Faking bass - EHX Pitch Fork vs. Digitech Drop (audio compar

[whoismarykelly]

I'm about to leave for tour in a week and some internet chatter had me second guessing my choice of octave pedal for my live rig. I run a guitar amp and a bass amp simultaneously and the bass amp gets a signal that is one octave below the guitar. I currently use an EHX Pitch Fork but the internet consensus seems to be that the Digitech Drop is a superior pedal. So I ordered one. It arrived today and I knew within about 10 seconds that I was sticking with the EHX but I decided to make a clip since this is a purpose that seems popular yet there aren't any comparison clips on the web that I have seen.

Recording rig is as follows:

Guitar in E standard with a humbucker in the bridge > EHX Pitch Fork or Digitech Drop > Yamaha TH10X on the 'bass' model > Garageband

EQ on the amp is flat. No EQ or compression applied in the DAW.

Audio track is sequenced as follows:

Dry guitar > Digitech Drop > EHX Pitch Fork

The primary issue when you are faking bass guitar is volume loss in the octave down signal and extreme treble rolloff in octave pedals. Its very difficult to get away with just an octave pedal into a second amp and have it sound good. In my live rig I use a bass preamp and a compressor after the octave. In the clip, listen for the playing artifacts in each section, especially the string noise and the pick attack. One pedal sounds like it retains a lot of both and the other pedal seems to have a low pass filter well below the frequency range of those artifacts.

https://soundcloud.com/davidtylergill/p ... rk-vs-drop

[frigid midget]

So the second bit is the Drop, and the last bit is the Pitch Fork? If so, my vote goes to the PF.

[whoismarykelly]

Yep first its dry guitar, then the Drop, then the Pitch Fork. I also prefer the Pitch Fork because it sounds clearer and more aggressive. It sits a lot better in the mix too. The Drop just kind of disappears and sounds like a low rumble. The Pitch Fork also has much less volume drop as you can see in the waveforms. The Pitch Fork looks nearly as loud as the dry signal. The Drop is a couple dB quieter.

[Iommic Pope]

Ive been looking at moving into this for a while now, so thanks a heap man!
Also, you run my dream rig so, this really helps.
The Drop sounded pretty good at fake bassing, but more like a lame real bass tone. The PF sounded more lively.
Id go with that, too.
Hows the tracking on low tunings?
I play in drop B or A. Will it cope?

[whoismarykelly]

I play in G and it holds up. Low tunings are where that little extra bit of high in the Pitch Fork really makes a difference. This clip shows the Drop is workable but it sounds pretty bad when you start pushing the limits.

[D.o.S.]

If you have to give the EHX a review from 1-10 with decimal points what would you give it and why isn't it as good as their first pitch shifter?

[Iommic Pope]

Killer! Thanks man!
Also your band is fucking rad, WIMK.

[odontophobia]

Haven't listened yet. Will get around to it later. Did you notice any effect on tone with both/either?

[whoismarykelly]

If you have to give the EHX a review from 1-10 with decimal points what would you give it and why isn't it as good as their first pitch shifter?

Id say its an 8. I'd love to have a built in EQ to control the tone but that's a lot to ask. I think the Pitch Fork is the best all around pitch shifter on the market right now.

[whoismarykelly]

Haven't listened yet. Will get around to it later. Did you notice any effect on tone with both/either?

This clip is all about the tone of the 1 octave down signal when 100% wet. Listen and see which you prefer.

[coldbrightsunlight]

The lpf on the drop is lame and removes all the fun stuff. Thanks for this!

[odontophobia]

Haven't listened yet. Will get around to it later. Did you notice any effect on tone with both/either?

This clip is all about the tone of the 1 octave down signal when 100% wet. Listen and see which you prefer.

Sorry. I was a bit distracted when I wrote that. I'll give it a listen and hear what I hear and rephrase if my question isn't answered.

[moogboy]

I'm a huge fan of the Pitchfork for this. I like that you run a compressor too-my fake bass rig was Pitchfork->Dynacomp set for max squish. I've used digitech's octave offerings before many times, but they're a lot better for dramatic effects in my mind.

[the _Ryan]

I liked the Drop more because it seemed to have more of the original signal's pick attack and to me it sounded more like a bass guitar.

[whoismarykelly]

I liked the Drop more because it seemed to have more of the original signal's pick attack and to me it sounded more like a bass guitar.

That's surprising because I think it completely eliminates the pick attack with a LPF and that's why it sounds so dark. You can still hear the little pick clicks in the Pitch Fork portion of the clip but they are all filtered out for the Drop section.