Shootout + Opinion: ELECTRO HARMONIX PITCH FORK vs. PICO PITCH FORK (Pitch Shifter Review)

[@waynedoherty7758]

Who on earth thought removing pitch markings was a good idea?

[@MadebyMiike]

I would like to know as well!

[@dstroviolin]

When you turn the shift knob, the Pico blinks when you hit the next note! It’s actually pretty cool. I’ve already pretty much memorized where my favorite intervals are and the setup is very logical. After some initial misgivings I LOVE this thing. Great pedal.

[@geordiedog1749]

I know, right!

[@stevechrisman3185]

Really excellent & helpful. Thank you !

[@post-man23]

Great comparison!! Thanks for the sound samples.

[@aennekin83]

Had an original. Stupidly sold to my neighbor for the +, which I found to be the worst of the three in terms of tracking and making on-the-fly adjustments. So then I tried the mini. Agree that the tracking just isn’t as good. And no setting markings? Terrible. Also, the sweep knob is kind of useless on the mini. TL;DR - Get the original.

[@geordiedog1749]

Good video. I wish a lot of other demo pedals were as succinct.

[@SohminAhn]

1:16 When the blend knob is 100% dry, turn completely counterclockwise. Can't you use it as a clean boost?

[@seregapahnetdereviami]

Thank you! What can you say about pico version with bass?

[@joermnyc]

While I am looking to get more mini-pedals for better pedalboard spacing, no expression jack is a dealbreaker.

[@i_am_a_tapeworm]

I’ve been in a love/hate relationship with my nano pog. And I’ve been waiting them to put out a mini pitchfork. I’m gonna go for the pico, it sounds maybe 5% less like the old but it’s definitely not as noisy so that’s a good takeaway. Another reason is that the footswitch can be set to momentary, so no need for an expression. (More real estate.) It also has more options and settings, and in case no one noticed, it’s mini. (Even more real estate.)

[@davidschnittman7954]

Great video, I might of missed it but can you tell me how you toggle between latch mode on/off?

[@MadebyMiike]

On which pedal? On the older one there is a switch, on the newer one a button

[@jpdenk]

I’m not hearing noise on the original, headphones or speakers, but I am older, so if the noise is very high frequency, I probably won’t hear it. What kind of noise are you hearing? I’ve owned the old one for years and I’ve never felt that there was any latency issue. Never felt the need for a volume control either. I haven’t heard anything from the new one in your video that makes me want to change pedals. I like the ability to use an expression pedal, so that removes the new one as an option as far as I’m concerned. Regardless, thank you for a very well done exhaustive comparison of these two pedals. They’re both excellent options. 😊

[@MadebyMiike]

Hi, the noise is basically white noise in the background whenever you turn on the pedal.

[@jpdenk]

@@MadebyMiike I see. I can't say that I've noticed that in mine. I expect that different combinations of amps and pedals might easily account for that difference. Thanks

[@dstroviolin]

What’s your bottom line take on the noise factor? The original PF tracks great, has a nice tone but unfortunately is the noisiest pedal on my board, by far. I’ve tried multiple power sources in an attempt to fix this but none have worked. I finally installed a cheap Donner noise reducing pedal after the PF which largely eliminates the noise but also compromises the overall sound a bit. If the Pico is substantially quieter than the original PF I might make the switch even though the tone is less magical. Any input on this would be appreciated!

[@MadebyMiike]

Right so this is really tough. I like the tone on the old one more. As you write, it sounds a tiny little more " magical". BUT it is considerably more noisy than the Pico. Tbh, an audience might not notice that the Pico is less magical, but they will definitely hear when the old one adds noise. I also like that the Pico has 2 or 3 different bypass options (including true bypass), and also that it's smaller and still offers more features. It's the better overall package if you ask me. BUT---the sound is maybe 5% worse.

[@dstroviolin]

@@MadebyMiike Thanks so much for your reply! I’d really like to get rid of the Donner noise reducer, its switch can create a loud klunk when engaged, velcro doesn’t stick to it, etc. Yeah, it does work but it’s get-what-you-pay-for territory, for sure. I use the PF for bass parts & textures plus the occasional 4ths & 5ths harmonies-nothing that complicated, in other words. As long as the Pico can cover that I’ll be fine, especially without all the white noise the otherwise perfect original PF produces,

[@MadebyMiike]

@@dstroviolin In that case definitely go for the Pico! It's simply the best overall package and will do exactly what you need (minus the noise, oh, and the markings 🤣)

[@dstroviolin]

@@MadebyMiike Yeah, what was up with that marking issue? Maybe they just thought the space was too small?

[@dstroviolin]

I just got the Pico Pitchfork today. Definitely a MINOR step down sonically (but not terrible, still sounds good) from the original. However, the white noise is still way too prominent for my liking. I’ll do more experimenting but right now it looks like I’d need to retain the Donner noise reducer to clean up the micro Pitchfork’s mess. If I do that I might as well just keep the original PF and return the Pico. EDIT: Ok, now that I’ve done some of that experimenting, I’m keeping it! Yes, still a bit noisy BUT it’s small enough that I can put a micro noise gate next to it. I just discovered the micro Decimator so I’ll get one of those, w/o losing much real estate. After a deeper dive into the controls, I find this little guy is surprisingly easy to use. No markings, true, but the light blinks when you change intervals, and after awhile I figure I’ll know where things are anyway. The sounds of course are Pitchfork Brilliant. Great tool.