Vanishing Star - Root Drop: A one-of-a-kind guitar effect for Drop D fingering

[iunogui]

Hi everyone,

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the staff for planning and running such an incredible contest. I would also like to thank everyone who has checked out my entry, Root Drop, or simply opened this thread. It is an absolute honor as a developer to challenge myself on this ultimate stage where the world's most passionate creators and guitarists gather.

Since I have this wonderful opportunity to connect with you all, there is something important I want to share, and a question I want to ask as a developer.

When people hear the term "Drop D Simulator," most probably imagine an effect that detects the 6th string (the thickest string) and lowers it by a whole step. With recent advancements in AI, achieving that might no longer be entirely impossible. However, I imagine that bringing such an approach to a truly practical level would result in a very limited functionality—for instance, an effect that only works under pre-trained conditions.

Therefore, prioritizing practicality and versatility above all else, Root Drop chose a different specification: detecting and lowering only the root note (the lowest note being played).
This is my question to guitarists around the world:

"With this specification, we can bring it to a practical level. What do you think?"

As the ultimate stage to test the value of this idea, I chose the KVR Developer Challenge—one of the communities where innovators and early adopters gather the most.

I believe there is also a huge demand for this kind of Drop D simulator in hardware form. If Root Drop is well-received here, hardware manufacturers will feel reassured by the fact that "it can be realized and is well-received by the community", and will likely begin their own development. I myself might even consider turning it into hardware in the future.

However, if it does not gain traction here, this feature will end its journey solely within this one and only software plugin called Root Drop. Major manufacturers will likely never even know it existed. And even if they did, the result of being undervalued in the KVR DC is more than enough reason for managers and executives to reject the project, claiming there is no demand, as I know too well.

I leave it to all of you to judge whether this technology becomes a brand-new kind of future standard pitch shift effect, or an OOPArt (an Out-of-Place Artifact).

— Vanishing Star