Need Help: Deciding on an Octaver

[Jero]

Trying to start a new project, and I need to fill some space as it's going to be a 2-piece (experimental hard rock I guess...think Indian Handcrafts), with me as the guitarist/bassist and vox, and my buddy Tyler on drums & vox.

I'll mostly be playing guitar, and plan on acting as a bassist through another rig with octave down and other stuff. Some times, it will be the inverse though, where I'm playing bass and will need the octaves up.

Here are the things that pop into my head right from the start...
Micro Pog
Pog
Pog 2
Pitch Bay
Organizer
Bass Octave Deluxe or Octron
Boss PS-?

I have no experience with any of them but the BOD, and while it does sound good, it's kind of a one trick pony...and analog (aka the tracking might be an issue). I don't really need the organ type sounds that the pitchshifters do so well, at least don't need them much. Any ideas?

[amnesiac305]

I like the octron a lot though I havent tried most of the other ones. It tracks well and sounds less synthy than some others.

[Fuzz_Pi]

Due to tracking I'd say any analog octaver will be extremely limiting.

Pitch bay sounds the best to me.

[darthbatman]

only one on the list i've used is my beloved pog2. so not the most useful answer but i dig mine esp. on bass using octave up.
i like the layout of everything on individual faders, plus the addition of attack, lp filter and detune expand it into some interesting bonus effects.
also presets. and it tracks good enough for me. got mine used for a decent price. i likes it.

[Seedy]

I think I can help. The MicroPOG is PERFECT, if you like perfection. I do not. However you do have a clean out as well so used tastefully, will probably be all you need. Alternately, use the analog EHX Octave Multiplexer. It is a meaner sounding bottom. I got rid of it because it did not work in the fx loop of my Superego at all. So I traded that for a PS-5 and use that exclusively in the fx loop for the last year and change.

During a rewiring of the board I played straight into the PS-5 for the first time and it was excellent. It is almost perfect but just imperfect enough to give me some motion. Also, you can do a clean out as well. I like the flutter and tremolo arm effects. The POG 2 is probably more than you need at first. I am curious about the Mooer little pedals, the True Octave in particular. It looks like its supposed to be like a microPOG but worlds cheaper. However I have yet to watch a demo where it sounded good at all.

I was surprised that the Octave Down in my Line 6 M9 is so good, really natural sounding, so getting an M5 for that function alone would put you right in line with the Boss pedals cost wise but wouldn't have separate outs. Also, the EHX Ring Thing sounds better than all the other EHX octavers IMO and you can do all kinds of crazy shit with it.

[neonblack]

How gnarly are you trying to get? I got an Infanem Second Voice recently hoping for some octave/harmony action to help alleviate my need for a guitar player. It acts more as another flavor of dirt, albeit a gnarly freakout dirt, and didnt really handle a clean octave. however, its not leaving my board. i know it wasnt on your list, but just thought id share.

as far as your list goes, I vote pitch bay. i was immediately in love hearing the demo, and the fact that you can shift by semitones instead of just octaves or fifths really opens up a lot of other possibilities. definitely on my list.

[rfurtkamp]

What kind of budget are we talking as well?

I'd skip all of the pedals and go straight for a Roland VG-99 or GR-55 if I wanted what you were describing. Won't be cheap, will require a hex pickup, but the tracking will be stupid good and you have all sorts of on-demand options beyond pure octaves.

[Bassboar]

Assuming you want perfect tracking, digital is the way to go.
It will not limit you to single note runs, which will keep your songwriting options open.
The Micropog will do octave ups and downs with no wobble.
Simple and effective.

[Ugly Nora]

I'll just throw out my rookie thoughts here...I have an Octron 2 and the imperfect wobble when it doesn't track well is heaven to my ears. Paired with some tremolo, it is a beautiful sound to behold.

Viva la Octron!

[sylnau]

Octron is the best... it sound organic compared to the others.
It's analog, so it will glitch sometimes, but, that's what we like here!!!

[Bellyheart]

MAK octronix or circuit rider fx have one as well.

I have been doing this approach with my band for a few years. Was using a bass head with an octaver that sounded and tracked like an oc-3 then it broke. Now I've been borrowing a ps-5 and hate it very much.

I'm not sure where to go. Prefer the analog sounds but digital tracking is nice. I also used a recently sold ring thing to sometimes pitch down or up my guitar amp. So now I'm looking for two octavers and might got one of each.

Buddy is selling a pitch bay and the doc has the bit which does the pitch bay and more. Dunno what to do.


For what it's worth the analog octave does track perfect but in the confusion of the tracking the low note usually came through. In a non plugging manner you can hear my band for some ideas on how the analog octaver works out. Sometimes it jumps but I never found it unfavorable.

[Jsteed]

Royal Blood and DZ Deathrays are both bands that do as you describe. Pretty sure the bassist for Royal Blood uses two POG2s and DZ uses a Micro POG (I'm assuming for the 'bass' sound) and a POG2. I prefer the sound of analog octaves generally, but you can't beat digital for not being picky and tracking well.

[Tristan]

In my opinion you can never get the true heaviness or deepness out of a digital octaver and I've tried most of the ones mentioned here.
I do have a recipe to make it better though, pair a good digital octaver (Whammy, POG) with a Kill Kill Filter and you're getting in the ballpark.

It depends on the bass sounds you're going for but the ones that stuck with me the most so far are:
Aguilar Octamizer (regular deep bass sound, this is ridiculously heavy when you run the right dirt or fuzz pedal in front of it)
MI Audio Pollyanna (nasty deep octave synth)
Subdecay OctaSynth (deep and subby electro bass, especially when you play it with your thumb)

Octave up is a completely different story, the nicest digital ones I found so far are the Digitech Whammy (5) and the Boss MO-2, most other ones have a very unnatural ugly and a little bit out of tune sounding flutter in the sound which the Whammy doesn't seem to have and the Boss MO-2 has it less than the others (POG, Octavius and so forth).
Analog octave up pedals are almost always fuzz pedals, though there are some low gain variants out there, of those these are the ones I prefer so far:
Catalinbread Octapussy
Copilot FX Caracol
Fairfield Circuitry The Unpleasant Suprise

These all do lower gain octave up sounds and sound great with fuzz or distortion before or after them (especially before).

[Iommic Pope]

I'm thinking about starting a two piece also and wasn't sure whether or not to go the Black Cobra route and not use an octave down, just split into a bass rig, or try and find something to round out the bottom end (playing the low-tuned guitar).
That Aguilar looks freaking perfect....thanks dude!
Tristan, I'm assuming Fuzzes afterwards sound pretty swank?

[Tristan]

I don't know why but after drive it's just much heavier, when I compared it with my OC-2 I was initially a bit let down because I was running them both before my drive but running the Octamizer after just unleashed the fucking heavies.