I have a project where i'm building a guitar simulator of sorts. Like a guitar, my device has 6 strings. I need a way to obtain information on which of the 6 strings are being plucked at any given time. I'm currently using piezo sensors for this but I'm thinking the use of magnetic pickups (like those found on electric guitars) would give me more precise input data.
From what I understand, a magnetic pickup only has one output voltage, even if there are 6 individual hall effect sensors (one per string). How can I input this data into an Arduino and how would I be able to tell which string was plucked if all 6 pickups feed into one output voltage?
For context, this is an image of pickup I want to use. Notice that despite having 6 individual sensors, it appears to only have one output wire; hence my confusion for how to discern which string generated the voltage pulse. Also, i'm not entirely sure if there would be any caveats with the analog to digital conversion of this data within the arduino so if you have any insight there please do discuss it.
They still make and sell pickups that use coils. Take a small bar magnet, wind a coil around it (or buy one already made) and and pluck a steel string over one end, you should get a signal out of that coil though it's going to need amplifying to really use.
The Grateful Dead used separate pickups to have each string play out of a different set of speakers. You could only experience the effect at the concerts, it was very dynamic.
If you want to detect each string, (assuming steel strings) you could use a hall switch for each with a small magnet placed on the back of each device but not sure just what the signal will do ...
Don't know if you can get the string close enough to begin with.
Many different types of hall effect switches with different outputs so perhaps someone else could comment there.
Perhaps IR emitter/detectors would be an alternative.
I understand how the pickups work, but now my question is does anyone know of a manufacturer that sells a pickup like what Bluejets described? Something that uses 6 hall effect sensors and has 6 unique output wires.
Also, Bluejets could you elaborate on this IR sensor alternative you mentioned?
I doubt you will find anything manufactured as detecting each guitar string for movement idea is not something I have ever heard of before.
As for the IR sensors, the idea was to have an IR transmitter and receiver under each string so that the reflective angle each transmitter would be picked up by each receiver.
You may need to pulse the transmitters and program the receivers so they do not get input from other devices.
Also the receivers may need to be "shaded" so they are more sensitive to the amount of string movement.
Whole idea probably would not work if you use black plastic coated strings as I've seen on some bass guitars though.
All in all basically a suck-it-and-see arrangement.
Roland makes a "divided pickup," apparently for use with guitar synthesizers. You can find a typically sketchy description here - typical of most of the hot new things for musical instruments.
Amazon sells them for around 140 USD; there's a used one on ebay for about 45 USD. I don't know if there's any hard technical information available for it.
Is the intent of this gizmo to identify restrictions on the string frequency, to speed up or otherwise improve frequency estimation?
