In order to optimize the pitch tracking ability and maximize the expressiveness of the guitar synth, close attention must be made to pickup sensitivity. The guitar string has a dynamic range and so does the sound that is being triggered in the synth engine/sound module. These two ranges need to match in order to fully utilize the timbre variation in the sound as it responds to differing picking strengths (or velocities) of the player – most systems have sensitivity settings per string to optimize this.. String gauge will also make a difference here. Heavy strings will produce a greater deflection.. If pickup sensitivity is not set up correctly then the system will suffer. If the sensitivity is too high then the sound will seem very compressed, showing little variation in timbre and volume for differing picking strengths, orif the sensitivity is too low then you will have low output levels and may find the sounds dull and lifeless. With a low sensitivity setting you may also encounter a threshold dependant gating effect, reducing sustain and chopping off notes. Under normal properly calibrated circumstances, this useful feature ensures that the guitar synth does not respond to the very low level, unwanted sound created unconsciously when moving around the fretboard. It is also vital when outputting information via MIDI, as it removes what could otherwise be an uncontrollable stream of performance information.
