GtrEQ vs Tapko Harmony

GtrEQ Guitar EQ & Buzz Kill (AUv3) GtrEQ is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic Pro or GarageBand. Overview GtrEQ is a 5-band EQ / tone-shaping effect made specifically for guitar players, with the 5 bands focused across the frequency spectrum where the guitar typically lives. The peak / resonance of each band is also more gentle compared to general-purpose EQs, so adjacent bands are very "interactive". This makes GtrEQ well suited for overall guitar tone "sculpting", as opposed to the surgical precision needed for targeting specific frequencies. GtrEQ also includes an optional "Buzz Kill" filter to help reduce mains hum noise. This buzzing can be a problem sometimes with single coil pickup guitars. Depending on your situation, GtrEQ might not be able to kill the buzz completely, but it should help reduce it significantly without impacting your original guitar tone too much. Controls Buzz Kill - Sets the target frequency of the mains hum noise filters which will depend on where you are in the world. For example, UK is 50Hz and US is 60Hz. Setting the control to Off will bypass the mains hum filters entirely. Reduction - Sets how much attenuation is applied to the mains hum noise. Ideally, you want to set this control so the noise is no longer noticeable, or is at least at a "manageable" level. Buzz Kill processing has been designed so that the original guitar signal is impacted as little as possible, but you may notice a less "full" guitar tone when the Reduction amount is at maximum. Buzz Kill processing, when enabled, occurs before the EQ section. EQ - Switches the EQ On or Off. This is a "soft switch" so is well suited for automation / MIDI CC control if your host supports it. EQ Bands - Sets a +/-12dB boost or cut for each of the labelled frequency bands. You can think of each band as affecting bass, low mids, high mids, treble and presence, but because of their interactivity, they don't work independently. You might be surprised by the range of tones you can get with just five bands! Out - Applies a final stage gain trim to the output at the very end of the internal signal chain, between -24dB and +12dB. Shameless plug alert... ANALOGyAMP GtrEQ partners really well with ANALOGyAMP, a retro guitar amp simulator. Placing GtrEQ before ANALOGyAMP in the signal chain allows GtrEQ to function as a boost, effectively driving the input stage of ANALOGyAMP harder. ANALOGyAMP has actually been designed to "take pedals well" albeit virtual ones! You could also use the EQ section in GtrEQ to accentuate the mid frequencies more, and roll-off the bass and treble sides in a similar way to a very famous green overdrive pedal when used primarily as a mid boost. And if you use a MIDI controller, you could potentially have four different virtual channels from two controller switch assignments, with no pops or clicks when you flip between them: SW1 - Toggle Channel Gain on ANALOGyAMP (clean / crunch for example) SW2 - Toggle EQ on GtrEQ (bypass / mid boost for example) Alternatively, place GtrEQ after ANALOGyAMP to sculpt your tone further, with an EQ specifically designed for guitar. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson

Tapko Harmony does what a guitar-driven vocal harmony pedal does, right inside your iPad or iPhone. It turns your guitar chords into live vocal harmonies. Play and sing as you always do: the harmony follows every chord change, with no MIDI programming and no key to set. It comes as two AUv3 plug-ins that work together in your favorite host (AUM, Loopy Pro, GarageBand and others): • Tapko Harmony – Guitar listens to your guitar and recognizes the chords you play. • Tapko Harmony – Voice listens to your voice and sings harmonies that fit those chords. The two plug-ins find each other on their own. No cables, no routing, no setup. TWO HARMONY VOICES • Harmony 1 sings above you by default, always on a note of the current chord. • Harmony 2 adds a second voice, below you by default. • Volume and pan for each harmony, so you can place them left and right around your lead. • Dry + Harmony: keep your voice in the mix, or output only the harmonies to mix them on their own channel. MAKE THE HARMONY YOURS (EXPERIMENTAL) Harmony rules let you choose which notes your harmonies sing: • Follow your guitar, lock the harmony to your song's key, or enter your song's own chords. • Pick a style: third or fifth above, third or sixth below, or a fixed interval. • Write rule cards for your chords to get exactly the harmony you hear in your head. • Harmony 2 has its own picker and its own rule cards. Tapko Standard, the automatic harmony, is always one tap away. START FROM A PRESET Five ready-made sounds in the Voice plug-in: Natural, Tight, Ballad, Choir and Pure. Pick one and play, or use it as a starting point for your own. MADE FOR LIVE PLAYING • Low latency, so the harmony lands with you, not after you. • A natural-sounding pitch shifter that keeps the character of your own voice. • Steady harmonies that stay put when your pitch wavers or you slide between notes. • The song key is found automatically. • Tuned down, or slightly off A = 440? The harmonies follow your guitar's own tuning. • No guitar? Send chords over MIDI from a keyboard or your host instead. • MIDI out (experimental): send the harmony notes to another synth or pitch shifter. SHAPE THE SOUND The Advanced tab lets you fine-tune how the harmony feels: how closely it follows your pitch, how it glides between notes, vibrato and tone. Make it human adds the touches of a real backing singer: a slightly late entry, a small scoop, gentle drift and a doubled voice. SAVES WITH YOUR SONGS Every setting, your chords and rule cards included, is saved with your host project and in host presets, so each song comes back exactly as you left it. BUILT WITH YOU Tapko Harmony is ready for the stage today and actively developed, with its direction set by the people who use it. The Support tab in both plug-ins lets you: • Send feedback in seconds. The report includes the plug-in settings and a short technical log, and the screen shows exactly what is sent. • See the roadmap: what is planned, in progress and just shipped. • Read the how-to for setup and quick fixes. TYPICAL SETUP 1. Load Tapko Harmony – Guitar on your guitar channel. 2. Load Tapko Harmony – Voice on your vocal channel. 3. Play and sing. The harmony follows your chords. GREAT FOR • Solo singer-songwriters playing live. • Duos and small acts who want a bigger vocal sound. • Songwriters sketching harmony ideas. • Anyone recording vocals on iPad or iPhone in an AUv3 host. GOOD TO KNOW • Real-time chord detection and harmony take real processing power. Tapko Harmony is very CPU efficient, but a recent iPad or iPhone gives the best live experience. • Clean, direct guitar and vocal signals on separate inputs give the best results. FROM TAPKO Tapko Harmony joins Tapko, Tapko Komp and Pitchli on the App Store, and more Tapko plug-ins for live musicians are on the way.