Eventide
November 2009 Guitarist 117
£399
EffEcts
Eventide
Pitchfactor
£399 (inc power adaptor)
China
Programmable pitchshifting
pedal
Diatonic, PitchFlex,
Quadravox, Octaver, HarModulator,
Crystals, MicroPitch, HarPeggiator,
H910/H949, Synthonizer
Tuner
100, onboard
Eight-character LED
(green)
Switches for selecting
guitar/line level and amp/line level,
11 control knobs, three footswitches
Input 1/Mono and
2, Output 1/Mono and 2, Exp pedal
jack, Aux switch jack, USB, MIDI in,
out/thru
122 (h) x 190 (w)
x 54mm (d)
1/2.2
Supplied mains power
adaptor (9V)
Expression
pedal, three extra footswitches via
aux socket, MIDI
The Pitchfactor’s
companion pedals are the Timefactor
and Modfactor stompboxes. The
Eclipse is the most compact of the
Eventide rackmount units
Test results
Loads of variations on
diatonic (interval based on a
selected key and scale) and
chromatic (fixed interval)
pitchshifting are available and
accuracy is good, with the
processing tracking your
playing exceptionally well,
whether it’s distinct harmony
notes you want to hear or
pitched up sounds mixed in at
low level like a sprinkling of
harmonic fairy dust. Elsewhere
you can dial in 16-step
arpeggios with three selectable
sequenced elements –
pitchshift, rhythm and effects
(including fuzz); crazy stuff,
but still usable in a live setting if
you tap the tempo in. Eventide’s
vintage H910 and H949 units
are emulated, there’s a solid
Octaver with a big fuzz sound
and the Synthonizer effect
generates a synthesised tone
The Bottom Line
We liked: Comprehensive
selection of effects; excellent
tracking; dual modes
We dislike: Complex
Guitarist says: All the
pitchshifting you’ll ever need
(plus more) in a single box
from your playing creating
analogue synth-style sounds.
While the Pitchfactor is
eminently versatile, an
expression pedal is essential to
unleash its full live potential,
especially for the PitchFlex
effect where you can sweep the
pitch from heel to toe taking
Whammy-style effects to
whole new levels.
Operationally, Bank mode
might be preferable to
tweaking those knobs onstage,
but being able to only scroll
through the banks in one
direction could cause problems
if you get foot-clumsy and go
past the desired bank.
However, adding an extra
footswitch does allow you to
scroll in the opposite direction
and you can also limit the
number of banks that are
active, so if you only need
perhaps four distinct sounds
for a live set, they can be called
up with minimal switching –
problem solved.
Verdict
This stompbox offers a
selection of pitchshifting and
delay effects unparalleled in
any other pedal – the only
comparable hardware would
be one of Eventide’s rackmount
units. It’s not cheap but it’s the
only game in town for floor-
mounted, intricately editable,
software-upgradeable, studio-
quality pitchshifting.
triple footswitch and an
expression pedal. MIDI control
is also well implemented.
A very clear display lets you
see what bank, patch or effect
type is active and the relevant
parameter values automatically
show up momentarily in the
display if you twist any of the 11
knobs or operate a footswitch.
Sounds
A couple of the knobs adjust
different parameters according
to the effect type, so it’s best to
begin with the factory presets
and then start tweaking knobs
to get the measure of the
Pitchfactor. With the 10
selectable effects types, it can
yield up an incredible range of
sounds – from the subtle (such
as chorus-like thickening using
the MicroPitch effect) to the
freakishly outlandish.
This stompbox off ers a selection
of pitchshi ing and delay eff ects
unparalleled in any other pedal
The PitchFlex effect really comes into its own with a separate expression pedal
GIT322.rev_eventide 117 8/10/09 11:59:22