Non-standard Pitch & Tuning

Is that A flat? If so, it has been reported the tuner in GB is chromatic, so you can use it to tune your guitar. You should also be able to lower the pitch of any loops by -1 to get them in the same key as your guitar.
Also if you are playing in A, but it is actually A flat, then set your song's key to A flat.

Haven't done it for a while, so not 100% sure, but I think you can transpose in Logic to the nearest cent. In Garageband you are stuck with equal temperament at A=440, as far as I know.

440=A is the only one I know. I never paid any attention to anything else. So, I guess 438 is not A flat, but somewhere in between?

Check out this freebie au: Detune

http://www.kvraudio.com/get/781.html

Add it to each track and you can tune them all accordingly.

Just curious, why you would use the lower tuning?

Kurt

One possible reason is the SRV concept of tuning way down, then using real heavy strings, getting a bigger more powerful sound than standard tuning and lighter strings. But, I think he tuned down a whole step.

One possible reason is the SRV concept of tuning way down, then using real heavy strings..

If he is playing with any real acoustic instruments (flute, sax, clarinet) this low tuning could cause problems. Most of the keyed instruments are designed to play fairly close in tune when tuned to A 440.

But, I think he tuned down a whole step.

Not according to this chart:

http://www.uk-piano.org/history/pitch.html#Frequency

It is just slightly flat.

Kurt

I was meaning Stevie Ray Vaughan was tuning down a whole step.

I wonder if it would be easier to find some way to raise the pitch of the accordion track, then. Maybe the pitch correction function could correct it? It also might make it sound strange, but worth a try.

No, the pitch correction in GB only goes in semitone-steps. Tuning down from 440 to 438 is only about a tenth of a semitone (one semitone down from a 440 would be around 417.)

To tune up the accordion track requires an audio program that does pitch shift without altering the sample rate and the length of the clip (like GB does, only with finer tuning). As far as I can see, Sound Studio doesn't do this. Then you pitch down the clip to 100.46 percent, and there you are. (However, if you want to play your accordion to the accompaniment of the other tracks, that's not practical or involves some suffering.)

Who's got all the little audio programs at hand an can tell which one does this?

I was under the impression the pitch correction actually finds any notes not on pitch and takes them up to the next semi tone, which in theory should take 438 to 440, right? That is probably not much different than a singer singing a flat note. However, most singers wouldn't bit hitting every note flat, would they? So it would have a LOT of work to do to change every note.

Sorry Scott, I thought you were talking about the transpose slider. Well, the pitch correction at full throttle should in principle do it, I guess. Accordion should work ok since it has discrete notes and no glides and vibratoes, but it takes a lot of CPU, as you say, and the result might sound a little shaky and unnatural.

And of course the problem of playing a "flat" instrument to the other tracks still remains.

When I was on the road years ago, I always seemed a tad out of tune with the keyboard player. We connected my guitar tuner to the synth, and found that in its neutral pitch wheel position, it was ever so slightly flat from the dead center point on my tuner. So I made a visual mark where it actually fell on my tuner and then tuned there instead of straight up, which fixed the problem. Not much help in this situation, but thought I'd mention it anyway.
If the pitch correction works to your satisfaction, you can lock the track to ease the CPU load.

There must some sort of plugin that could raise pitch. The detune plugin I mentioned above only lowers it. Ideally, you should just raise the accordian track.

Kurt

I don't know much about the accordion, but is it possible to have it fixed at a repair shop, so it is in standard pitch once again?