Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!cs.utexas.edu!yale!cmcl2!lanl!crs
From: crs@lanl.gov (Charlie Sorsby)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Need  circuit to drop music an octave
Summary: Yes, but...
Keywords: music
Message-ID: <58975@lanl.gov>
Date: 2 Aug 90 19:29:54 GMT
References: <1990Jul20.223615.4305@portia.Stanford.EDU> <1332@fs1.ee.ubc.ca>
Organization: Los Alamos Natl Lab, Los Alamos, N.M.
Lines: 42

In article <1332@fs1.ee.ubc.ca>, jthornto@fs1.ee.ubc.ca (THORNTON JOHAN A) writes:
= In article <1990Jul20.223615.4305@portia.Stanford.EDU> ceg@nova.stanford.edu (Chris Gronbeck) writes:
=>
=>I'm looking for suggestions as to the best way to design a circuit to
=>drop music
=>one or more octaves.  A typlical application being making an electric guitar
=>perform like a bass.  Any hints would be useful.  Thanks.
=>
= 
= The basic octavo circuit is:
=   - send the signal into a clipper    __|~~
=   - feed output into a divide by two flip-flop
=   - wave-shape the output (filter...)

Not quite...

Several problems:

1)  Even assuming only a single note at a time (i.e. no chords,
etc.) this will only give the fundamental pitch of each note--no
harmonics--thus the "color" of each note will be lost.

2)  If more than one note is played at a time, even more
information will be lost.  Depending on the clip levels, you will
obtain (using a much oversimplified description) only the lowest
frequency available at any given moment.

3)  It will double the length (duration) of the tune so you get
twice as much music for your time :)

Nevertheless, subject to its limitations, the method described will
lower the notes *it sees* by an octave.

Best,

Charlie Sorsby						"I'm the NRA!"
	crs@lambda.lanl.gov
	sorsby@pprg.unm.edu
-- 
Charlie Sorsby
			crs@lambda.lanl.gov
			crs@agps.lanl.gov