DigiTech Luxe Anti-Chorus Polyphonic Detune Pedal

DigiTech "Luxe" Anti-Chorus Polyphonic Detune Pedal

Pitch Shifting without the Warble

by Chris Loeffler

DigiTech debuted the Whammy pedal in 1989 as the quintessential expression pedal-controlled pitch shifter that pulled pitch shifting from rack processors to the floor board. The Whammy featured five Whammy effects, nine harmony effects, and two detune effects, but players immediately latched on to the most extreme, ripping pitch bends that became the identity of the Whammy sound. Less sexy, but more musical in many cases, was the chorus-style detune effect.   

The DigiTech Luxe, which works with both guitar and bass, is the direct descendant of the Whammy's detune options. However it's more focused, and benefits from years of refinement to DigiTech's pitch-bending algorithms. The result is a pedal that recalls traditional chorusing, but produces a welcome variation on the often cliched chorusing sound.

THE CHORUS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE CHORUS

The DigiTech Luxe is aptly named the “Anti-Chorus”… it is indeed chorus for people who hate traditional chorus sounds (here’s looking at you, every 80s guitar part ever). Chorus as an effect came into being as an attempt to emulate multiple guitars playing the same part for a fuller sound, much like a physical chorus of guitar players playing the same part at the same time. Of course real guitar players couldn't play the same part identically, so any slight differences in timing and tone produce a fuller sound. Most chorus pedals achieve their sound by modulating the delay time of a parallel signal slightly; this creates a natural vibrato that adds movement and thickness as the modulated signal plays alongside the direct signal. The repetitive LFO-based modulation creates the trademark warble .

The Luxe, on the other hand, lets you adjust the pitch of the effected signal up to 50 cents (half a semitone) sharp or flat. This gives a pitch difference that's "off" enough to thicken the signal and add shimmer without any "warbling" movement. In the center of the Detune sweep, a flanger-like regeneration rings out. Dialing the Detune below the middle darkens the sound without reducing treble . At the most extreme lower settings it just stops at uncomfortably detuned, maintaining a tone that would have some wacky, possibly Ween-inspired applications. The second half of the Detune sweep brightens the tone slightly.

CONTROLS AND DETAILS

The DigiTech Luxe only has two knobs, but the power of its versatility comes from how they're used. More so than many pedals, the Level knob is essential to dialing in the right amount of shimmer or sheen to play against the direct signal. There are areas of the Detune knob’s sweep that may sound “off” with a certain level setting, but come to life as they are brought more (or less) into the mix.

 Luxe comes with an AC adapter (it draws 2.3 Watts so like many digital effects, that's too much current to be battery powered) and features true bypass switching so when the effect isn't happening, the Luxe is completely out of the signal chain and doesn't alter your guitar sound. Audio-wise, there's 24-bit conversion at 44.1 kHz to maintain fidelity, and the 1 meg input impedance means there's virtually no loading of your guitar's signal. Although the effect's frequency response drops off at around 11 kHz, given that most cabinets top out at about 5 kHz, you won't notice any major dulling of the tone,

While distortion into a chorus effect is often a one-way street to cheese town (and a ton of mud), the lack of pitch modulation means the Luxe actually sounds good when hit with a distorted signal. It's equally appropriate for single notes and chords, and in addition to guitar, also works well with bass.

Overall, DigiTech has taken the legacy of the Whammy, optimized it for a specific application, and produced a pedal that adds animation and thickness to your guitar tone without sounding like...well, just another warbling 80s guitar part.

Resources

DigiTech Luxe Product Page (includes audio examples)

Buy DigiTech Luxe at B&H, Sweetwater, Zzounds, Musician's Friend (MSRP $199.95, street $149.95)

DigiTech "Drop" Polyphonic Drop Tune Pedal review by Chris Loeffler

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Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.