User Manual

CHAPTER 21. LIVE AUDIO EFFECT REFERENCE 304
21.14.1 Frequency Shifter Tips
Frequency shifting and ring modulation can produce some very interesting sounds. Here
are some tips for using the Frequency Shifter device.
Drum tuning
Tuning sampled acoustic drums can be tricky. Using a sampler's transposition controls often
changes the character of the sounds in unrealistic ways, resulting in pinched or tubby
samples. Frequency shifting can be a useful alternative.
Try using the device in Shift mode with the Dry/Wet amount at 100%. Then adjust the Fine
frequency no more than about 100 Hz up or down. This should change the apparent size
and tuning of the drum while retaining the quality of the original sample.
Phasing
To create lush phasing effects, try using extremely small amounts of shift (no more than
about 2 Hz). Note that the phasing is caused by the interaction of the processed and dry
signals, so you won't hear an effect until you adjust the Dry/Wet balance so that both are
audible; the strongest phasing will be heard when Dry/Wet is at 50%.
Tremolo
In Ring mode, frequencies below the audible range (about 20 Hz) create a tremolo effect.
You can also impart a sense of stereo motion to the tremolo by turning on Wide and using
small Spread values.
Learning more...
Try putting a Spectrum device after the Frequency Shifter to watch how the signal changes
as you change parameters. To get a good overview of what's happening, try using a simple,
continuous sine wave as your input.