Q. How can I simulate a 12-string guitar sound in the studio?

I have someone coming into my studio to do some recording and I'm looking for a way to achieve a 12-string guitar sound for him from a six-string acoustic. I've looked for freeware plug-ins but haven't had much luck.

Stephen Scott

Via email

SOS Editor In Chief Paul White replies: There's no ideal way to do this, as even the best octave doublers double all the string pitches, whereas on a 12-string guitar, the top two strings are tuned in unison. Should you wish to experiment with octave doublers, be aware that the vast majority of them are based on current pitch-shift technology, which tends to sound a little warbly and thin on all but the most expensive processors. The reason for this is that pitch shifters work by breaking the sound into very short segments, then shortening them or looping them depending on whether the pitch shift is to be up or down. Where the pitch is to be increased by an octave, each audio segment is sped up to twice its normal speed, which makes it half its original length, so then it has to be used twice to fill the original time. This works OK on smooth sounds, but can give a doubling effect on the attack of notes. You can also hear an unnatural shimmering effect where the segments are rejoined.