Source Audio C4 Synth pedal pitch tracking

[Nun Yerbiznes]

I'm in the process of building a bass, and I'll using an HS setup for the pickup. It's basically a musicman stingray with humbucker towards the bridge, plus a single coil neck pickup. I'd like to see if I have use for a comb-filter jazz bass sound (setting the humbucker in single coil mode, along with the neck pickup magnetically out of phase), but I'm also curious about getting a little better tacking with my C4. The theory is, the centre of a string has fewer overtones and more of the fundamental present, thus making it easier for pitch tracking. I'd rather defer to people's real world experiences on this however.

In other words: are there any bass players out there with dual pickups, that find tracking better with a neck pickup rather than a bridge pickup? Perhaps the black magic math involved in today's DSPs makes pickup position irrelevant. Thanks everyone.

 

[MrVentures]

I found this video useful:

 

[sunbeast]

Definitely a neck pickup can be better for tracking consistency due to the increased proportion on fundamental frequency (ie not hopping between the note you want and an octave up, which is a common tracking glitch), but it won't make for faster tracking at all. This is definitely true with the C4 just as with an analog octaver. Also if you have an active preamp, avoid boosting highs and mids too much or on a passive bass try rolling the tone down.

As far as the "Jazz Bass tone"- you don't want the neck pickup magnetically out of phase with the bridge pickup unless it is also wired out of phase as well. Jazz Bass pickups are in-phase with each-other (opposite magnet polarity plus opposite wiring phase means flipping the phase twice, so you end up in the same phase), the comb-filtering effect with both pickups engaged is a result of frequency-specific phase cancellation that occurs because you are picking up the same string string at two different locations along the wavelengths of vibration

 

[Nun Yerbiznes]

I may have mis-spoken about the phasing of the J pickups. I had one in another lifetime, but didn't know a thing about pickups at the the time. (Know marginally more now). They are humbucking when on together correct? About to try the top end roll-off fro tracking, thanks.

 

[bassbrad]

On my basses the best tracking results are with the middle or both pickups on and with fresh brite strings a bit of tone roll off. The overtones often lead to glitch ime. Precise articulation and no string vibration is a must.
My only bass with a neck pickup, ie close to the end of the finger board often has some tracking issues.

 

[Killing Floor]

The harmonics of any string change with every position. And all synths and octave pedals (which are synths) struggle with tracking. That's why you need to be attentive to your technique when using octaves/synths. Use single notes and adjust the settings to fit where you are on the neck.

 

[Nun Yerbiznes]

Agreed: Clean technique, possible bridge mute, and I certainly don't expect polyphony. I mean to string up other basses with half-rounds and nylons primarily for checking out the raw sound of them, but I wonder if that'll "clean up" my technique, compared to the roundwounds that are my primary bass.

 

[sunbeast]

I may have mis-spoken about the phasing of the J pickups. I had one in another lifetime, but didn't know a thing about pickups at the the time. (Know marginally more now). They are humbucking when on together correct? About to try the top end roll-off fro tracking, thanks.

Yes humbucking together- noise comes via induction into the coil of the pickup, so two pickups with reversed coil phase will cancel out noise but also cancel out shared frequencies from the string signal (resulting in a thinner tone). String signal is affected by the phase of the coils AND the magnet polarity while noise is only affected by the coil phase, so to cancel noise while retaining relative string signal phase you reverse BOTH the magnet polarity and coil phase between the two pickups