Yet Another Reason Axe Fx III Is SUCH A GREAT VALUE!

TSJMajesty

Fractal Fanatic
The Virtual Capo in the Pitch Block.

I considered buying a 7-string guitar a while back, but without ever trying one, I didn't want to take a chance I'd have too much trouble learning how to keep an additional string quiet when necessary, and in general not knowing how my hands would adapt.

But with the VC down-tuned 5 half steps, and bypassing it when you need the higher strings, I haven't found a song yet I can't play by simply turning it on & off as needed!

I've fooled around with many of Dream Theater's 7-string songs, and with just a little planning, they are very do-able in this manner. Saved me at least another couple thousand dollars! What a fantastic piece of gear!!! And, AND, you get two Pitch Blocks, so you can use one in this manner, and still have another for whatever else you may need it for! (or use different channels, or use a...)

Anyone else using it in this fashion?

(Oh, and apparently, according to @Ugly Bunny, the latency when using the VC on the FM3 is also now much improved, so I suppose this would apply to that unit as well. Not sure about the FM9, yet. If not, it's probably not far behind.)
 
Ain't it great! I don't do what you're doing although I often throw a pitch block in when I want a quick way to play along or learn a song in an alternate tuning.
 
Ain't it great! I don't do what you're doing although I often throw a pitch block in when I want a quick way to play along or learn a song in an alternate tuning.
There's probably many creative ways it could be used, for example, playing a song that's not in a great position on guitar, maybe something that was written on piano...
 
There's probably many creative ways it could be used, for example, playing a song that's not in a great position on guitar, maybe something that was written on piano...
Funny you say that. I was fiddling around with an arpeggiator on a synthesizer for fun the other night and came up with something neat I wanted to try playing a guitar riff over. But it didn't seem to work well with the tuning my guitar was in. Tossed in a pitch block, dropped my tuning down another step and bingo I could play along without issue. The alternative would be to transpose on the synthesizer to fit the guitar, but I'm not a piano player so that wasn't an easy option. If I was tracking a song I'd probably do it right and tune a guitar properly. But to be able to drop my tuning on the fly during the writing process allowed me to follow my creative flow without interruption. Boy I wish I had this technology 30 years ago. :)
 
Funny you say that. I was fiddling around with an arpeggiator on a synthesizer for fun the other night and came up with something neat I wanted to try playing a guitar riff over. But it didn't seem to work well with the tuning my guitar was in. Tossed in a pitch block, dropped my tuning down another step and bingo I could play along without issue. The alternative would be to transpose on the synthesizer to fit the guitar, but I'm not a piano player so that wasn't an easy option. If I was tracking a song I'd probably do it right and tune a guitar properly. But to be able to drop my tuning on the fly during the writing process allowed me to follow my creative flow without interruption. Boy I wish I had this technology 30 years ago. :)
Yeah, perfect use, especially the part about not losing the creative vibe.
 
(Oh, and apparently, according to @Ugly Bunny, the latency when using the VC on the FM3 is also now much improved, so I suppose this would apply to that unit as well. Not sure about the FM9, yet. If not, it's probably not far behind.)
Not just me! Dozens of people here and TGP have corroborated the noticeabley improved VC :)

The FM9 received the Axe Fx III's improved VC, so that was already good. Now, the Axe Fx III's VC a few years ago left a lot to be desired, but then it was amazingly improved. FM3 5.xx improved that unit's VC, even though it was never in the release notes (Cliff did confirm it in a thread at TGP, though).

Bottom line, yes: the VC is absolutely a selling point. Especially as a cover band guitarist, it's invaluable. I'm so thrilled by how good it is now on the FM3; no need to even think about bringing my Axe Fx III and getting rid of my FM3 anymore :)

Oh, and yes; I've mentioned how good it sounds on Dream Theater songs. The first one that blew me away was "The Enemy Inside." I couldn't believe how good it sounded pitchshifted down 5 semitones :D
 
Funny you mentioned that… the beautiful boxer in my avatar passed away today. Her body just shut down in front of me while we were hanging out at home. An hour before she was fine and was licking my face. Hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with. 😢
Awww, dude, so sorry to hear that. Pets dying is so hard to deal with. I know how you feel.
 
Thanks everyone for all the kind words. This was one of the most crushing experiences I've ever experienced. This dog was at my side day and night for almost 10 years so it's like part of me was just torn away. I haven't even been able to play guitar, I've had no interest at all. She was always right there listening to me play. In any case, I'm very sorry for hijacking this great post about the virtual capo and all it's benefits. Someone mentioned the pet avatars and because my baby had just passed I had to say something. I'm sure before long I'll be able to get back to music and I'll write something in her memory. Thank you.
 
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