FTP - Getting "CHIRPING" sound when strumming hard

Started by kidpossible, December 07, 2015, 10:10:42 PM

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kidpossible

I am brand new to my FTP and know I still have tweaking to do to its settings.
One irritation is a chirping sound I get when I strum a little harder.
With the right synth voice I can cover it up, but on other voices it is very audible.
Are there some settings that improve playing the FTP with a full on strum.

Trevor

#1
Quote from: kidpossible on December 07, 2015, 10:10:42 PM
I am brand new to my FTP and know I still have tweaking to do to its settings.
One irritation is a chirping sound I get when I strum a little harder.
With the right synth voice I can cover it up, but on other voices it is very audible.
Are there some settings that improve playing the FTP with a full on strum.
I think I found the solution, I was having the same problem, but only on some days.

It's a technique thing, when strumming, it's natural to lay the pick in the direction of the next strummed string, what we don't notice playing acoustically is that a millisecond before the end of your pick strikes the next string, the middle of your pick touches that string, the FTP is so good it tries to make a note, but it comes out a "beep" because it's silenced so quickly and replaced by a good note.You have to keep your pick perpendicular to the soundboard.
You only really need to change tech a bit while strumming, but it would help to change overall, as it will be more accurate.Look at how Marty Friedman plays, I always thought it was strange, but I bet it helps with accuracy, though his twist might cause a "beep".

Elantric

#2
As Shawnb points out, the big deal is use picks with smooth edges, avoid picks with serrated edges.

Read

Is your Pick (Plectrum)  giving you "Ghost Notes"


https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=4324.0

ShawB wrote>
Major discovery today, thought I'd share...

So I've been playing (er... trying to play...) "Footprints" using a sax sound on my GR55, and having far, far more glitches & "mousie death squeals" than normal.   Frustrating, because I thought my setup has been great for a while.   Getting angry, I started flailing/fretting, trying to force it to happen consistently...   

Then I noticed a pattern, the squeals were dependent on how I picked the string, a very particular way...   Mainly on the high B and E, rarely on the other strings.   Messed around some more & found that if I 'bowed' the top 1/4" of the pick across the strings, I could reproduce the squeal like a madman...  

Inspected the pick, it was slightly old & slightly rough at the tip...   

I got a new pick.   It was like getting a new GR55...   

The state of your PICK makes all the difference in the world...    :o

I went through my bag & tried a few picks, and I could NOT get the squeals with my hard, smooth, V-pick... 
http://v-picks.com/

I used to think they were overpriced & bought a couple just to experiment, but now I'm thinking they may be a perfect match for the GR55...

Having issues?   Try a new pick.   Still having issues - I have DRAMATICALLY different results with a V-Pick.   

dafrimpster

I switched to V-Picks a while back. I love them and agree they work great for guitar synth. I have tried several but I think the chicken pick is my favorite model. I am going to order colored ones next time though because those clear picks disappear when you drop them. At $4 a piece I want to try and avoid that. The colored picks are $5 each.  :o

Trevor

The only difference I see between them and many pics, is they're acrylic, and hand beveled.A Dunlop stubby (clear ones) are acrylic, and have a smaller point.I'll have to try the vpicks, but am a big skeptic, as the nylon stubbies seem to trigger less ghost notes than the acrylic.

Elantric

As Shawnb points out, the big deal is use picks with smooth edges, avoid picks with serrated edges.

tonyb300

I found that regardless of the pick I used, (and I tried out several) I still had to adapt my technique to manage the extra glitchy notes that happen when you strum, and in the end use my thumb 50% of the time. Adjusting the sensitivity helps a little but a lot of the false triggers & glitches come from playing the guitar "like a guitar", and, depending on the patch (piano,strings,etc) I find using other techniques like thumb or fingerpicking to be more effective than flat pick strumming.

I noticed that most of the demos on Youtube I saw before I bought the FTP the demo player picked his single note lines and fingerpicked a lot of the chording.

lightwins

#7
Quote from: kidpossible on December 07, 2015, 10:10:42 PM
I am brand new to my FTP and know I still have tweaking to do to its settings.
One irritation is a chirping sound I get when I strum a little harder.
With the right synth voice I can cover it up, but on other voices it is very audible.
Are there some settings that improve playing the FTP with a full on strum.

First guess was that it is due to the synth I use. Now I think it is hardware issue. If too close to strings FTP pickup catches harmonics and/or noises, almost 50% of my finger picked notes do double or triple  trigger. When set at 1 mm or more from the string - sensitivity is lost, missing notes and no dynamic range result and still some double notes occur. I use 0.09 mm string set, this happens mostly on 1st and 2nd strings. I compare to 80-s Casio MG510 guitar that does not have false / missed notes for my style of playing, the only big problem is big latency on bass strings. 


Trevor

Chirps/beeps within FTP is almost exclusively pick technique.When strumming we tend to lay the pick, the FTP picks up your fingernails (like a bottle slide), you must pick like a bluegrass flatpicker for cleanest effect.

DF400

A few months ago I changes to the Jazz III, Dunlop Ultex, and am very happy with these picks. They are some of the best reasonably priced picks and have rendered excellent results with FTP and GR-55 use. They also make a carbon fiber version. I prefer the 1.38mm over thicker picks.  I guess it comes down to personal taste - but at less than $.50 each I would recommend you give them a try!