Seeking advice for which are good harmonizer pedals

[dmguitar0]

ok so i want a guitar pedal that will do harmonizing. id like one that will play two different notes for each that i play, and do so without getting all confused as a cheap pedal might, but single note harmonies are fine with me (trying out the ps-5 i noticed it gets out of whack pretty easily, and i want to avoid that, plus its only single notes it plays - it aint really cheap either!). I dont need or want a delay on it, but it looks like all the Bosses come with delay anyways.

 

Recommendations, please?

 

price range is around the $150 area

 

some clips of the Digitech Whammy's harmonizing capabilities are welcome!

 

EDITED: the thread start was a little out of whack, and so i fixed it to reflect what i want

[Zlandicar]

I have yet to see a harmonizer that can track more than single notes. If such a thing exists, it's probably a rack unit and it probably costs well into the four digit range.

 

That aside, check out the Digitech Whammy series (wait for a WH-2 to hit ebay, you can get one for the same price as the new reissues, and it sounds way better... unless digital's your thing, in which case do what you want)

 

If that won't work, well... you might as well just get a looper and lay down one track and then play over it.

[dmguitar0]

 

Originally posted by Zlandicar I have yet to see a harmonizer that can track more than single notes.

 

 

just to be sure...

if by saying this you mean i want to be able to play multiple notes, you misunderstand. i want to be able to play ONE note, and have the pedal produce TWO notes. like gettin a chord from lead notes. (maybe you knew that i dunno!)

[Zlandicar]

I'm saying it won't track more than one note played simultaneously - chords, in other words

 

So, you can play a note and it'll be harmonized and all, but if you hit a chord, it's gonna {censored} it up and sound terrible. I haven't seen a pedal that can do it yet. Since you seemed to be dissatisfied with the PS-5 only being able to harmonize one note at a time, I figured you wanted that.

[bleepedybloops]

If thats all you want to do then the boss ps-5 will do you fine but if you want to play chords the ehx pog or hog is probably better. I for one like the digitech whammy and all its wierdness.

 

 

unless digital's your thing, in which case do what you want)

All harmonizers are digital, there has never been an analog harmonizer.

[comfortablynumb]

Zlandicar, I think you're still misunderstanding him. He wants to play one note, then have a two part harmony produced by the pitch shifter/harmonizer.

 

dmguitar0, I believe the only cheap-ish pedal that will do that is the Digitech Brian May Red Special pedal. I think it does two part harmonies. Other than that, I think you're looking at some expensive Eventide rack units for that.

 

An Electro Harmonix HOG or POG may do it.. but they're not near that price range.

[Zlandicar]

Okay... unless inferior quality's his thing

 

That said, the Whammy is a great effect, even if you never use the harmonizer. Especially if you put fuzz before it and screw with the tracking.

 

Edit - Ah, two notes in addition to the played note. I don't recall the Red Special being able to do that. At least not the one that's in a wah pedal form (if there are any other).

 

You could always run your guitar input into a doubler and use two harmonizers, one on each line.

[comfortablynumb]

 

Originally posted by Zlandicar Edit - Ah, two notes in addition to the played n'ote. I don't recall the Red Special being able to do that. At least not the one that's in a wah pedal form (if there are any other). You could always run your guitar input into a doubler and use two harmonizers, one on each line.

 

 

 

"6. Brighton Rock Solo - Live

 

[dmguitar0]

that would be cool, the split signal thing. of course with my rig id want a combiner to get the signal back together for my volume and then to my delays. this could be a pricier venture than i intended.

 

so why then do people say the ps-5 is single pitch shifting, and the ps-3 is dual? does it not do dual?

[epiguy]

I'm goign to say save your money and buy either the Electro Harmonix POG or HOG. they do the whole pitch shigting/harmonization thing and is polyphonic so it can track whole chords or just 1 note. try one of them and you will be amazed. my pog changed me that i am saving up to buy its big brother the HOG.

 

look them up and try one out. for their price nothing beats their quality!

[Zlandicar]

Nah, dude, here's what you do. Get a Boss LS-2, put one harmonizer in each of its effects loops, set it to use both effects loops and set the volume of each to be the same. It'll combine them into one output. You should be able to put that together for about $120-150 (depending on where you buy stuff). I do something like this for my Woolly Mammoth and my Graphic Fuzz, and it sounds killer.

 

As for the POG/HOG suggestion - I didn't know they could track whole chords. They're awesome stompboxes even without that feature. Look cool, too. I want 'em but I want a Moogerfooger even more.

[HCadvisor]

well, just think

 

if you had one of gibsons new guitars with the 6 outputs you could run six harmonizers and play chords

 

[Lanefair]

This thread is stupid. There's been no distinction between harmoniser pedals and pitch shifter pedals. HOGS and POGS are just pitch shifters. A boss GT-8 will do dual harmonising, in stereo or mono, and you can delay the harmonies up to 300ms. It's no thte kind of sound you'd imagine though, you end up sounding like a harmonica in my opinion.

[Rootdogg]

Digitech Whammy

[spentron]

Lots of harmonizers will do chords, you just have to turn off any tracking stuff that makes it sound better, instead it will make a tremelo sort of sound. Old ones like in the Yamaha GEP50 only would work like this -- I even heard of an analog one. On the Digitech IPS33B this is the tracking setting called Chords. Most of them also track better right after the guitar which might clash with where to put distortion.

 

Another question is do you need intellegent pitch shifting, instead of a constant interval it can sense the pitch (monophonically) and change the harmony to stay in key etc. but it can even sort of play contrapuntally with enough programming.

[dmguitar0]

Originally posted by Lanefair This thread is stupid. There's been no distinction between harmoniser pedals and pitch shifter pedals... you end up sounding like a harmonica in my opinion.

 

I dont wanna sound like a harmonica, thats for sure. I really dont even care about delays I get plenty from my DMM and Echo Park.

 

And I did say I thought they were the same, but I will admit I dont know and I am open to find out. See what I want is not some crazy effects smorgasbord, or a device for experimental sounds, or even a pitch shifter.

 

Guys, I just want a harmonizer which plays at more than one interval over top of the note I originally play. And Id like it to be smart enough to not get all out of whack when I play quickly (I experienced this to a certain extent when playing in Guitar Center the other day on a PS-5)

 

intelligent pitch shifting is a nice addition by the way

[dmguitar0]

bump

[dmguitar0]

 

Originally posted by Rootdogg Digitech Whammy

 

 

if someone posted a clip of how it sounds when doing harmonizing i might be more inclined to get it

[Supreme Pancake]

Sounds like people are getting confused with the difference between a octave and a harmonizer are. I have a Whammy and a Hog and neither seperatly (though i suppose the hog can but you'd be very limitied on what harmonies you could use) will give you two added harmonies.

As someone recommanded perhaps the best thing to do is get two seperate harmonizer pedals and put them into a seperate effects loop.

The Boss HR-2 can create two seperate harmonies but i've never played one so i couldn't tell you if its any good or not. The Brian May Digitech pedal has 3 harmonies at once, but i'm not sure if you can change those harmonies.

[Shask]

Yeah, the old Boss HR-2 was decent. They built that pedal into the PS-5, but I remember it being a bit better than the PS-5 I have.

[MrMunky]

The Whammy does monophonic pitch shifting effectively. here are clips

 

http://www.inrerocknroll.com/tunes/Take5.mp3 (Digitech Expression Factory)

 

http://www.inrerocknroll.com/tunes/WamBurn.mp3 (Digitech WH-1)

 

Those are octave/2nd effects, but the pitch shifting is equally effective with other intervals.

 

However, if you want any intelligence in the pitch shifting, you have to supply it yourself. In the harmony settings, for example, when you rock the pedal forward, it's a major third, and when you rock it back, its a minor third. You have to rock the pedal as you move through the scale. I've never been able to do this well, and it always struck me as being no easier than just playing both voices on the guitar at the same time.

 

If you want an intelligent pitch shifter in a single pedal that supplies its own intelligence, it's a fairly easy choice, as there are only two - the discontinued Boss HR-2 and the current production Boss PS-5.

 

Almost all of the modern multi-effects have equally competent intelligent pitch shifting features - zoom, digitech, Boss (GT-8), TC Electronic.

 

I've used a number of these and they all strike me as being in pretty much the same ballpark in terms of quality and accuracy. They require minor adjustment in your playing, but they get the job done.

 

If you're willing to spend good money and use rack gear, there is some supposedly outstanding technology out there for this purpose. Eventide makes the industry standard gear in terms of real time intelligent pitch effects, but even their 20 year old first generation processors still tend to go for around $1000.

[dmguitar0]

Originally posted by MrMunky ....if you want any intelligence in the pitch shifting, you have to supply it yourself. In the harmony settings, for example, when you rock the pedal forward, it's a major third, and when you rock it back, its a minor third. You have to rock the pedal as you move through the scale. I've never been able to do this well, and it always struck me as being no easier than just playing both voices on the guitar at the same time. If you want an intelligent pitch shifter in a single pedal that supplies its own intelligence, it's a fairly easy choice, as there are only two - the discontinued Boss HR-2 and the current production Boss PS-5.....Eventide makes the industry standard gear in terms of real time intelligent pitch effects, but even their 20 year old first generation processors still tend to go for around $1000.

 

wow - now that was informative

 

since i want harmonizing before the next decade, and Eventides are definitely out of my league right now (ive heard em and priced em out several times..ive been gassing for one forever), i think ill end up trying to acquire a boss hr-2 or ps-5 whichever ends up cheaper (got enough delay)

 

also, thanks for those clips. the whammy sounds awesome in itself - harmonizing aside. but probably not what i wanted in order to get the effect i was looking for (yes the more intelligent harmonies, and not pitch shifting are what i was looking for)

 

thanks

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Great thread . . .

 

 

. . . anyone else ?

[1DZReverendDavidLee]

Originally posted by MrMunky The Whammy does monophonic pitch shifting effectively. here are clips http://www.inrerocknroll.com/tunes/Take5.mp3 (Digitech Expression Factory) http://www.inrerocknroll.com/tunes/WamBurn.mp3 (Digitech WH-1) Those are octave/2nd effects, but the pitch shifting is equally effective with other intervals. However, if you want any intelligence in the pitch shifting, you have to supply it yourself. In the harmony settings, for example, when you rock the pedal forward, it's a major third, and when you rock it back, its a minor third. You have to rock the pedal as you move through the scale. I've never been able to do this well, and it always struck me as being no easier than just playing both voices on the guitar at the same time. If you want an intelligent pitch shifter in a single pedal that supplies its own intelligence, it's a fairly easy choice, as there are only two - the discontinued Boss HR-2 and the current production Boss PS-5. Almost all of the modern multi-effects have equally competent intelligent pitch shifting features - zoom, digitech, Boss (GT-8), TC Electronic. I've used a number of these and they all strike me as being in pretty much the same ballpark in terms of quality and accuracy. They require minor adjustment in your playing, but they get the job done. If you're willing to spend good money and use rack gear, there is some supposedly outstanding technology out there for this purpose. Eventide makes the industry standard gear in terms of real time intelligent pitch effects, but even their 20 year old first generation processors still tend to go for around $1000.

 

As always, Mr Munky rules. Great clips and info abound from the House of Munky.

 

[boogieman_dan]

You basically have 3 paths you can take...

 

Single function pedals: BOSS HR-2 and PS-5 (Good)

 

Multi-FX boards: Digitech GNX, BOSS GT, ZOOM G series processors. (Better)

 

Rack gear: Digitech IPS-33b/DHP-33/55 and Studio 5000, T.C Electronic G-Force, Rocktron Intellipitch and most anything with Eventide on it. (Best)