MTU Key Changer

[Musicman51]

Now, don't get me wrong please, i'm not complaining. I have been using MTU products since 2004. I could have purchased anything i liked, but i stuck with MTU, because they are the best product out there. But to date, they still don't seem to have perfected their key changer software. I have the full versions of Keyrite, Microstudio, KJ Pro Home Producer, Hoster. The key changer in them all leave much to be desired. Even that cheap import cheesey company Voco Pro, has a good key changer. My triple drawer JVC, just has a fantastic key changer. But MTU, just doesn't cut it in the key control department. Why won't they spend more time on this to make it better? Please don't blame it on any of my sound cards, it is the same way no matter what computer i had through the years. what say you all?

[Roy Dennis]

I nearly always use the one on my mixer.

[ddouglass]

Electronic Key Change will always be better than software controlled Key Change. Since I don't have the tuned ear of a musician I can't tell that it is off. If I remember it is supposed to be set for half steps. Is this not the case and if not can you tell how far off it is? MTU would need to know in order to even think about correcting it.

[Musicman51]

Douglass, i've been to Ft Benning GA visiting my daughter in the US Army, sorry i haven't replied sooner. It's not in the fact that the key controller is out of pitch. It' in the quality of the key changer. When i flat or sharp the changer, the quality of the music is in a different ballgame. It sounds much like the vibrato on a Fender Twin Amp..lol Like someone turned on the tremelo. The guys at MTU and i have discussed this before. And i didn't get an answer i liked, and they didn't seem to be that concerned with my opinion. But compared to even cheap disck players, the MTU key rite, and Hoster, aren't even close.

Electronic Key Change will always be better than software controlled Key Change.

What do you base this conclusion on? I've never heard this before. If thats the case, MTU never told me. Perhaps i shouldn't ask anymore then. That would answer my question. Thanks George

[ddouglass]

Hardware electronic components designed and set for specific pitch change will not cause harmonics (which are what cause the vibrato effect) or if they do a filter can be added to remove it.
As an explanation harmonic frequencies tend to be slightly phase shifted (out of phase with the primary signal) and this is what causes the vibrato/echo. I may have a tin ear, but I do know electronics.
When you are trying to change a pitch by altering the frequency fed to a standard sound card designed for a wide range of frequencies then there is no way to filter out those harmonics completely. This is why I say Electronic Key Change will always be better.
Currently I wouldn't expect them to look at this at this time as they are trying to get a new release out to fix and stablize 4.06 even more first. Maybe in the future they can take another look at it.

[ddouglass]

That would be your opinion since I have never used their program I wouldn't know whether theirs is totally clean or not. Iwould suspect though that their built in equalizer would be helping with that.
I am not saying it couldn't be better in Hoster but I have never had any complaints from any of my customers about it being that bad.