Pitch Shift Issues after the 2.0 Update

[greekjgg]

So everything seems to be functioning normally now except for Pitch Shift. 

 

Despite differing opinions prior to the upgrade I've used both the whammy and single pitch shift pedal with great success tuning my guitar down a half and whole step for certain patches. 

 

After the update; both effects sound horrible when hitting certain notes. Not all the notes and/or chords. I even started with a clean patch to try and rebuild it thinking that something may be corrupt with older patches. 

 

Again; w/o varying opinions on the use of the this feature in which I use it; can anyone else confirm? I do notice the issue is drastically exaggerated at a whole step verses a half step. I realize with each half step there is an expected degradation of quality but I have not had this issue prior to the update. I read where they tweaked the pitch quality in the upgrade notes. 

[GlennDeLaune]

Yes. Pitch Effect to down tune to Eb is now unusable.

[greekjgg]

Yes. Pitch Effect to down tune to Eb is now unusable.

 

Glenn I was actually gonna email you to see if you had this issue too!  Thanks for confirming that I'm not doing something wrong!

[GlennDeLaune]

Glenn I was actually gonna email you to see if you had this issue too!  Thanks for confirming that I'm not doing something wrong!

Yeah it kinda sux too because I had working quite well actually. Had to pull out the Morpheus DrupTune. :-( May have to pick up a Digitech Drop!

[duncann]

What is it that makes this unusable now? I just tried, and while there is an occasional warble, I'm finding the tracking significantly better than pre-2.0. Nothing that would make me say using a pitch block for half-step, whole-step, or even more for drop tuning is unusable. Not saying there's not a problem, just that I'm not hearing anything.

[GlennDeLaune]

What is it that makes this unusable now? I just tried, and while there is an occasional warble, I'm finding the tracking significantly better than pre-2.0. Nothing that would make me say using a pitch block for half-step, whole-step, or even more for drop tuning is unusable. Not saying there's not a problem, just that I'm not hearing anything.

Doesn't sound good on my Helix at all. It's totally garbled.

[davidb7170]

After your post, I checked mine. I have a patch with a full step down using the simple pitch shifter, and it was good, so I tried a half step for Eb, it was also fine on mine. Don't know what it all means at this point. Mine actually sounds good with chords. I normally shift tune with my JTV, but tried it on this patch because I only needed it for one phrase in the song it's set up for.

 

Just another data point for the trouble shooting cause.

 

Dave

[GlennDeLaune]

Do you mind sharing your settings for the simple pith shifter effect?? I think I tried that as well with no luck. Ive always used the Pitch Whammy at -1 and -1, mix 100%. That doesn't work for me since the V2 upgrade.

[shanecgriffo]

make sure it is loud enough to drown out your actual string sounds.. that can sound pretty bad if you can still hear them ;)

[davidb7170]

Just used it "out of the box" put it in as the first block in front of the screamer for some extra bite on a snapshot to kick in together for that phrase. My use was -2 semitones for my patch, but tried it with-1. 100% mix. Worked fine.

 

Dave

[duncann]

I tried this both with the simple pitch and pitch wham, first in the chain.

 

Simple pitch, everything default except mix, 100%, any interval sounded fine.

 

Pitch wham, pedal pos 0%, toe 0, mix 100%, any heel value sounded fine.

 

When I tried this I used closed-back headphones, which helps isolate the strings' acoustic sound as shanecgriffo suggests, but not completely, which does mess with the senses a bit.

[greekjgg]

There obviously has to be an issue with this if confirmed on two different units. I just want to make sure Line 6 is aware of this so that it gets resolved ASAP. I use this feature a lot!

[duncann]

Absolutely, because if it's unusable, it's unacceptable.

[billlorentzen]

I tried the simple pitch and wammy before 2.0 and after, and on chords it always sounds awful at a whole step down. I tried recording it with the looper to make sure I was hearing it correctly. It works passably on single notes, but not chords. Are some of you guys getting chords to sound good?

[duncann]

Most chords sound pretty good, the simpler the better sounding. Much better than pre-2.0. It's not perfect and any warbling is most noticeable as the chord decays. Also, if you're going to drop-tune a cleaner tone, it doesn't sound as good as a higher gain and compressed tone.

[siremoon]

Pitch shifting sounds no different to me.  It was dreadful before and it still is.  By a country mile the worst FX block in the system in my opinion

[mjorden]

My half step down pitch shifts are unusable as well. All garbled up. Please fix Line 6!

[Digital_Igloo]

Can any of you record a sample? Dom did A/B tests today and the Pitch Wham and Pitch Shift models sound completely identical between 1.12 and 2.0 here. Remember, global settings (including levels and impedance) have been reset to default values with the update, so it may not be the settings you're used to.

[rsto10]

Can any of you record a sample? Dom did A/B tests today and the Pitch Wham and Pitch Shift models sound completely identical between 1.12 and 2.0 here. Remember, global settings (including levels and impedance) have been reset to default values with the update, so it may not be the settings you're used to.

 

Here you go.  I'm having the same problem post-2.0 update.  Hope this helps.  Pitch shift settings 100%, -1, -1, 100%, 0.0db.  The Pitch Wham is the first block in the patch.

 

https://soundcloud.com/rod-stoughton/helix-half-step-pitch-shift-bug

[MonkeyXT]

The Twin Harmony block falls into this category; I ran testing last evening, as I was quite impressed with how it was working previously.

What I found was that the tracking happened extremely differently, and seemed to have become 'less musical' in how it deals with bends etc.

Plus I seemed to be hearing a lot of what sound like phase issues which I didn't encounter before - and note that my path routing etc is no different on this patch than before. Globals etc are all to my preference before and after.

 

It no longer seems usable to me, whereas before the v2 update, I would definitely have used it for live applications.

[greekjgg]

 

 

It no longer seems usable to me, whereas before the v2 update, I would definitely have used it for live applications.

 

Yep; I used both half and full step down all the time. Sounded great for the 80's Tunes we played at some pretty large venues so no issues in quality prior to 2.0

[porky_pie]

I'm finding the same issues...sometimes.  I have two separate patches where I have pitch shift set for detuned playing as the first block in the chain with identical settings.  In one patch (basically the stock ANGL meteor setting with a couple of small tweaks) it works fine for tuning to Eb, D and even C.

 

On another patch I've created, the exact same block with the exact same settings sounds awful.  It's particularly noticeable if you play a barred minor chord, the second string is extremely dissonant.   

 

Maybe it's not necessarily the effect itself, but the way it reacts with other effects?

[Digital_Igloo]

We're reverting the pitch algorithm to the pre-2.0 version for 2.01. At least until we can get to the bottom of what people are hearing. Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks, everyone.  :)

[phil_m]

We're reverting the pitch algorithm to the pre-2.0 version for 2.01. At least until we can get to the bottom of what people are hearing. Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks, everyone.  :)

 

[burningyen]

I haven't tried since the update, but even pre-2.0 the Pitch Wham effect was *significantly* more warbly if I set both heel and toe at -1 than if I simply set heel at -1 and toe at 0 and made sure the patch was set to default at full heel.

[glideman]

Interesting...

[WickedFinger]

Guys the Helix is not polyphonic tracking so the ability to get chords coming through must have been a bit of luck to begin with. Be nice if L6 could figure out if they can incorporate polyphonic tracking like in various Digitech and EHX units. The new Whammy V +detune has it all over the "Whammy" in the Helix. But I did not buy the Helix for effects, I hoped it had reasonable delay and reverb, anything else would be a bonus.

Really simple matter to farm out to a better tracking pedal. If they can upgrade it fine but I am in the wagon for the amp models. I never expect any multi unit to really sound better or as good as pedals. I bloody hate the whole M16 / POD effect thing and really would not use one if it was free. Bugs me they copied some of the POD effect stuff but they claim to be trying to upgrade them. I look forward to them updating the Helix but as long as the amp models do the deal I am OK with farming out to pedals if needed. 

[HonestOpinion]

Guys the Helix is not polyphonic tracking so the ability to get chords coming through must have been a bit of luck to begin with. Be nice if L6 could figure out if they can incorporate polyphonic tracking like in various Digitech and EHX units. The new Whammy V +detune has it all over the "Whammy" in the Helix. But I did not buy the Helix for effects, I hoped it had reasonable delay and reverb, anything else would be a bonus.

Really simple matter to farm out to a better tracking pedal. If they can upgrade it fine but I am in the wagon for the amp models. I never expect any multi unit to really sound better or as good as pedals. I bloody hate the whole M16 / POD effect thing and really would not use one if it was free. Bugs me they copied some of the POD effect stuff but they claim to be trying to upgrade them. I look forward to them updating the Helix but as long as the amp models do the deal I am OK with farming out to pedals if needed. 

 

Not necessarily expecting polyphonic tracking although I think that the potential could be there with a properly designed Variax but I think many of us definitely did buy the Helix for the effects pedals as well as all of its other excellent features so by all means keep the effects coming and let's improve the ones that already exist if they need it (pitch and reverb effects leap to mind).

[pwnettle]

I have 2.01 and if I try to do something like a -5 even with 100% mix there's a harmony going on that makes it kind of not so useful.

 

I've heard people simulate a bass via helix and it seems like there shouldn't be any harmonizing going on with a 100% mix setting - just the altered pitch alone.