Pitch shifting uses delay with the clock on the output shifted up or down to change the frequency of the notes you’re playing.
But frequency shifter is basically one half of a ring modulator (but now we add 2 sidebands A/B and now HarmBode can be a Ringmod effect if Mixture = 0%).
While a ring modulator takes an input signal and a modulation signal and produces the sum and difference frequencies, a frequency shifter produces only the sum frequencies, or the different frequencies. It outputs these separate frequencies and invoques fancy filtering.
When you turn up controls, you can get glissandos, barberpole flanging, or soft echos that seem to rotate around you.
Some refer to this effect as a ring-modulator, but it is not true. Its Bode Frequency shifter with Hilbert transformation effect (rotate copy of signal to 90 degrees). Frequency shifters can sound like bells because they shift inharmonics, which sounds exactly like ring modulation. In technical language it is known as single-sideband modulation.
It is arguably one of the most underrated and ignored effects in the industry.
If you blend a slightly shifted signal with the original signal you can get some phasing. The harmonic structure of the dry signal with the processed signal can sound as an inharmonic effect, much like a bell.
Freq shifters shifts up all frequency content up by the same amount, thus altering the frequency relationships. As example, the 100 Hz tone go up to 200 Hz, and the 200Hz tone go up to 300 Hz instead.
HARMBODE frequency shifter can shift all of the frequencies of the input signal with up, down, up/down, and down/up modes. These modes create dissonance to the incoming signal, breaking harmonic structure.
With frequency shifters it is possible to touch on other aspects of Phaser effects.
With variations of small and big shifts, it can break the harmonics of many instruments, but with many percussion style sounds, a frequency shifter can change the tone and the effect can be very musical.
Small shifts gave deep phasing effects, larger shifts with notes changes is break harmonic structure and create dissonance. Intresting to know the history - originally freq shifters was help to reduce mic feedbacks in halls.
Effect can have range from simple detuning drums, bells, chimes and human voice in order to create ambience, to the frequency shift of typical synthesizer waveforms to create new tone colour.
How it work (Pitch VS Freq shifting)
Sawtooth. It has harmonics / partials with exact whole numbers of the fundamental points. Original sawtooth at 100 Hz:
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Frequency-shifted wave:
150 250 350 450 550 650 750 850
For this shift, we set Scale upward to 50 Hz. The frequency shifter causes a linear, additive shift; the fundamental frequency is now 150 Hz — but the upper partials have also been shifted 50 Hz, so they are no longer whole number multiples of the fundamental. That is, their ratios are no longer in the natural harmonic series.
The pitch-shifter and the frequency-shifter do very different things!
But you must know how work another type of shifters - pitch-shifters.
A pitch shifter preserves the ratios among the partials through a nonlinear shift.
Pitch-shifted wave:
150 300 450 600 750 900 1050 1200
Pitch-shifter transposes pitch, but without transforming the tone colour. A Frequency-shifter changes frequency for the express purpose of changing the tone colour.
Elements of Frequency-shifter
Frequency Shifter is capable of continuous frequency shifting from 0.05Hz up to 5.0 kHz.
Yes, as you can look, shifter has expotential ranges.
The Shift knob select on how many % you shift signal in selected frequency position in Hertz. It can be positive or inverted / negative and with it Scale of effect can be ±5kHz.
The Scale knob selects the range of frequency in Hz:
- At “Zero” shift effect is bypassed.
- EXP setting (exponential) is math operation for range 0.05Hz -5.0 kHz. You can view this as steps x10 (0.05 Hz / 0.5Hz / 5Hz / 50 Hz / 500 Hz / 5000 Hz). And with maximum positions of SHIFT (±100%) you can use range of ±5kHz.
From 1 Hz you can get effects known as “Barberpole flanging/phaser”.
Effect include two sidebands (A/B). You can morph them by Mixture knob. Original Bode (TM) Freq Shifter and another variations usually have Mixture with two sidebands (A=Up, B=Down). HarmBode have Mixture of two sidebands that include additional modes (classical Up, Down and new Up/Down, Down/Up that include channels Pan-shifting).
If Mixture = 0%, you work with Ringmod effect! Classical Freq-shifters is only half-ringmod, but if Mix of Up and Down sidebands symmetrical, its can be true Ringmod effect.
In hardware world analog frequency-shifters have big price. But you can try it now as Rack Extension for touch to legendary effect!
MAIN PARAMETERS
MODE:
- UP - Shift frequencies upward,
- DOWN - Shift frequencies downward,
- UP/DOWN - combination of Upward and Downward shift frequencies
- DOWN/UP - combination of Downward and Upward shift frequencies. * Or left and right channels shift in opposite directions
MIXTURE: Mix of sidebands A/B (you can mix Upward and Downward)
SCALE MODE: Set Comb filter mode between the classic Frequency value and key note value. At the Note mode, avaliable to use Filter keytracking
SCALE FREQUENCY: Frequency shift in Hertz (not pitch shifting!)
Low values result in BARBER’s pole phasing when BLEND is set to 50%
SCALE NOTE: Basic Note Keys steps identical to Hz values of Scale Frequency for filter keytracking. Activate Filter Keytrack for incoming midi
SHIFT: Linear scaling of shift amount with gradation. Can be inverted
FDBK: Feedback adds overtones or increases SHIFT (depth) of phasing
BLEND: Mix of incoming and processed signal
MODULATION
- SELF-SOURCE MOD: An internal “Self-source” modulation source, that works as an MOD Envelope Follower for incoming signal. Active if the LED is “On”. To create a deep modulation effect, reduce Input level, and compensate for it by increasing output level
- MOD AUDIO INPUT: Additional stereo audio modulation source input, that works as Envelope Follower. To have a deeper modulation effect, make your incoming audio signal source louder
- MOD DESTINATION: Set the destination to one of the main device modulation parameters: Scale Frequency / Shift / Feedback / Blend / Mixture. Both of the modulation sources (Self-Source Mod & Mod Audio Input) can be used individually or at the same time
Soft Bypass / Input Output Corrections
ACT / SOFT BYP: Enable / Bypass HARMBODE effect. Soft bypass variant
INPUT: Amp gain correction of the dry input level (unprocessed input signal) before it goes to the BLEND (Dry/Wet) control
OUTPUT: Amp gain correction of the output level of the processed signal after it leaves the BLEND (Dry/Wet) control
CV INPUTS
Use these CV inputs to control the main parameters with external CV source curves.
Requirements:
Reason 6.5 / Essentials 1.5 or higher
* All product names, trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, trademarks and brands does not imply endorsement.
UPDATE 1.3.0:
- New internal “SELF-SRC” modulation (rear panel).
- New external audio input source modulation.
- Both modulation sources modulate one of the main device parameters individually, or at the same time (Scale Frequency, Shift, Feedback, Blend, Mixture).
UPDATE 1.2.0:
- New mode “Note”: Basic Note Keys steps identical to Hz values of Scale Frequency for filter keytracking.
- Filter Keytrack in Note mode
UPDATE 1.1.2:
- Improved and fixed GUI elements
- Combinator Patches + bonus patches by Challism
UPDATE 1.1:
Mixture knob: add mix of A/B sidebands. Original Bode (TM) Frequency Shifter and also many variations of frequency shifters use basic structure of 2 sidebands A/B mix (where A = Upward, B = Downward).
HarmBode have exclusive sidebands Modes (Upward, Downward, Upward/Downward, Downward/Upward). Last two hybrids work also as channels shifter of Pan.
Now HarmBode support Mixture of sidebands.
Examples:
- Mixture = 100%. Same as selected mode (If Mode=Up, Mixture in 100% = Up)
- Mixture = -100%. Opposite to selected mode (If Mode=Up, Mixture in -100% = Down)
- Mixture = 0%, is a true Ringmod effect.
Mixture control help to create interesting mutations of signal
