Recording the amplifier’s output using a microphone will ensure that your tone is consistent with the sound of your live guitar rig, but it will be more difficult to process the audio retrospectively due to the elements that the amp inevitably adds to the recording. The three small-sized controls across the top layer of the Pure Octave pedal are responsible for the conventional octave-shifting effect. Moreover, after analyzing the functions of the controls I discovered that you can blend the trio to essentially build your harmonies one layer at a time. Then, once you’ve found the right balance between the sub-octave, dry and upper-octave notes, you can use the larger rotary control to change the harmonic content within the group. I was very impressed with the clean tone of this Mooer pedal, which remained even when dissonant harmonies are added into the mix.

My Review: I was originally drawn to the Brainwaves pedal by TC Electronic due to its flamboyant, eye-catching aesthetical design. Like all TC Electronic pedals, it has a unique visual quality which I found intriguing. One of the key aspects of an organ’s sound is the blend of harmonies and overtones which make up a chord. I found that the Organizer V2 can produce this distinctive tone, and by using the six controls on the face of the pedal, you can adjust the harmonies to suit your requirements. A good quality PSU allows you to supply all of your pedals with the optimal voltage they require to function properly. The unit is connected to the pedal using power cables, and these can be left in place to save you time when you need to use your pedals. In default mode, I discovered that the Skyline Harmony simply adds a perfect 5th to whatever notes I played on the guitar. This mode is great for adding depth to solos, and for metal-style shredding. When I tweaked the position of the switch to ‘Pitch Shift Mode’, I was able to add an interval of semitones to my guitar’s original notes. My Review: The Beetronics Swarm Fuzz Harmonizer is no ordinary guitar pedal. With an arsenal of crazy, over-the-top tones made from layers of fuzzy warmth and harmonies it is one of the most unique pedals featured on this list.

Here Are the Best Guitar Harmonizer Pedals

If you have any comments or questions about the products in my article, feel free to leave a comment below the article. It has six modes: Dyna (Dynamic Pitch Shifters), Mod (Dual pitch-shifters), Rand (Dual pitch shifters with random modulation), Arpy (Arpeggiator), Ring (Dual pitch shift with tremolo modulation effects), and Cloud (Dual pitch-shift with Reverb). My Review: When I first got my hands on the Quintessence pedal, I could tell that this pedal offered a wide range of harmonizer-based options. I was particularly impressed by the detail of each of the four controls, which allowed me to control all aspects of the harmony effect. Bringing both pitch shifting and octave options to the table, the Big Dipper works great with single notes and chords alike. The toggle switch lets you select from Pitch Up, Pitch Down and Detune modes, while the selector knob gives you a range of shifting modes, increasing as you go from left to right. The Detune mode on the selector ranges from -15 to +25 cents, going from subtle to experimental-sounding, depending on the settings. There are also Wet and Dry knobs that work to expand your signal blending options, furthering the prowess of this hidden little gem. EarthQuaker Devices has included a few features and mechanisms to ensure that this pedal sounds crisp and authentic. Firstly, the all-analog signal path sets the tone for the sound quality of the device. Then there’s the subharmonic switch, which allows you to create interesting harmonies to accompany the dry signal. These features make the Data Corrupter unique amongst the majority of guitar harmonizer pedals.

The harmonizing capabilities of the H9 are just as good as any standalone guitar harmonizer pedal. The advantage of using this device is that it opens up so many possibilities in the recording studio, thanks to its extensive bank of presets and editing tools. After testing many of EarthQuaker Devices’ pedals, I’m constantly impressed by the way they manage to design them in such a simple and easy-to-use way, whilst leaving the door open for complex tonal and dynamic effects. The Organizer V2 provides guitarists with endless possibilities for layering their tone with octaves and harmonies. My Review: Eventide has built a reputation as one of the leading producers of digital effects units, so I was very excited to test their H9 Max Harmonizer and to see how it compares to their other exceptional offerings.I was particularly impressed by the usefulness of the US600 for practicing alone. In addition to adding harmonies and textures to your guitar playing, you can use the pedal to create drones with long decays, and solo over the top of them or use them to compose melodies. Nowadays, there are brands on the market that can make a great-sounding guitar pedal for an affordable price. For example, Mooer, Caline, Boss, Behringer, etc… All these brands make decent effect pedals that sell for affordable prices. Eventide is renowned for its high-end, advanced algorithms. The PitchFactor Harmonizer comes with MIDI and USB connectivity, making it a valuable tool in the recording studio and on the stage. In terms of the harmonizer effect, I liked the vast range of intervals and tones that can be added to the dry signal of the guitar.

If you’re integrating a harmonizer pedal into your signal chain with multiple other effects, the most practical way that you can provide power to them is by using a power supply unit (PSU).My Review: Although this minute Mooer stompbox is predominantly an octave-shifter pedal, it also performs like a harmonizer in several ways. The first thing that caught my attention about this pedal was its simple, minimalistic design and control layouts. With original late-70s Op-Amp Big Muffs selling for exorbitant prices, Mike Matthews decided to take the power to the people and reissue the classic pedal at a price that players could afford! The circuitry of the new Op-Amp Big Muff —sometimes also referred to as the IC or V4 Big Muff— has been faithfully re-created while several practical enhancements have been added including a compact, die-cast chassis and true bypass switching.

Harmonizer pedals belong to the pitch-shifting category, which is most commonly positioned somewhere towards the beginning of the signal chain. Dynamic pedals, like compressors, EQ and limiters come first and are then followed by distortion, overdrive, fuzz, and wah pedals. My Review: Behringer is renowned for producing affordable pedals, which are often based on the designs of more expensive models. The US600 Ultra Shifter/Harmonizer is essentially a clone of the aforementioned BOSS Harmonizer, and it comes very close to the high standard set by that pedal. Who is this best suited for: Due to the compact size and affordability of the Hotone Skyline Harmony, I’d recommend this pedal to guitarists who are trying to build up their pedalboard on a budget, or perhaps need to save as much space as possible for other more bulky effects. I also must mention that the Pitch-Fork has a TRS input for an expression pedal, so you can do all those dive bombs on the fly using your foot, just like on the classic Whammy by Digitech. Finally, the ‘Harmony’ control, which may be called ‘Interval’, is used to select the distance in tones between the original note played on the guitar and the harmony created by the pedal. For example, you could set this to ‘5th’ to create a harmony that is 5 notes away from the root.I learned that the H9 is much more than a standard harmonizer device. With over 50 unique algorithms, including PitchFactor, TimeFactor, Space, and ModFactor, this pedal is capable of producing everything from ear-friendly harmonies to long-tailed reverbs and delays. The Op-Amp Big Muff was popularized by the brilliant Billy Corgan who first used it on the Smashing Pumpkins’ epic 1993 album Siamese Dream. After he was videotaped playing and talking about the reissue, Billy stated: ‘The magic’s still in the box, I can still get what I’m looking for!’” - Mike Matthews The CP-36 Pitch Shifter is a new pedal from Caline with a boatload of options which allow you to get practically any pitch or octave sound you're after. Great with single notes and chords alike. The wet and dry knobs allow you to blend the original signal vs the new harmonic signal. The detune mode on the selector ranges from -15 to +25 cents and again can be a subtle to "experimental" sounding effect depending on the settings. Takes a 9v power supply.