Pitch shifting test: AX8 vs Digitech Ricochet

pauliusmm

pauliusmm

Fractal Fanatic


1 Oct up lead test

I picked up the new Digitech Ricochet to try out, because i like pitch shifted leads. So I thought I can compare it to what we have on the AX8.
AX8 Tracking was set to 9 (i tried lower value, but it sounded like a ring mod so i put it on 9), CPU load was 78%.
Both devices set to mono mode.

To me Ricochet sounds a bit cleaner, I couldn't dial out some gargling sounds AX8 produces.
Both sound good in the mix, i just wish we could have a bit cleaner pitch shifting on AX8. Its not a night and day difference so i will probably stick with AX8 and return a Ricochet for now.
 
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Which Pitch block mode are you using? The whammy modes can sound a bit more harsh compared to the harmony modes. I prefer fixed harmony for octave up shifts as it handles chords better. Also, try turning the high cut frequency in the Pitch block down to shave off the shrill high end in the octave note. It will smooth it out a lot more. Alternatively, you can run the pitch block in parallel at 100% wet and further shape the octave note with other blocks. Takes a bit more CPU that way, but you can get really creative with it. A filter block after will let you shave off a lot more high end and warm it up considerably.
 
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mr_fender said:
Which Pitch block mode are you using? The whammy modes can sound a bit more harsh compared to the harmony modes. I prefer fixed harmony for octave up shifts as it handles chords better. Also, try turning the high cut frequency in the Pitch block down to shave off the shrill high end in the octave note. It will smooth it out a lot more. Alternatively, you can run the pitch block in parallel at 100% wet and further shape the octave note with other blocks. Takes a bit more CPU that way, but you can get really creative with it. A filter block after will let you shave off a lot more high end and warm it up considerably.
Click to expand...

I will have to try fixed harmony setting. For the test I was using Classic Whammy setting. I don't really have a problem with high frequencies, the thing i would love to get rid of is this robotic gargling sound.
 
Yeah the Whammy has a sort of ring-modulator kind of character to the shifted note that is pretty distinct. The harmony modes sound a bit smoother and more natural. There's also the octavia model in the drive block that has it's own fuzzy flavor of octave craziness.
 
Good comparison, thanks.

Is "Classic Whammy" emulating the traditional DigiTech sound rather than a pure octave shift? I feel like the whammy sounds from Rage Against the Machine, John Scofield, and others do have a little warble to them.

Example - after 1:30 in this video:



I believe Scofield used the DigiTech XP100.
 
Yes. The Whammy modes recreate the Digitech Whammy sounds. The only difference between Classic and Advanced is that Classic has only a few shift modes like 1 or 2 octaves up/down and advanced lets you pick any number of semitones (+/-24)
 
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