Pedal Theory Question

[caeman]

As I understand it, as a metal string vibrates over the pickup coil, it generates a flux, a current. The harder you plug/finger the string, the stronger the signal, or increase the current, yes?

If I understand this correctly, then would it be possible to create a voltage-controlled crossover, where such that while you are playing lightly, the signal goes to Side A, and then to Side B if the signal meets and/or exceeds the threshold?

If my brain is processing this correctly, one could have a compressor that becomes the best of both worlds. Quiet picking/fingering gets its effect, but when you kick into solo mode and really dig in, the second channel works its magic.

Or any other effect where it would be nice if it had slightly different settings for when you were digging in and getting loud.

 

[bigchiefbc]

As I understand it, as a metal string vibrates over the pickup coil, it generates a flux, a current. The harder you plug/finger the string, the stronger the signal, or increase the current, yes?

If I understand this correctly, then would it be possible to create a voltage-controlled crossover, where such that while you are playing lightly, the signal goes to Side A, and then to Side B if the signal meets and/or exceeds the threshold?

If my brain is processing this correctly, one could have a compressor that becomes the best of both worlds. Quiet picking/fingering gets its effect, but when you kick into solo mode and really dig in, the second channel works its magic.

Or any other effect where it would be nice if it had slightly different settings for when you were digging in and getting loud.

It sounds like you're on to a similar idea to an envelope-following FX loop. Toadworks makes one, called the enveloope. You put an effect in the loop, and the softer notes go straight through the bypass, and only the harder played notes get sent through the effect. I don't know if anyone makes one where softer notes go to one loop, and louder ones to another.

A crossover is something different. A crossover divides notes by their frequency, so higher pitched notes go to one path and the lower notes go to another.

 

[MiJaKo]

You could split your signal and send one feed to a noise gate. When your signal trips the gate (play hard enough), it feeds to whatever fx you have lined up after the gate.

 

[caeman]

The Toadworks Enveloope sound interesting, and it sounds almost exactly what I was thinking about.

Mijako, have very little experience with noise gates, I will have to look into your suggestion.

 

[behndy]

sounds similar to the Devi thing. forget the name and dunno if she ever followed through and actually released it.

Heaven's Gate i think?

 

[Derek Balonek]

I believe it's voltage that varies with volume, not current. Same idea though. Sounds possible. You could probably make a simple one with some diodes.

 

[bigchiefbc]

sounds similar to the Devi thing. forget the name and dunno if she ever followed through and actually released it.

Heaven's Gate i think?

Oh yeah, that's right, the Heaven's Gate. I know that she did make them for a little while, but I don't know if she still does. Same basic deal as the Enveloope.

 

[Sharko]

Heavens gate is readily available from devis website, or new and used at guitar centers website.

 

[JP Morin]

If you just want to compress your sound when plucking harder, I suggest you could simply set your compressor to work as a limiter but with a lower compression ratio if you want (set the treshold high to the point where the compression starts only if there is high peak), so light touch won't get processed and hard pluck would get compressed...

But if you want to add other effect that react to your touch then you need something else as others proposed...