Little thunder

[craigmillard]

Hi guys

Have been thinking about how to add some bass to my guitar and just seen this!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alittlethunder/a-little-thunder-pickup-add-bass-to-your-guitar

Looks wicked! How do you think the digital part is done, the tracking seems extremely good!

[Transmogrifox]

The "non-intellectual property" part of the algorithm will be very similar to this:
http://www.dspdimension.com/admin/pitch-shifting-using-the-ft/

Preserving natural timbre and musical qualities is likely a form of Vocoder technology, more specifically, and adaptive filter that inverts the formants in place, shifts the pitch, then reapplies a physically-informed re-shaped version of the formants.  I use "formants" loosely since this typically refers to speech, but the concept is the same:  A guitar has a certain harmonic content depending on the notes played.

That is, they infer a frequency response from the guitar.  If you naively down-shift that, then you also down-shift the frequency response.  If you cleverly "undo" the frequency response, then apply a frequency response more typical to a bass guitar, then the tone will be re-shaped into something more natural.

I think the tracking naturally flows from understanding the article I referenced above.  If you have enough DSP power, then you can crunch that algorithm at really low latency, and get pitch estimates frequently enough to track dynamics very closely.  That part is simply brute force.

I have played with that algorithm from Stephen Bernsee using his example code.  Even a naive implementation of that algorithm sounds really good.  The down side is it really needs a lot of DSP power to crunch it frequently enough not to smear the transients too badly.  What you need is what they got:  modern smart phone DSP technology built into a guitar pickup package.

[AndyAlt]

Hi, this is Andy Alt, founder of A Little Thunder. Wanted to drop in and than you for your interest and wanted to answer any questions that might arise. I was on DIY stompboxes once before when building a passive A/B box for my guitar rig. Nice to have an official account.

So far, the Kickstarter is at 106 backers and around $19,500 in our first week. We're committed to making an exceptional product and being accessible if anyone has questions. Here if anything pops up.

-Andy

Hi guys

Have been thinking about how to add some bass to my guitar and just seen this!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alittlethunder/a-little-thunder-pickup-add-bass-to-your-guitar

Looks wicked! How do you think the digital part is done, the tracking seems extremely good!

[YouAre]

Hi, this is Andy Alt, founder of A Little Thunder. Wanted to drop in and than you for your interest and wanted to answer any questions that might arise. I was on DIY stompboxes once before when building a passive A/B box for my guitar rig. Nice to have an official account.

So far, the Kickstarter is at 106 backers and around $19,500 in our first week. We're committed to making an exceptional product and being accessible if anyone has questions. Here if anything pops up.

-Andy

Interesting design! I think a lot of fun could be had with this pickup and multiple fuzzes.

Do you have pictures of the specific Trisha Lurie designs that go on the $275 pledge? I'm kind of intrigued by that.  I checked the link that had a bunch of great artwork, but I didn't immediately see anything pickup related. The Marshall head is gorgeous.

[AndyAlt]

Hey YouAre,

We don't have the specific mockups yet for the TL designs but we are discussing possibilities. I think there's room for input or interest on the buyer end. After seeing her surfer girl, skull & bones and the guitars/amp heads she did, I was so blown away. Pete and Trisha are friends so it's extra nice to be able to know the artists who create the things you enjoy. Is there something specific you have in-mind for your own piece? If so, I'll reach out to Trisha and see what we can do!

Best,
Andy

Hi, this is Andy Alt, founder of A Little Thunder. Wanted to drop in and than you for your interest and wanted to answer any questions that might arise. I was on DIY stompboxes once before when building a passive A/B box for my guitar rig. Nice to have an official account.

So far, the Kickstarter is at 106 backers and around $19,500 in our first week. We're committed to making an exceptional product and being accessible if anyone has questions. Here if anything pops up.

-Andy

Interesting design! I think a lot of fun could be had with this pickup and multiple fuzzes.

Do you have pictures of the specific Trisha Lurie designs that go on the $275 pledge? I'm kind of intrigued by that.  I checked the link that had a bunch of great artwork, but I didn't immediately see anything pickup related. The Marshall head is gorgeous.

[YouAre]

Hey YouAre,

We don't have the specific mockups yet for the TL designs but we are discussing possibilities. I think there's room for input or interest on the buyer end. After seeing her surfer girl, skull & bones and the guitars/amp heads she did, I was so blown away. Pete and Trisha are friends so it's extra nice to be able to know the artists who create the things you enjoy. Is there something specific you have in-mind for your own piece? If so, I'll reach out to Trisha and see what we can do!

Best,
Andy

Hey Andy,

I'd be happy to take a closer look at the site when I'm not at work and make a suggestion. After I saw the more risque art on the guitar, needles to say I had to close to browser in my office

I'm assuming you're referring to Pete Thorn? I plan on watching the video when I get home tonight, so I'm not sure if he is doing a demo in your video.

If he isn't, I'm sure he could do an incredible demo with a different fuzz/distortion on each signal into one or multiple amplifiers. I can't imagine the number of pedals/amps/guitars/bottles of shampoo and conditioner that man has sold with his gear demos....

Regards,
Murad