oPic Optical Pickup

[mihcmac]

A drop in Analog Optical Pickup.. Hmmmmm.

https://www.light4sound.com

 

[jdgm]

1 hour ago, mihcmac said:

A drop in Analog Optical Pickup.. Hmmmmm. 

 

Thanks for link.   I had a look at their site too - very interesting but guitar needs special jack socket for the lead to the pickup powerbox/pod.  Normal jack out from there to amp.   Still in early stages.  Clever stuff.   Not sure about having to program it externally myself - too old - though many will find that very cool.  But if you can't adjust the volume instantly while playing that's a drawback.

 

"It is the world’s first and only programmable guitar pickup. Using your mobile device (like a cell phone or tablet), you can set the volumes of each string independently, adjust the overall output gain, set high and low-pass filters, and all settings can be saved and recalled when needed.

The ōPik is a true analog pickup. It is sensing the actual string motion, and outputting a voltage waveform that corresponds to the vibration of the string, similar to what any standard pickup does. It is NOT detecting the note, and substituting a sampled tone. The audio path is pure analog. There is no lag, and there is no digital processing in the audio signal.

There is no magnetic drag so the sustain of notes and chords is excellent, especially if it is the only pickup installed.

It has a wider frequency response than any magnetic pickup, both in highs and lows. The lows are especially broad, and this can be controlled by the setting of the high-pass filter.

It has a higher output gain than magnetic pickups because it’s an active pickup with all the electronics built into the pickup housing itself that include preamps, and that gain setting can be programmed through the mobile app.

It responds faster than any magnetic pickup because it’s a true analog optical pickup, and the optical sensing is much faster than magnetic sensing method used by standard pickups which is based on Faraday’s Law.

The ōPik is a position sensor which measures the position of the string as it vibrates. This is different from magnetic pickups which essentially sense the speed of the string motion as it vibrates. Again, this property of magnetic pickups comes from Faraday’s Law. This gives the ōPik a unique, and very rich tone, and allows it to sense much lower frequencies......."

Edited October 15, 2020 by jdgm

[mihcmac]

I found it interesting that you could use any type of string with them..

[merciful-evans]

A true fresh innovation. Just listened to more sound demos on the website. Those seemed to be all using the same strat. Curious about other guitars now. Its a different sound. I like it.

Edited October 16, 2020 by merciful-evans

[Twang Gang]

Since it is measuring the string movement  you could probably use a piece of string if you could tune it to pitch.  I listened to a few samples as well and maybe I'm just too old fashioned and stuck in my ways, but I didn't care for the sound.  It was sort of glassy sounding to me, not rich and full.  I didn't like digital amps when they first came out either, and they have certainly gotten better over the years so this too will probably improve.

[mihcmac]

I think you are correct, as you can use any material, but I think I would use something familiar.

[jdgm]

I think the string has to be reflective; the pickup works in 'reflection mode' rather than 'transmission mode'.   See this pdf on their website.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/509dfebbe4b081ffff72f646/t/5f7f7d5608d9a65ca34b295e/1602190680886/Optical-Stringed-Instrument.pdf

Edited October 17, 2020 by jdgm

[merciful-evans]

1 hour ago, jdgm said:

I think the string has to be reflective; the pickup works in 'reflection mode' rather than 'transmission mode'.   See this pdf on their website.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/509dfebbe4b081ffff72f646/t/5f7f7d5608d9a65ca34b295e/1602190680886/Optical-Stringed-Instrument.pdf

 

That begs the question as to whether the signal could be polluted by bright stage lights. LEDs / strobes etc.