Modern pitch shifters can do what old ones can't, which introduces a new set of knobs or LCD panels related to smart locking into the correct musical key and actually combining the lead into a harmonized line versus altering the lead only.Īlthough knob and button options for these features are self explanatory, you'll often see panels that help you navigate through the choices. You want them responding to the shifted signal and not the other way around. But what you don't want is to have those effects pitch shifted. After that, you can add all the distortion, modulation, reverb, and delay you want. The idea is that you'll clean up and shape your waveform first before filtering it. If you're using them (you should be) you'll want compression and equalization to come first, as well as any noise gates. Pitch shifting is already listed as its own type of effect in the list above, making it obvious where it should be placed. The reason for this has to do with the way nature produces sounds. Where to Place it in the Signal ChainĪ pitch shifter has a specific spot it should be placed in within the guitar pedal order. When pitch shifting, you only want to effect the lead signal, not all of the extra effects added onto it later in your signal chain. Modern pedals include what is being called 'smart pitch shifting' where you can define the key you're playing in so you never have unintended dissonant intervals. Smart pitch shifters will lock into a musical key Other 'detune' modes will replicate your signal at a slightly lower pitch to thicken your tone. This can save you a lot of time if you're willing to trust the machine. With the new polyphonic style of pedals, they can detect each string separately and help you play in different tunings all without detuning your guitar. The new ones can process chords and create down-tunings as well, thanks to the second feature I want to point out. They were too literal, as another way of saying it. Older ones also wouldn't lock you into harmony. Newer ones can keep the original note while also outputting the new shifted notes while allowing you to mix them in at different levels. This is referring to how the earliest pitch shifters affected the original sound and then outputted that altered signal. The first is pitch-combining, which was originally only found in harmonizer pedals and octave pedals. They're so important that we don't even recommend any below that don't already have these features. There are two main features you'll want to make sure appear in the pedal you choose. What to Look for in the Best Pitch Shifter Pedal? All current pedals use this digital method. Using the current digital signal processing methods, time shifting is no longer necessary to achieve the desired results. Playing reel-to-reel tape back faster or slower was the method used to increase or decrease pitch. In the early days, pitch shifting was not able to be disconnected from time shifting. In general, the pitch shift effect is a detection of an original pitch which is then either raised or lowered by a specific number of semi-tones.Īlthough many exist in which you can define an exact amount of cents to alter the current pitch, such as software plugin versions, guitar pedal pitch shifters have a pre-defined interval where the altered pitch is optionally added back to the original pitch in order to create a harmonization. That makes today's discussion even more pertinent as we explore which features we should expect out of a pedal, how to use it in light of the new features, and which of our top picks are the most right for your needs and preferences. These days, the separate concepts of a pitch shifter pedal and a harmonizer pedal are quickly converging, saving us money and space on our pedalboards, too. Vari-speed motors didn't help that much either.įast-forward to the present and we have entire digital signal processors that can pitch shift with easy-to-access option knobs all tucked away in a tiny stomp box you can turn on and off with your feet. So then, instead of time stretching, we would have to play faster or slower at normal speed and then change the timing to affect the pitch. Combine it with other pedals like a looper and an entire musical universe opens up before you.Īnd how fortunate we are, because in the old days we had to record to tape and slow the tape down or speed it up to achieve this effect and that would throw off our timing. The uses are endless, from harmonizing one's own lead to filling in for a bassist. If any instrumentalist can get a lot of use out of the pitch shift effect, it's a guitarist. Click here to jump straight to the reviews!
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