Donner Harmonic Square Guitar Pedal Review by Steve Stine

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[@williamthomson7624]

This is the best review of this product on all of KZbin. THANKS!

[@gbg3663]

Gotta agree with "This is the best review of this product on all of KZbin". The other reviewers just CAN'T THINK ABOUT KILLING THE FRIGGIN DRY SIGNAL. thanks A LOT i'm getting one

[@boboala1]

Yeah, Steve! Finally, a demo of this pitch shifter with what I really need it for: detuning the guitar so I can play a tune using the same chords & key as the original...but have the guitar's output down a whole step or more so I can sing certain songs in a lower key! The magic was you turning down/off the dry signal! Also, I was able to tell that this pedal seems to track fairly fast picking/licks as I heard you do it in the same segment of the video. This was an important feature I wanted to hear...and I did! Thanks again!

[@jondnz]

The only thing that would make this pedal better is if it had the ability to go down just ONE semitone when killing the dry signal to instantly have a guitar in Eb tuning. This is the main reason I got the Digitech drop in the end as the "Eb tuning" was the main thing I wanted

[@ThePierrezx]

You mean it can't do it ?

[@mikekovko7563]

Thank you Steve Stine!!! My mind is made. I have found throughout the years your youtube videos have randomly been there to get me out of a bind. From pedal reviews to years ago teaching me how to do those sweet sweep arpeggios. Ty

[@standardofexcellence]

Very well explained thank you so much, sold me as I'm a great self taught guitar player but don't mess with strings much and am very novice when it comes to understanding pedal controls

[@grg537]

Woah finally a meaningful and musical review. This is rare these days. Probably you are the only one on YT who knows how to use an octaver/pitch shifter pedal. Great work mister!

[@51Newman50]

Oh my god this was incredibly helpful. I bought the pedal to tune my guitar to drop C without having to switch it out, and i just could not figure it out. After watching about 2 minutes of your video i knew exactly how it worked. I watched maybe 5 or 6 other videos about it but none come close to how great yours is.

[@calinguga]

if anyone is confused starting at 3:56, he messed up, he switched to +5 which is a fourth and called it a fifth, then switched to +7 which is a fifth and called it a seventh.

[@crnkmnky]

I assumed the +/- 5 label meant “up/down by a fifth,” etc.

[@Jasper_4444]

That's true. Thanks for mentioning it.

[@jondnz]

@@crnkmnky No. The increments on the pedal are semi-tones not intervals so Calin is correct. Steve got it a bit wrong

[@Sector001ked]

Fantastic review! No nonsense, just a solid review. Thank you!

[@NicholasGreenwood]

Would have wanted to hear more of +1 and +2 octaves, up and down. Other than that, great demo. I'm amazed this thing is under 50 bucks.

[@CaptainKirk007]

Detune is why I’m buying right now. Tracks well.

[@gunslinger80sguitars]

Does it do the van hagar detune sound well?

[@Nerotique]

This is the best review/ demo of this pedal, period!

[@stinemusiclessons]

Hey! Thanks for your comment! Glad you found it useful.

[@stickmanmusic5840]

After hearing this pedal online, I picked one up. What fun! It's far simpler and cooler than the early Roland guitar synth I once owned, with no issues of latency or "artifacts".

[@paulc3960]

Hi Steve, I wish to clarify that this pedal is actually changing the keys. Am I correct to say +2 is changing the pitch from E A D G B e to F# B E A C# f# without re-tuning the strings? -2 is changing the pitch down to D G C F A d? If our partners in the band is playing standard tuning, then we can only use 1 Oct or 2 Oct setting.

[@yung-stephen]

that is correct

[@davidsharpify]

Nice baritone effect for my Tele.

[@briancherry8088]

I would love to have heard more of how well it tunes down or tune up. Im thinking of using pedal rather than retuning for a couple of steps up or down.

[@brunolevasseur]

Thx Steve!😊😊 I m looking for a pedal to play solo of "Owner of a lonely heart" from Yes, needing the 5th , avoiding too much expensive pedal. I think the choice is made. No latency when using it? Edit: I've got one now, I can tell you no latency. I am confirming it's a good harmoniser, the only thing I've to precise: know you intervals! For example, 7 1/2 tons means interval of 5th.

[@0713mas]

This really is a fantastic review of this pedal! Very versatile pitch shifter for not a lot of money, seems perfect for any loop artist that wants to create layers. Weather it's baritone, bass low octave, or mixed high 12 string/ chorus, mandolin or even some of those keyboard textures. Thanks for posting!

[@JohnnyB43]

Hi Steve, how does this pedal compare with the Digitech Drop Pedal that you also did a video on? The Digitech Drop Pedal is a lot more expensive (about three times the price). From a perspective of just wanting to play tuned up / or down a step or two is it worth spending the extra for the Digitech Drop Pedal? Let me know. cheers JB

[@shanewalton8888]

I am wondering this too. I am not sure if the Digitech pedal lets you tune up. I also want to tune up a half step to play some U2

[@garthodowd6846]

@@shanewalton8888 you can only drop down with the Digitech

[@magnusfox777]

I wondered the same, i got it to play some low jack white type tones couples with a fuzz. Think ala "blue orchid". But i didn't know you could cut the dry and get even cleaner bass tones. I'm gonna try it as soon as I get home.

[@niteshades_promise]

sold! was gona get a donner octave. i want this now.🍻

[@JoshuaMalilay]

would this be able to simulate a bass if turned down 1 octave?

[@ascendtranscend3812]

this is the best octave pedal review I ever seen! Thank you!!

[@rbuthird]

Seems to be more versatile than I thought, especially for the price !!!

[@joelmcgee4405]

Great review Steve. Think it'll work as good on bass guitar? Thanks.

[@TheMsBELIEf]

Have you tried it out on bass? That's also what I'm looking for.

[@Floyd_2112]

Joel McGee I bought the pedal today off of amazon, it will come in Thursday, umm demo it and let you know👍

[@gbg3663]

@@Floyd_2112 I don't think so

[@crnkmnky]

I bought it for my bass. Had fun with it in the store.

[@Jasper_4444]

@@Floyd_2112 And did you?

[@dylanmanningwright6958]

I'm buying this because my band doesn't have a bass player, will it work and will it handle power chords well?

[@williamgibson189]

I couldn't agree more with Brian Cherry. I play a much loved 1990's SUNN MUSTANG 'Strat copy through a Donner, BOSS Super Chorus, a Beat Buddy and BOSS RC1 Lopp Station. I've had the Donner pedal for about 6 months to provide the bass for my jams. Try as I may I just can't get to like it at all. As Brian says, when set to 1- and the low E string is plucked, the sound "warbles" around as if the pedal is struggling to identify the note. I appreciate the electronics have to work some to reproduce the desired freq but the bass reproduction is just inconsistent and muddy. I also tried the 1+ with some DRY to produce a 12'string effect but noticed I have to advance the strumming tempo-wise as the resultant chords lag what you're playing. I went out yesterday and bought an MXR Bass Octave Deluxe and what a difference !! Already I love it to bits. OK, it was £120 more, but you get what you pay for. P.S. I wanted to trial the BOSS OC5 but not one of about 9 shops in West, North and South Yorkshire had any. In a way I'm chuffed because the MXR is just so good. P.P.S. I think one of the possible flaws of the Donner pedal is that they are trying to cram too much into a tiny box and something has to give..

[@brCharlieNagy]

great video, thanks. Did you experience any latency or weird sound ?

[@gyslainbeauchamp9241]

everytime,i got connection with this guy,its seem so easy for him to present any products

[@aaronwiens3294]

Awesome demonstration! Thank you so much!

[@jondnz]

This is an AMAZING pedal considering it's significantly cheaper(well at least in New Zealand it is) than the Digitech Drop or the EHX pitchfork

[@TheEarCandy]

Steve = great playing, great demo, lots of useful info, shows how the pedal works in full.... 2 thumbs down = 2 D-Bags! Great review Steve! I subscribed! Thank you!

[@MusicManFernando]

You can use it on an acoustic guitar???

[@tachote]

Very nice video. Good info and demonstration of the pedal 🤘🏾💯💯

[@MrJermeyp]

You can dial that detune in and get reaaaalllly close to a Van Hager tone , best thing I’ve seen to emulate it short of buying those crazy rack mount effects Ed used to get that same tone , amazing pedal to be so cheap

[@stinemusiclessons]

Hi. Thanks for the comment and your feedback. It definitely is a nice little pedal! 🙂

[@jeremyjamesmusic]

Would this work for chords on acoustics? I'd love to be able to change the 'tuning' of my guitar a half step or 2 either way to avoid capo-ing the hell out of it or wasting time between songs to tune during gigs. Looking to fatten up my acoustic sound as well - any ideas there, Steve? The Mimiq isn't quite doing it. I have a partner in my live duo who plays drums so my sound gets thin and weak. Any help would be appreciated!

[@AlexCVeach]

Yes it would!!! I've used it for recording my acoustic. I set it to an octave up with the wet turned up like a 1/4 of the way and add a lil chorus and you can get a 12 string sound.

[@anti0205]

Land of Tears by Pestilence :-) These were Times ... sigh I order one from Amazon now, so I can play whatever metal song from machine head, the haunted, bolt thrower, entombed... with my floyd rose top lock. Many many thanks for the Review!

[@briancherry8088]

I wanted to come back and update about my purchase. Bottom Line - I was really disappointed in this pedal - even for only $30. 1. it introduces quite a bit of noise into high gain pedals. 2. it REALLY colors and muddies the original tone 3. apparently it's monophonic? It wont play strummed chords right - even power chords. So I cant use it to tune up or down my guitar. 4. Even though they call it a bass pedal, it doesn't respond to the low E properly. It warbles and jumps around pitches. If you have any advice on how to make the pedal work better, I would love to hear it. Otherwise I think I will probably return it. I just want to make sure that future buyers are aware.

[@aml1418]

Can this replicate the same notes I’m playing as if two guitarists were playing the same thing?

[@WoodomainJeremyBroun]

Why not start with basic clean octave functions first?!

[@NanjNol]

The best video to understand the dry knob

[@speedypete07gnarly]

Can this use as in to detune my guitar like E flat or d standard tuning? And does it have like a chorus like sound like the Mooer Pitch Box?

[@Sam-Oht]

Can you achieve one semitone harmony with the detune or something else? Thank you!!

[@yung-stephen]

why would you want that lol

[@Coty72]

Can down tune just a half step with it as well?

[@mcbigswig1569]

Can you go 1 semi-tone down?

[@calinguga]

no

[@AldorCrap]

3:19 yes you can

[@Jasper_4444]

No, that's actually two semitones.

[@twitch6969S]

Seems like the perfect pedal for a prog rock/metal band to do some stuff with Sci Fi ambiance also comes to mind

[@Tone-Oz]

Have you tried the Brainwaves by TC Electronic Steve? Would like to know your thoughts on how it stacks up to this in comparison.

[@ToddLorencUkuleleMusic]

Awesome demo my friend

[@TJ_775]

Will the detune do a VH balance tone

[@Jasper_4444]

What's VH?

[@gunslinger80sguitars]

Tom did you find out if the detune function will do van hagar era?

[@thesazco.salormandji5200]

Excellent review thanks!

[@rati396]

can you make more lessons about licks we can use in our ways? Thanks

[@schweckles]

How does it sound if you use it with distortion?

[@AlexCVeach]

Very good!!! I've got one I've been using for 2 years now, also sounds good blended with modulation effects like phaser, etc. If blended with a vibrato effect 2 octaves up, it sounds like an organ lol.

[@harry-ns5hw]

if im tuned down to a quarter step orighinially and then use this pedal would it go d standard from the quarter step down or would it sound diff to d standard

[@stinemusiclessons]

Hi Harry! Haven't tried that but my guess is that the d standard would also sound a quarter step down...

[@hikupmusicofficial]

is there a way to get it to sound like its a half step down

[@stinemusiclessons]

No, unfortunately the pitch shifter starts at 1 whole step and then it moves in half steps.

[@gamer6550]

You sold me on one.. Great video thanks' for sharing

[@stinemusiclessons]

Hi. My pleasure! Thanks for commenting and enjoy the new pedal. New gear is always a great source of inspiration. Have fun! 🙂

[@gamer6550]

@@stinemusiclessons 👍👍

[@magifitnessendole3907]

Great demo

[@justinanderson2926]

Ok, buying now.

[@stoneyboyd]

I wonder if I could use it with the organ sound on my keyboard?

[@stinemusiclessons]

Hi! I've seen many keyboard players use guitar pedals. Try it out and see how it works out for you. Thanks for the comment and for sharing!

[@xvomitx]

Best review ever on this pedal

[@JordanBrennanBrennan]

I have two questions that someone please answer... 1. Can you play chords down an octave with disortion and still get clear note differences 2. Can you KoRn with this pedal??? That's the main reason why I want it hahs

[@stinemusiclessons]

Hi. Well, look at it this way. When you add distortion that makes the notes harder to identify because everything sort of blends together. Especially if you use a lot of distortion. Overdrive on the other hand is a different story. Works great with chords. If on top of that you lower everything one octave it will make the sound muddier and make it more difficult to clearly hear every note of the chord. It probably would work great with power chords but not so great with more complex harmonies. My best advice is to try it out for yourself at your local music store and see if it works for you. Hope this helps and thanks for commenting.

[@JordanBrennanBrennan]

@@stinemusiclessons thanks! That makes a lot more sense and I completely forgot that you could test pedals at guitar stores as well!

[@magda5671]

Does it goes by half step?

[@groclency]

can you use it for vocals with a mike

[@kdc300z]

very informative. Thanks for the video.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

The pedal was probably half the price it is now, back when you did this review 😂 The harmonic square is great, but the only shortcoming is it doesn't have expression/whammy pedal capabilites.

[@unamacarana]

Very nice - thank you!

[@deemusiclv]

Just got one. And it can only start at a whole step for pitch shifting.

[@angelomesinas1048]

Bro, you mean if your on standard E,..you cant make it E flat on an instance?thanks

[@MrAeroled99]

can you go down or up a half step

[@jondnz]

Nope, unfortunately the pitch shifter starts at a WHOLE step then progresses in semi-tones. If it did go down only semi-tone and then up to two whole semitones I'd be willing to switch my Digitech Drop for TWO of these given the price

[@SanplerVarondaro]

muy buen video saludos desde tijuana

[@hotrodband-]

Can you go form E to Eb with this?

[@jondnz]

Nope. Get something like the Digitech Drop or EHX Pitchfork for that

[@EDGARDOUX1701]

Can 3rds be done? Thanks

[@EDGARDOUX1701]

Ok, thank you Steve!

[@guitarguts666]

The detuned sounds the best on this pedal. Sells for $29

[@Joelicholas]

so you can use this as a drop pedal if you turn the dry off? something like the digitech drop?

[@Joelicholas]

Steve Stine thanks for your reply steve! Big fan :)

[@vincentmendonca5568]

Wondering the same thing

[@devenfinnie4687]

Great informative vid, well done! but also wondering the same about its use as a drop?

[@flux1968]

I have the same question. Given how affordable the pedal is, I might just take a risk and buy it.

[@yes-kq1ve]

@@flux1968 did you buy it?

[@gergemall]

A bro anyone?

[@WatchfulHunter]

Sounds a bit like a chorus.