Is is possible to automatically shift all notes of an electric guitar?
E.g. can you let your guitar sound like a base?
This probably involves changing the created frequencies electronically.
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Sign up to join this communityIs is possible to automatically shift all notes of an electric guitar?
E.g. can you let your guitar sound like a base?
This probably involves changing the created frequencies electronically.
Yes, it is possible with pitch-shifters, "octavers" and synthesizers. Which product is suitable depends on several things. (1) do you need to do this live or could you record on an audio track and then do the transformation off-line? (2) Do you need it to be polyphonic or would a mono synth be ok? (3) Do you need it to transpose down only i.e. for bass, or up as well? (4) Do you need tranposing by any amount, or just octaves? (5) Do you need it to output MIDI data for synthesizers? (6) Can you or do you want to install a special pickup on your guitar? (7) Do you need this on stage in a robust package? (8) How much money can you spend?
Here is a list of products I have tried:
Particularly the BASS9 pedal works relatively well for playing a bass line with a guitar. All of them have a little bit of latency, and almost any real bass works better than even the most fantastic guitar effect option in the world.
If you search online music stores for pitch shifters and octavers, you'll find dozens of options for basic pitching. Which won't work really well for a bass IMO.
For live transposing all strings to a different tuning, I see two possibilities as of 2020:
For sheer MIDI tracking speed, the Fishman TriplePlay ought to be the best, since AFAIK it's based on the old Axon technology which guesses the upcoming note from the initial attack transient, basically even before the note has had time to sound at all.
If you don't need to do this live, i.e. if you can record the guitar on an audio track, and then transform the notes "offline", then you have all sorts of audio-to-MIDI converter software and Melodyne at your disposal.
Yes, pitch-shift effect 'pedals' are available. The lower 4 strings of guitar match those of bass guitar. Or you can get into the realms of guitar-controlled synthesis.
Unfortunately the rules of this forum prohibit recommending specific gear. Though that would be useful here.
The other answers consider electronic techniques to transpose pitches lower.
But no one has yet mentioned the capo, a mechanical way to transpose all the guitar pitches higher.