Intelligent Pitch Shifter for simple diatonic harmonies - what are you using?

[Tone Meister]

I have a sideman gig coming up where I will need an intelligent pitch shifter to be able to produce some simple up/down octaves with an added third or fifth, so let's say a harmonized note and maybe an octave to complement the fundamental. Tracking and accuracy are paramount, and anything that sucks tone or has a poor buffer won't work. Is latency an issue with this type of pedal these days? What are the options out there right now in a good quality pedal?

I haven't researched this to death, but it sure seems to me that there are very few choices for intelligent pitch shifters in pedal form.

 

[4nd3h]

harmony man

 

[Tone Meister]

harmony man

Thanks for that suggestion. The HM can certainly produce the intervals and could probably work in a pinch, but the footprint is quite a bit bigger than I'd hoped and I heard some weird tracking anomalies I didn't really care for. It seemed a little too synthetic to my ears. Do you use one yourself 4nd3h? If so, what are your own impressions?

 

[4nd3h]

No siree I do no. But it doesn't get any smaller. There's also the pitch factor from even tide which is equally huge. Look up boss harmonizers too,mthey are smaller but I dunno if there diatonic

 

[Mr. Limbic]

the pitchfactor is excellent

 

[Clean Channel]

The Boss PS6 does exactly what you need and also doesn't cost too much.

The only heads up is that you need to manually set the pedal to the key you're playing in before the song so it knows what harmonies to hit.

 

[rp108]

Eventide Pitchfactor.

 

[vulcaniza P]

sounds to me like you just need to play chords.




perhaps into a micro pog?

 

[Clean Channel]

Eventide Pitchfactor.

In Post #3 he said he wants a small footprint.

 

[jb4674]

PS6 is your only alternative if you want to keep the footprint small. I personally use a PitchFactor.

 

[rburkard]

If you want tone, get the Eventide Pitchfactor.
Rene

 

[Tone Meister]

Thanks for all the replies guys. As far as the footprint, I would rather sacrifice a bit more real estate than wind up with a pedal that under-performs. I'd rather skip the idea altogether rather than try to use a pedal that sounds ... cheap.

At 4.8" x 7.5" the Pitch Factor has the exact same footprint as the Time Factor, which I have on another board, so the size is certainly workable. At 6.7" x 5.6" the Harmony Man isn't all that much bigger, but it sounds clinical to my ears in the clips I've listened to. By comparison, the PF sounds as good as some of the Eventide rack stuff.

Any other ideas, or are these the choices these days?

 

[jb4674]

All the *Factor pedals are the same size. I'd get a PitchFactor and call it a day.

 

[Tone Meister]

All the *Factor pedals are the same size. I'd get a PitchFactor and call it a day.

Yeah, I know they're all the same size--I was just hoping for a smaller footprint is all. Went ahead and bit the bullet and placed an order for the Pitch Factor earlier. I'm still somewhat in denial that there aren't more high end intelligent pitch shifters on the market, but I have never had a need for one outside of the studio, so that's mainly why I'm not up to speed on what's available .

Thanks for all the opinions fellas. I doubt I would have pulled the trigger this soon otherwise.

 

[4nd3h]

no opinion on the boss?

 

[Clean Channel]

FWIW, I owned the Boss PS-6 (I've also owned PS-2, PS-5, Whammy IV, and EHX Ring Thing), and I thought it sounded great and tracked perfectly. It was great for playing harmonized sections, like that bit near the end of Hotel California.

I just never really had a use for harmonized pitch shifting so I eventually sold it. I'd like to pick one up again just to keep around for kicks.

 

[Tone Meister]

no opinion on the boss?

I did look at both the PS5 and PS6 from Boss before deciding on the Pitch Factor, and both of those indeed seemed like they could work. My concern is the quality of the Boss buffer, and I saw several reviews where volume drops and high end loss were mentioned. Not trying to be too much of a snob here, but that simply won't work for this gig.

A number of different reasons compelled me to spend three times the money on the Eventide, though. I'll be doing stuff a bit more advanced than 70's Thin Lizzy and Boston harmonized lead lines, so I need to be sure the pedal can track medium to high tempo legato runs in harmony, and a few clips I saw clearly demonstrated the Eventide's ability to track very quickly. Not to mention that in the pro audio and recording worlds, Eventide and pitch shifting are synonymous.

 

[JohnRegular]

Not exactly what you're looking for, but the closest you'll get considering the tiny footprint and very low cost.

 

[Tone Meister]

Ahh yes, WAY more pedal than I will need, but the PF met my expectations in spades. A little time programming and locking out all the banks I won't need and this will be perfect for this project. Thanks guys for all the suggestions!

 

[rickenbackerkid]

Personally, I'd go with the Eventide, I've been using the TF for 4 years, and I think the Factor pedals are all well designed and excellent quality.