User Manual

Pitch Shifter (White) 180
 Background of Pure Tuning
Instruments with frets or keys are tuned to the “tempered” scale used in western music for the last few centuries. The
benefit of tempered tuning is that it allows you to play in any key you like; however, the result is a bit of a
compromise, since intervals sound better when tuned according to the natural harmonic scale. Fretless instruments
like violins - or even the human voice - can produce arbitrary pitches. Musicians with fretless instruments will
instinctively tune their notes to fit better to the musical context.
The PROFILER Pitch Shifter has the same ability, since it has full control over the relative pitch it creates. Apart from
octaves, every interval will be slightly detuned to fit the harmonics of the note you play; this will be most perceivable
on thirds and sevenths, which are tuned down by several cents.
To make “Pure Tuning” audible, try the following:
• Choose your favorite distorted Rig.
• Turn down “GAIN” to clean.
• Select Chromatic Pitch in one of the effect modules.
• Turn “Mix” all the way to the right, and “Voice Balance” to the middle, so you hear both pitch shifter voices.
• Choose “+16” and “+19” for “Voice 1 / 2 Interval” to get the third and fifth above the octave.
Sounds crazy, right? There was never a need for such thin sound.
Now turn the “GAIN” up for distortion. You will hear a deep growling around the original base note that you are
playing on your instrument. Not too nice.
Now press “Pure Tuning”, and you will get a nice, steady fundamental note. Even chords might work. It still sounds
like your guitar, but different. It doesn’t even sound like a pitch shifter anymore. You can get different colors by
choosing different intervals for a solo sound, for example. Be sure to experiment with different interval settings! So,
what’s going on? Well, you might be aware that the third and fifth above the octave are natural harmonics
(overtones) to the note you play - they both blend with the fundamental frequency, especially when driven by a
distortion. However, intervals tuned to a tempered scale do not reflect the overtones exactly, as they are slightly
detuned to fit into the musical scales. This results in heavy beating when mixed in the distortion. “Pure Tuning”
solves this issue immediately, allowing the pitch shifter to create sonic colors rather than additional voices.