{"id":14212,"date":"2014-01-07T16:42:15","date_gmt":"2014-01-07T20:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/?p=14212"},"modified":"2014-01-07T16:42:15","modified_gmt":"2014-01-07T20:42:15","slug":"how-to-create-a-virtual-12-string-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/2014\/01\/07\/how-to-create-a-virtual-12-string-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW TO CREATE A VIRTUAL 12-STRING GUITAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

And not just that, but virtual “Nashville tuning” too…and 18-string guitars…with lots of audio examples!
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by Craig Anderton<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the reasons I got into Gibson\u2019s newer guitars is because of the way they implement hex outputs (i.e., each string has its own audio output). Although Gibson isn\u2019t the only company that makes guitars with hex outs, they\u2019ve taken the concept seriously and keep improving on it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This all started with the HD.6X-Pro back in 2007 (the guitar that\u2019s been in my avatar all these years!), which used a magnetic pickup; since then, the Dark Fire, Dusk Tiger, Firebird X, and Les Paul X have all had hex outs based on piezo pickup technology. The X-series guitars are my favorites, because they\u2019ve increased the isolation between strings by reducing crosstalk even further.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/span>The obvious use for hex outputs is hex processing, like the kind of super-clean, almost synth-like sound you get from distorting each string individually. But using a piezo pickup means it\u2019s also possible to obtain very convincing acoustic guitar sounds, and with hex outputs, you can apply SONAR<\/a>\u2019s offline pitch transposition to emulate acoustic 12-string guitars as well as 8-string basses, \u201cNashville\u201d tunings, and even guitars that don\u2019t exist\u2014like a 12-string where the top two strings aren\u2019t doubled, but also transposed up an octave. Or how about an 18-string guitar, where you add another set of six virtual strings transposed up and an octave, and another set transposed down an octave…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With SONAR<\/a> you could transpose using Acidization or the Pitch Shifter plug-in, but the fidelity is problematic when you\u2019re transposing up or down an octave. However, the offline DSP fidelity is definitely up to the task. The only limitation is that it\u2019s not real time, so you need to apply the transposition to a recorded file, then invoke the DSP and wait for\u00a0SONAR<\/a> to crunch some numbers to do the transposition.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I usually use the hex outputs from Gibson\u2019s Firebird X, although any guitar with hex audio outs will work. I record each string in its own track, which results in six tracks of clips, and then clone the lower four strings (low E – G) to create additional tracks for octave-shifting.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Fig. 1: The Transposition dialog box is set up to transpose one octave up, using the Mix-Advanced algorithm.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Click on the cloned clip with the low E, then choose Process > Transpose. When the Transpose dialog box appears, check the Transpose Audio box, enter the transposition Amount (in this case, +12 to generate the octave higher string), then choose the transposition Type.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There are five pitch transposition algorithms: Solo, Solo Bass, Solo ocal, Radius Mix, and Radius Mix-Advanced. Solo, Bass, and Vocal are designed for monophonic lines, while Radius Mix and Radius Mix-Advanced are optimized for polyphonic material. However, I\u2019ve found that even with solo guitar notes from a hex pickup, the Mix algorithms sound the best (the tradeoff is that they take longer to crunch numbers than the Solo algorithms).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing the Mix-Advanced algorithm adds two more parameters\u2014Pitch Coherence and Phase Coherence. The latter is important mostly for surround, so we can safely ignore it. I\u2019ve experimented with Pitch Coherence, and aside from vocals, haven\u2019t yet found source material where it makes a significant difference in sound quality.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We still need to transpose the other \u201coctave\u201d strings. Click on the cloned clips for the A, D, and G strings, and transpose them up an octave. For a standard 12-string sound, insert a chorus for the B and high E to double and detune the string somewhat, which is what happens with a 12-string.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For the final touch, with a real 12-string the pick hits the octave strings a few milliseconds later than the regular strings. It\u2019s easy to emulate this effect by delaying the cloned, octave-higher clips by about 20 milliseconds. For the B and high E tracks, simply adjust the initial delay for the delayed signal.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Check out the audio examples: 6-String.mp3<\/strong> has the original hex pickup tracks, while 12-String.mp3<\/strong> includes the electronic trickery…which amazingly, doesn\u2019t sound like trickery at all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n