Recording - November 2009 - 36

BY NICK CASARES ventide has long had legendary status in the audio world as a maker of stand-out digital effects processors. Its flagship effects have always been pricey, but in recent years Eventide started developing a range of products that deliver the Eventide sound at a more affordable price, now taking this one step further with the introduction of three new models: TimeFactor, ModFactor, and PitchFactor. They each deliver classic Eventide sounds in a rugged stomp-box package. For this review I received the PitchFactor Harmonizer®; the TimeFactor and ModFactor were reviewed in our November 2008 issue. There are 11 knobs and 3 footswitches on the PitchFactor that manipulate the selected effect, change memory locations and adjust utility functions. The PitchFactor has two modes, Bank mode and Play mode, that change the operation of the footswitches. To toggle between Bank and Play modes, press and hold the right footswitch for two seconds. In Bank mode, the right switch is used to scroll through memory banks while the middle and left switches are used to select one of the two presets in each bank. In Play mode, the left switch is used to bypass the effect, the middle switch activates Flex or Learn mode, and the right switch provides tap tempo for delay. used to scroll through effects, set tempo, and change system settings. Giving it a whirl Being a guitar player, I was excited to give the PitchFactor a whirl in my rig. Making connections is straightforward and the PitchFactor accommodates straight-through and effects-loop configurations. It powers up in just a little over a second and its bright LED display comes to life to show the currently selected preset. As mentioned before, there are two modes of operation, and in Play mode the footswitches control bypass, Learn/Flex and tap tempo. This give the Eventide PitchFactor Genre-defining harmony and pitch-shifting effects within reach of your guitar PitchFactor overview The PitchFactor provides ten of Eventide’s classic pitch-based effects: Diatonic, PitchFlex, Quadravox, Octaver, HarModulator, Chrystals, MicroPitch, HarPeggiator, H910/H949, and Synthonizer. Effects can have up to four pitch-shifted voices with a delay of up to 1.5 seconds and the musical scale can be set by a unique Learn function. The PitchFactor was designed to be versatile for use in the studio or on stage. It has both line level and guitar level ins and outs, in mono and in stereo, making it compatible with guitar or bass (and more—see below!). It incorporates a tuner. Separate inputs for expression pedal and aux switch and three bypass modes (including a true analog bypass—see below) enhance that versatility—the owner’s manual does a good job of suggesting various setups like straight-through stomp box, amp effects loop, outboard effects processor for the recording studio, etc. Changing entire programs or individual program parameters on the fly can be achieved with an expression pedal, or over MIDI (via two MIDI ports—MIDI In and MIDI Out/Thru, or via USB), or with knobs on the unit. Another two options for such control: Tap tempo or MIDI clock sync. The USB (2.0) also allows for future software upgrades. Digging deeper The PitchFactor comes with 100 factory presets that can be overwritten with user settings; they’re in 50 banks of two patches at a time.RECORDING NOVEMBER 2009 The PitchFactor is a dual-voice processor with two Pitch and two Delay knobs (A & B) for each preset. Each effect can be adjusted using eight control knobs. Controls are provided for Pitch A, Pitch B, Delay A depth, Delay B depth, and Speed/Scale. Two separate knobs called Xnob and Ynob adjust different settings depending on which preset is selected. For some presets the X/Ynobs adjust delay feedback, for others they adjust pitch or other parameters. The remaining three knobs include dry/effect mix, pitch mix (A & B), and an encoder knob. The encoder knob, which also functions as a push button, is player all of the basics needed to customize a preset during performance. The Learn/Flex switch is cool and deserves further explanation. When the Diatonic effect is used the Learn switch is used to set the key for the scale. Just press and hold the Learn button, play the base note, and voilà! The key is now set to the chosen note. In other effect modes the Learn/Flex switch offers a variation of the effect such as cranking up the delay feedback or restarting the arpeggiated sequence. Learning the PitchFactor’s capabilities does take some time, but once the basics are down making adjustments is a piece of cake. Anyone who’s ever programmed an effects unit with menu systems or complex button sequences will appreciate the PitchFactor’s simplicity. Changing a parameter is as easy as turning a knob. There are no sub-layers or menu systems. Tweaked presets can be saved to any of the 100 available slots for instant recall but changes do overwrite the factory patches. Presets can be saved with a tempo and adjusted on the fly with the

Recording - November 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2009