The Eventide Micropitch Delay has been out for a few months and I grabbed it as soon as it came out. I've seen a lot of videos and reviews on the in's and out's of this pedal but I've had a lot of questions about it too. What is it exactly? What can it do? What does it do that other pedals don't? How does it sound? And why would you want it?
What is it exactly?
For those that don't know the Micropitch it is ONE algorithm from the H9 pedal in a stand alone pedal. That might make it sound like it only does one sound, which is far from the truth. The "sound" comes from the early H910 and H949 studio units that led to the powerhouse H300 that was popular in professional studios in the 80's and 90's. Then guitar legends like Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen started using them in their racks to get bigger guitar sounds. This is why I bought it. That 90's EVH W/D/W sound.
What can it do?
At its core the Micropitch Delay has two independent delays that can be run in mono, stereo, or w/d/w. Along with the normal blend, tone and feedback controls each of these delays can be manipulated in various ways including pitch (up or down a half step) and modulated. It even has filters for how the modulation is effected. On top of that you can MIDI control any of the functions! You want a wetter signal on the fly, sure. How about longer delay times, easy. You want a wider stereo spread? This is what it's all about!
What does it do that other pedals don't?
A lot. First off if your a fan of that 90's EVH sound and you own a 5150 amp (preferably at least two) then you want this pedal. Secondly most delay pedals don't have dual delays that are completely independent of each other and most of the ones that do are more expensive. Thirdly Eventide stuff has a certain "HiFi sheen" that I've never heard in anything else, and it adds a unique sound quality to your overall tone. Fourth, and this was a big seller for me, it has 5 presets you can access from the front of the pedal. More if you do MIDI which I don't.
How does it sound?
In one word, Amazing. Seriously, other things get close but nothing is quite like the real thing. I run this in stereo going through the loop of my 5150 and into the return of a second amp. The first setting is perfect for that 90's EVH tone and while I've gotten pretty close with software this really does nail it. Of course ideally if you can go W/D/W it's even better. I've done this in a DAW and it's pretty insane. I also use a dual delay al'a Andy Timmons or David Gilmour (approximately 300ms and 450ms) and I use the envelope filter to add tape sag to the delays which sounds pretty wild even if it's subtle. And even after all these months I still feel like I'm scratching the surface of what it can do.
Why would you want one?
1) You want the 90's EVH tone. Eddie was using this "still chorus" sound a bit more subtly all the way back to Diver Down, it just became more prominent on OU812. Some people love it, some don't. I'm someone who enjoys it.
2) If (like me) you don't need all the functionality of the H9 but still want an incredibly flexible dual delay, with a handful of presets.
3) This pedal can get some pretty wild tones out of it (barber pole delays anyone?) and those sounds can be inspiring.
If your looking for a do everything delay you can get an H9 (it does a lot of other things) or a Timeline or for the price of a Micropitch a Source Audio Nemesis. But if you want "that" sound, that Eventide sound, that 90's EVH sound... this pedal is well worth the price of admission.
I did not receive compensation in any way for this review and my thoughts and comments are completely my own.
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