An accidental lo-fi effect with warbling, filtering, aliasing, and strange echoes, obtained by misusing pitch shifters in series.
So, what would happen if you put two pitch shifters in series and one goes up EXACTLY as much as the other goes down? Well, the pitch intervals cancel each other out so there is no pitch shifting, but… a lot of other interesting things start happening!
I’ve seen many complaints about the ‘warbling’ quality of the Pitch Shifter module, well here we use that to our advantage. As you “nullify” the actual pitch shifting you keep the warbly effect, and you also get some lag and all kinds of strange artefacts as you increase the pitch interval control (dubbed DEGRADE). At lower settings it’s subtle, almost like a lo-fi vibrato, but at higher values it gets murky and delayed, and eventually you get aliasing and smeared-out double-tap echoes.
I added feedback to turn those lag echoes into a faux reverb, an envelope follower to tame the feedback (or to create input dependent WARBLE), and a stuttery random DROPOUT tremolo.
Oh, and turns out the order of the pitch shifters matters a lot so I’ve added a toggle button for that; up-then-down is MUCH more usable and tamer, while down-then-up can get nasty, especially with WARBLE turned up (it gets all clicky and strange).
So, there it is: an accidental lo-fi effect with warbling, filtering, aliasing, and strange echoes. Honestly, it’s more that I had expected from this idea!
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[OVERVIEW]
-Input/Output: Stereo in/Stereo out (or Mono in/Stereo out)
-CPU load: Around 75%
-Build: Initial version built with firmware 2.80
-MIDI: I always use channel 10 and if controls are set to CC’s I use CC channels 21/36 (see CONTROLS section for details).
-CV Inputs: Unused.
-CV Outputs: Unused.
[REVISIONS]
1.0: Initial patch.
[CONTROLS]
Most controls are on the “UI” page and are labeled (see below for a “Picture Manual” in the comments).
The Stereo Output module with gain parameter is on the “IO” page.
MIX (sets the balance between wet and dry level; goes 100% wet)
DEGRADE (sets the amount of degradation and delay time)
INVERT (switches the order from up>down to down>up; a different, more clicky flavor)
WARBLE (sets amount of envelope-controlled modulation of the DEGRADE value)
FEEDBACK (sets amount of feedback; dynamically adjusts for longer delay times)
DROPOUT (sets amount of random glitchy level drops)
ZEBU LEFT/RIGHT button = Unused.
ZOIA LEFT / MID / RIGHT stomp = Unused.
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[TIPS/TRICKS]
>>> Start with the DEGRADE value near 0, then slowly increase it to see what happens. Works great for slow/ambient pads or drones.
>>> Enabling the Invert button makes the sound more raw and nasty, but because the WARBLE effect modulates things in the original direction, it gives a strange, clicky effect. A happy little accident, but a nice one!
[THOUGHTS/IDEAS/PLANS]
This patch is done, no future plans.
If there’s any bugs/questions/remarks/requests or suggestions for improvement, please let me know!
Enjoy!
(Image: Ben Simon Rehn)
Picture Manual here:
Attachment Manual-Nullify-v1-664cf7f378749.jpg