[Harp-L] The POG 2

[Richard Hunter]

Another alternative to the POG and HOG is the Digitech iStomp pedal loaded
with Digitech's Swing Shift multiphonic pitch shifter (low octave, 5th up,
octave up, 2 octaves up, with separate volume controls for the level of
each of the shifts).  This is similar to the shifts available on the HOG.

This pedal sells used from eBay and Guitar Center in the neighborhood of
$55, and the Swingshift software is free from Digitech's Stompshop app for
iOs. The iOs device connects to the iStomp using the old (wide) Apple
connector, not Lightning, or at least an adapter on a Lightning cable (and
Digitech recommends only the one sold by Apple).  I happen to have an
iPad2, fortunately, and I keep it around mainly to run Stompshop.

The iStomp can be reloaded with any of the FX Digitech has released for the
device, most of which are free, and most of which sound like their
equivalents on the Digitech RP.  So if you ever wanted a very good Leslie
speaker effect or delay pedal for $55 (the cost of the hardware), there you
are.

Another very cool effect that runs on the iStomp is an FX25 envelope filter
emulation. This sounds like the same effect in the Digitech RP devices,
which is to say very nice with harmonica.  You can easily set this filter
up to open and close smoothly and widely under breath control. I run this
now in front of the iStomp running Swingshift, and from there to the
Digtech RP500.  Big noises.  An envelope filter makes very nice sounds with
the kinds of stacked tones that the Swingshift produces. And that's before
it hits the RP.

Finally, the Zoom G3 allows you to use up to six modulation FX in a row,
and those FX could include any pitch shifts between 2 octaves up and 2
octaves down that you like.  You have to run the shifts in series, unlike
the Swingshift and POG, so the pitch shifts create polyphonic tones as they
stack up.  E.g. if you use an octave down as the first shift, then two
octaves up, every note you play includes the original tone, an octave down,
an octave up (the octave down shift bumped up two octaves) and two octaves
up (the original tone shifted up two octaves). One note, two pitch shifts,
4 pitches.  If we now add a shift of a 5th up, we get an additional 4
pitches.  And so on.  Pretty heavy, and we still have 3 FX slots availale.

Regards, Richard Hunter

-- 
Check out our 21st Century rock harmonica record "The Lucky One" at
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Author, "Jazz Harp" (Oak Publications, NYC)
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