DigiTech Whammy 5th Generation Pitch Shifting Guitar Pedal

Product Information

This is a straightforward pitch shifter device, which doubles up as a guitar harmonizer. It features a simple control layout, which I found to be very efficient. Once you select your chosen interval, you can then use the wet and dry controls to ensure that the pitch shifting effect blends with your clean tone. There are several things that I believe make this pitch-shifting pedal stand out, but the most prominent has to be the arpeggiator function. Unlike most pitch shifters, the Arpanoid modulates the notes of an instrument whilst also injecting interesting rhythmic patterns into the mix. Who Is This Best Suited For: The Brainwaves pitch shifter by TC Electronic is recommendable to any guitarist who wants access to every variety of pitch modulation possible. My Review: Over the past few years, relatively newly established pedal manufacturers Donner have impressed me greatly. Their range of affordable stompboxes continues to improve, and the Harmonic Square is an example of their rapid progress. If you’ve already amassed a selection of effects pedals, you’ve probably come across the terms ‘buffered’ and ‘true bypass’ before. Many musicians don’t understand what this means, however, and the impact it has on their signal chain’s performance.

Central to this pitch shifter pedal are the two rotary controls that blend the dry and wet signals. I experimented with these controls to find the right blend so that the pitch shift effect didn’t overpower the clean tone of my electric guitar. Whereas some effects pedals such as reverbs or delays affect the timing and length of the notes that are played into them, while others like distortion or overdrive add gain to the signal, a pitch shifter simply adjusts the pitch. The thing I found most impressive about the Brainwaves pedal was its MASH function. With this mode selected, I was able to suddenly detune by two octaves, which resembled the dive-bomb technique commonly performed with a tremolo arm.

Pitch-shifting Effects

However, the Gear4music extended warranty scheme provides an enhanced service, and is designed to offer a higher level of protection than many 'free' warranties offered by some retailers and manufacturers. Buffered pitch shifter pedals work by providing the signal with a boost in strength, which ensures that it doesn’t diminish as it moves through the chain.

Alternate between downstrokes and upstrokes. Use the Whammy Pedal on downstrokes only. Accent your beats and downstrokes with the Pedal. The classic ‘Whammy’ sound that you hear in the hands (or foot!) of Tom Morello is the Octave Up position in the Whammy mode. This raises the pitch up by an octave when the expression pedal is in its toe position.The WH-1 Whammy pedal, the original whammy, was first engineered and manufactured in 1989 by IVL Technologies and discontinued in 1993. The Whammy DT can not only drop the pitch of your guitar in the same way as the standalone ‘Drop’ pedal, but it can also raise it up to an octave higher for some even more pitch shifting fun. You can also use the Drop and the Whammy elements of the pedal at the same time; the Drop to adjust the standard pitch of the guitar and the Whammy to continue with your dynamic Whammy shifting business from there. In the remainder of this comprehensive guide, we’ll dissect pitch shifter pedals, from the most basic aspects to the more advanced concepts. After reading the following sections, you’ll be equipped with all of the information you need to ensure that you choose the ideal pitch-shift pedal for your needs. To access the drop tuning effect, you simply turn the rotary control found at the top right of the pedal. This control can also be used to select harmony, and pitch shifter modes.

It’s hard to pin down a single quality that sets this pedal apart from the rest, but if I had to choose one I’d go with the latch and momentary control. This isn’t a unique feature, but I found it to be exceptionally useful when using an expression pedal with the Pitch Fork. This allowed me to switch between my dry signal and the pitch shifter effect by simply engaging the latch mode and moving the pedal. In addition to most used octave up and down pitch shift this pedal many interesting interval combination for you to try. However, one of the problems that a noise gate can help solve is a noisy distortion pedal. A lot of noise can build up over the course of a signal chain. Overdrive, compressors, and the amp’s preamp are some of the major culprits when it comes to noise. That’s why many guitarists prefer to insert the gate post-distortion, either after the distortion pedals (5) or after the preamp (5a). You may find that putting drive after your whammy or wah pedal actually sounds good for a particular section, versus the other way around. 3) Fuzz Pedals May Need to Go Before Pitch-Shifting PedalsThe DigiTech Whammy DT is essentially like having a more accurate and versatile tremolo arm at your disposal. However, you can achieve the drop tuning effect without interrupting your guitar playing. Tom Morello often used his Whammy in the Harmony mode in combination with a wah pedal. Have a listen to the solo in Guerrilla Radio to get an idea of this combination of effects. In this exercise, we will use both a Whammy and a Wah. If you haven’t used a wah pedal before, go through the exercises in my Wah lesson here. According to Wikipedia again, the original DigiTech Whammy Pedal was released in 1989, but it was reissued again later in 2000. DigiTech then expanded and improved on the original design by adding the drop tune and momentary features to the pedal in 2011. Is the Whammy Pedal True Bypass? Physically, this pedal is built like a tank. It makes sense that DigiTech would use such a durable, solid chassis, as the footswitch is likely to be pressed constantly to change settings during a performance.

a b Brewster, David M. (2003). Introduction to Guitar Tone & Effects: An Essential Manual for Getting the Best Sounds from Electric Guitars, Amplifiers, Effect Pedals, and Digital Processors. Hal Leonard. pp.38–39. ISBN 9781617743757. Play around with single-note riffs you know to get a basic feel for what it’s like playing bass riffs. You might even want to look up TABs for bass riffs and try to play them using the whammy. Ex4: RATM style Whammy and Wah Alternatively, you may find that you achieve interesting tonal results by experimenting with the placement of a pitch shifter pedal. For example, placing a distortion or fuzz pedal in front of the pitch shifter will dramatically change the sound by saturating the signal before the pitch-based modulation.

DigiTech Whammy 5th Gen Pedal Overview

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