Digitech Timebender vs Eventide Pitchfactor

[Tibbonds]

Anyone seen the Timebender? Only seen it today for the first time. It looks to be a good alternative to the Pitchfactor at half the price (in the UK, at least).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bj_6U9xFRI

Now then, I'm sure the pitchfactor gets much deeper, but the Timebender looks like it is also incredible. The downside is it only has 4 memory slots

Thoughts and opinions?

 

[Tibbonds]

Bump. Couple more vids...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pca_1Uqn9s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVpS8j0qmIs&feature=related

Was discussing this over at TDPRI, and Mr BadMelonFarmer mad a good point that it seems to have some cool features from the Timefactor and others from the Pitchfactor, but it doesn't have all the features of either.

I read the manual earlier, it has some AMAZING features. Like you can use the harmonizer with the looper, and you can assign one pitch at the heel down position of the expression pedal and another at the toe down position.... so you can play in bass lines and harmony lines straight into the looper without having to use the doube speed or half speed tricks to do it.

Also has a mode somewhat similar to the Empress Superdlay's rhythm mode - you set the rhythm with strums rather than the tap tempo switch, but it allows you to strum in a 6 tap multitap delay and save that pattern as a preset.

In any of the modes, you can assign up to 2 harmonies to the repeats, very similar to how the Pitchfactor works.

I've seen some people here saying it's a DD-20 clone, but really that couldn't be further from the truth, whioch becomes apparent when you watch the videos and read the manual.

The manual also states it keeps your analogue dry tone in tact when bypassed - IE it only passes through AD/DA converters when the effect is turned on.

For £249 as opposed to £329 for the Timefactor or £459 for the Pitchfactor, I could well be sold.

The big question... will it sound any good in the flesh?

 

[drolling]

Lookin forward to trying one myself.

Like Electro Harmonix, DigiTech's a company that that's come up with some very cool ideas over the years.

And I'm not talkin' about the Bad Monkey;

More along the lines of the Whammy pedal, their triphonic, tube driven rotary speaker emulator (RPM-1) and that slew of double pedals (like BOSS, except 20 years earlier!). My PDS Echo+ is still goin strong after decades of abuse.

I was all set to go out and pick up the HardWire looper/delay till I heard about the TimeBender. Can't wait to get my hands (and feet) on this one!

 

[Tibbonds]

Well to be honest I was thinking of selling off a few pedals and saving up a little cash over the next few months and grabbing the Pitchfactor, but this thing looks like it has 95% of the functions I wanted the Pitchfactor for, and over here in the UK it's almost half the price.

So for the same money I could grab an expression pedal for it and a couple of Electro Harmonix goodies too!

 

[doralin]

To be honest,
after watching the videos Digitech's got me interested.

However, it looks 50 times worst than the pitchfactor and I'm not sure I'd put it on my pedalboard next to my boutiques.. What if someone snaps a picture of my board and sees it?

Joking aside,
I'll grab one as soon as I can
However I'll be getting a rack Eventide so that's why I'm not really interested in the pitchfactor

 

[Tibbonds]

So is it not going down too well here because it's a Digitech? I have detected the odd air of cork-sniffery round these parts

Digitech, like most companies, have some great products mixed amongst their dire ones. I think it's features are too good for it's price tag for people to dismiss it based on the company that makes it. This one has the potential to be amazing.

 

[BadMelonFarmer]

Hey Tibbonds,

Interested to see what people say on this topic too.

From my side - the lack of MIDI is a bit of a downer, but as you say for the price it is a looker!

Agree with you on the digitech front.. They have produced some great pedals, love the space station, whammy, ex-7, Bad Monkey to name a few. But really have not liked their multiFX units, at least the ones I have tried.

EHX is more my thing just cos they make some whacky stuff!

Cheers

BMF

 

[gbsmusic]

I think you have figure the Eventide is just going to be a better qualliy with more options. I checked out the Digitech and there was a noticable change in tone with the Digitech. I think either pedal will get job done. I want the eventide but I hat to send that much on a pedal I wont use a whole lot!! Maybe wait for a used one.

 

[Tibbonds]

Yeah for sure the Eventide units will be better quality, I think that's just a given. Eventide have the bonus of software updates, MIDI, more presets etc... but for the consumer who likes the look of both the Timefactor and Pitchfactor but wouldn't use either to their full potential and/or can't afford both, I think this Digitech offering looks like it fills that market niche nicely. They're definitely aimed at different ends of the market; Eventide more for the pro/semi pro and Digitech probably more towards the bedroom/amamateur musician.

BMF, I also love EHX stuff, and plan to get a ton more on my board. I really want either an Electric Mistress, a Poly Chorus or a Flanger Hoax next time I go pedal shopping.

I think I'll test drive the Eventide units along with this Digitech one, and also the EHX pedals mentioned above. If the Digitech does everything I would use the PF for and actually sounds decent, I think it's safe to say I'd opt for the Digitech plus an EHX too.

 

[foll]

I was sold right away when I found timebender can do pitchshifted hold delay. IMO, two timebenders would be cooler than timefactor + pitchfactor, at least more fun.

 

[Tibbonds]

That freeze function doe s look like a lot of fun.

 

[BadMelonFarmer]

That freeze function doe s look like a lot of fun.

Yeah I like that idea too, I wonder how dificult it would be to use?

hopefully fairly easy, as it would work well for me if you could play and hold a chord, then freeze the pitched delay then play over the top and when you get to a chord change re record it. ....

... Thinking about it if you had two if you could record two different chords and then use a expression peal to sweep / blend between the two. you could get some really cool ambient try sounds with that!

Cheers

BMF

 

[Tibbonds]

hopefully fairly easy, as it would work well for me if you could play and hold a chord, then freeze the pitched delay then play over the top and when you get to a chord change re record it. ....

From what I could gather, the freeze thing works like.... you play, get a rhythm going, and as soon as you hear a set of repeats you like, hold down the left pedal for 1 second and it freezes the current set of repeats infinitely until you hit the pedal again.

I think it would be great for jam sessions where you're just improvising and you suddenly hear something that would make a great loop to solo over. You don't need to worry about start and stop points, so long as the delay was already tap tempo'd in, you could just very quickly and easily get a short section of what you just played looping and then go crazy over the top of it.

 

[BadMelonFarmer]

Sounds interesting, now all we need to do is to get our hands on these critters!

When is the Timebender suposed to hit our shores?

 

[Tibbonds]

Ummmm I don't know. I think the US date was March 22nd though.

 

[ikan]

Just watched this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0bZsXmKWEA

I think Timebender is out now. Has anyone tried/bought it?