An algorithm capable of extracting multipitch information from a guitar sound is described. The method is based on a two-stage approach. First, the sound signal is segmented in time based on the derivative of the signal envelope. This defines the transients between successive chords. In the second stage, a high resolution FFT is applied to a downsampled version of the signal. This yields a frequency resolution of about 1 Hz, using 1 second time support. An iterative procedure, employing frequency-bins interpolation, is applied to the amplitude spectrum to estimate the possible fundamental frequencies or harmonics. The system has been tested with simulated signals and achieves reliable fundamental frequency detection. With real guitar chords, the performance of the algorithm depends on the harmonic complexity of the sound.

Authors: Bonnet, Laurent; Lefebvre, Roch
Affiliation: Research lab on Speech and Audio, University of Sherbrooke, Departement of Electrical Engineering, Canada
AES Convention: 114 (March 2003) Paper Number: 5772
Publication Date: March 1, 2003 Import into BibTeX
Subject: Signal Processing for Audio
Permalink: https://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=12566

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