup (unless if other people start reporting the same thing).
 
Scott Germain said:
Ok, I see where the manual says Whammy is a better solution. Will try that.

Still odd that a simple thing like a virtual capo is pretty much useless. (Well, at least for how I and 80% of other people might use it.)
Click to expand...

Virtual Capo has been added in recent firmware. The copy of your manual probably dates from before that, because Whammy is no longer the better choice for downtuning / uptuning.

The Virtual capo mode works great. Please upload your preset for analysis.
 
Thanks, Yek.

I did a clean boot on the Axe today, and the V-C seems way less glitchy. I'd say that cured about 90% of the problem. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good at this point. Quite usable, but I can fool the opening gate to an extent with some fast strumming and such.

My uploaded setting is no different from the one I tried last night.

The preset has both the V-C (upper pitch block) and the Whammy (lower pitch block). Just to my ears, I'd say the Whammy is one fine hair ahead of the V-C, but like I said - the V-C is *way* better off a clean boot. I'd been using the unit all day and writing/tweaking a ton of presets.

Even if one Pitch block is bypassed, you can't A/B the blocks - one still interacts with the other. You have to disconnect the line and do one at a time for a comparison.

Like I said in my original post... What have *I* missed? LOL. Good crowd here, and thanks for the input.
 

Attachments

  • PitchShiftTest.syx
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IIRC, there has been discussion by FAS Discussing the entire process of digital pitch-shifting which requires a minimum of 24 ms to decode and output the low Estring. The gap is frequency dependent.

"A low E has a period of about 12 ms. This means you have to buffer at least 12 ms to shift anything from low E and up. To also work with bass then low E is 24 ms."
Click to expand...

This is true of any device; the fractal does it as well as anything can do in real time.

Search around and you will find tips from @yek and @fremen to insert the pick attack to mask the gap.

Edited for accuracy. Thx @yek
 
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Love it! I can now do a great Baritone Guitar...Can we use this somehow for a Drop-D tuning? If not, is this a possible enhancement?
 
∞Fractals said:
IIRC, there has been discussion by FAS Discussing the entire process of digital pitch-shifting which requires a minimum of 50 ms to decode and output the low Estring. The gap is frequency dependent.

This is true of any device; the fractal does it as well as anything can do in real time.

Search around and you will find tips from @yek and @fremen to insert the pick attack to mask the gap.
Click to expand...


Good to know, thank you.

There is a chart in the manual regarding drop D tuning, I assume it’s simple to set up, although I haven’t yet. Just drop one full tone (-2).

McMurry, where is the delay coming from? Do you mean a delay between a pick strike and the sound, or a delay/echo effect?

I didn’t put a delay in there (that I know of...)
 
Scott Germain said:
There is a chart in the manual regarding drop D tuning, I assume it’s simple to set up, although I haven’t yet. Just drop one full tone (-2).
Click to expand...
Drop D only lowers the low E to D.

You can drop tune the whole guitar down a whole tone, but that isn't the same thing. ;)
 
∞Fractals said:
IIRC, there has been discussion by FAS Discussing the entire process of digital pitch-shifting which requires a minimum of 50 ms to decode and output the low Estring. The gap is frequency dependent.

This is true of any device; the fractal does it as well as anything can do in real time.
Click to expand...

What about the Digitech Drop, which seems to be able to do it without considerable latency?
 
I personally chose the Drop over the competition after reading many reviews. I think it’s a great tool, and I never noticed any latency. It did seem to suck some level out of my ES-8 effect loop switcher, but I fixed that with a buffer pedal.
 
The Virtual Capo drifts from about mid-30ms-45ms or so. Very noticeable and unsuable, IMO, regardless if that's the best there is or not. I haven't tried the Digitech Drop, but as a consequence of terrible latency on the Axe (or Helix, or Kemper, etc.) I never use it and probably never will unless it can get into single-digit or even teens latency. That said, I'd be very interested in dialing in a pick attack or some way to 'mask' the latency, I think I remember a thread about that somewhere.
 
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