Guitarcatcher (new!)
resynthesize any guitar
A strange and wonderful guitarsynth
Guitarcatcher is a beautiful new guitar synthesizer - play any guitar in, and it turns directly into a synth or sample. Transform your guitar into an oboe or a steelpan, harmonize with yourself, sub-octave the bass, do some spectral f*ckery, or output the notes to an external synth, with almost no latency and no special pickup required.
Based on the most accurate guitar tracker in the west
Under the surface lies a deadly accurate polyphonic guitar tracker, which effortlessly picks up bends, vibrato, crazy jazz chords, subtle dynamics, super-fast riffs, campfire chords, you name it - with almost no latency. Try it for yourself. It pretty much doesn't miss a single note.
“I'm used to having to adapt my playing for these kinds of tracking things (also own a GP-10) and I had to ‘learn’ to let that go because of how well it works”
“I'm used to having to adapt my playing for these kinds of tracking things (also own a GP-10) and I had to ‘learn’ to let that go because of how well it works”
Play with the notes
Because Guitarcatcher actually identifies what notes you're playing, it can do all sorts of fun things that other guitar effects can't do. You can harmonize within a key, glide between notes, sub-octave the bass, and lots more. This makes it a versatile writing tool, even for beginner guitarists who just want to experiment with cool sounds.
“Nudist Audio is the only company making plugins I open and feel like a kid again”
Output to any synth
Guitarcatcher can send regular MIDI to any synthesizer. But where it really shines is MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression): an extension of MIDI that allows pitch bending and expression on each string.
With Guitarcatcher, you can play your guitar into any MPE-compatible synth and it just works. The world of guitarsynths is wide open.
Guitarcatcher running into the Vital synthesizer
Weird and subtle effects
Here are some more things you can do:
- Create a reverb composed of the spectrum of a trumpet
- Slightly alter the timbre of every note onset
- Change the harmonic makeup of the guitar by layering in tones at different pitches
You can get pretty creative and funky with this thing.
Free 10-day trial
You can try the full-function plugin for free for 10 days. Have fun :)
FAQ
How does it work? Is it AI?
No, it's not AI and doesn't use LLMs or "generative" technology. It does use old-school machine learning methods that have been around for decades, finely tuned to detect the notes a guitar is playing. It's so lightweight that it can easily run realtime on your laptop.
One of the reasons Guitarcatcher works so well is that it's not really trying to be a guitar→MIDI converter first. With MPE, rather than trying to instantly commit to what note it thinks you played, it can make tiny adjustments and corrections realtime to get the right pitch and volume.
Do I need a special pickup?
No! Guitarcatcher works with any regular pickup. It even works pretty well with acoustic guitars.
Can I put something that's not a guitar into it?
You can do whatever you want! There are no rules! That said, it's actually pretty good at tracking the pitches of non-guitar things, like vocals, woodwinds, pianos, synths, etc.
Will it work with my bass / baritone guitar?
Yes! That said, the latency is much higher than a regular guitar, due to the inherent difficulty of detecting low notes.
Will it work with my fretless guitar / pedal steel?
Yes! Guitarcatcher won't snap notes to a scale unless you tell it to.
Will it work with my noisy / buzzy setup?
Yes! Guitarcatcher is designed to ignore common guitar noise.
Does it use a lot of CPU? Will it work with my old computer?
It should use about 10-25% of your CPU on most machines. There's also a low-CPU mode that uses about 4x less, in case you're running an older or slower machine. The low-CPU mode is a bit higher latency and less accurate, but it's almost as good as the full mode!
What formats and operating systems does it support?
Guitarcatcher comes in VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP formats, and runs on macOS 10.13+ and Windows 10+.
How should I set up my guitar to get the most accurate tracking?
The most important thing is to set the plugin's input gain so that it peaks in the sweet spot, which is marked on the input dB meter. Otherwise, be sure to use dry, DI guitar with no effects, and set your guitar to its brightest pickup and tone settings.
What's the latency / how do I get the lowest latency?
The average latency is around 10-15 milliseconds. That's not instant, but it's fast enough to be almost unnoticeable. It's roughly the same amount of time that it takes sound to travel from an amp 10-15 feet away to your ears.
It varies because the tracker chooses to minimize latency when it can. For example, higher-pitched notes will come in a bit quicker than lower notes. The lowest notes can occasionally have a latency of up to 30 ms if they're faint or played in the background of a busy chord.
To get the lowest felt latency, set your DAW's buffer size to the lowest setting possible without overloading the CPU, and use a good audio interface.
What is MPE?
MPE, or "MIDI Polyphonic Expression," is an extension of MIDI that allows for pitch bending and individual volume and timbre control on each note. Whereas regular MIDI is blocky and static, MPE is ribbony and fluid - much better for representing a guitar.
Many synths, especially newer ones, accept the MPE format.
How do I set up the MPE / MIDI output?
I've written a guide here for you! It depends on your DAW and operating system.
Is it like the Roland VG-8 / Boss GP-10 / etc.?
Kind of! It can do many of the same things, but is a different tool. It can't, for example, change your guitar's tuning, because it can't detect which string you're playing. But it can create sounds that neither of those pedals can create. And unlike those, it doesn't require you to install a special pickup on your guitar.
Is it like Jam Origin’s MIDI Guitar 3?
Kind of! The technology works differently, and unlike MIDI Guitar, Guitarcatcher takes an MPE-first standpoint. Guitarcatcher tends to pick up every note very accurately at the cost of slightly higher latency, while MIDI Guitar 3 has slightly lower latency but can miss or misinterpret notes. And Guitarcatcher’s design generally favors simplicity and ease of use over including every feature.
Can I activate it on multiple computers?
Yes, one license comes with three activations. You can deactivate old machines from your profile page if you run out.
What if I don't have an account?
You don't need an account to buy or use plugins. If you create one, you'll be able to see the past orders and licenses associated with your email address, and manage activations.