One (comparatively) powerful processor. One mega-algorithm that covers all of the signal processing nuances, plus all possible FX and control signals. How those resources are distributed will be determined by that (sub-) algorithm’s coding. There are always more efficient ways to go about that, & new approaches to take. As much art as science; reflective of the current programmer’s past experience & personality (I would think).
So the hardware remains fixed, but how you instruct it to act can be continuously variable. Cycles saved in, say, a delay component, can be repurposed for improved pitch processing. Largely speculative, but from what I’ve seen (and heard), the H9 algorithms are in a constant state of refinement. It makes sense to me that the current crop of programmers build on the foundation they have from the original coder, or even improve on their own. Look at how PitchFuzz shares a lineage with CrushStation & Sculpt. Or how SpaceTime borrows from Plate and Diatonic delay feedback routings.
All that said … the pitch shifting algos come in many different flavors. None would be my first choice for a pristine, clean “capo”. I use them for the options that they give me. Learn its faults & weaknesses, and apply those creatively. One example: the glitchy, freaky Whammy4 pitch shifting. Drop it down an octave, then pitch shift it back to unison with an H9 algo. In theory, it’s back at the original input pitch, but it’s now thick with doubled processing FX and unique artifacts.
Thank you! That was actually very helpful! This makes me think my “metronome algorithm idea” would not be very hard to create. I’ll admit, selling it might be hard, especially since I have not told anyone about it.
Outside of the digital world, I know enough about pitch and its infinite scope, to appreciate how much Eventide has accomplished. I also understand that using pitch shifting as a “capo” may seem convenient and therefore a good idea. The way I see it, pressing a button with your foot does much less for you as a musician than re-tuning a guitar, experiencing how that physically changes the instrument (and your playing), and possibly using this opportunity to get a new guitar. I also think the “convenient” way would still not sound “real,” for lack of a better term.
I had a Whammy IV. I used the 7th harmony all the time! jk I imagine you could really create some unique artifacts given the Whammy IV’s innate ability to already do use combined with your extensive knowledge of the H9.
