The Pitch Magpie is a digital delay-based pitch-shifter with integrated effects from The King of Gear, a maker Guitar Pedal X describes as producing very obviously tkog devices. It offers polyphonic pitch-shifting, meaning it can shift whole chords rather than single notes, built around four control knobs and three modes of playback. Stefan Karlsson of Guitar Pedal X summed it up as "A cool delay-based polyphonic pitch shifter with 3 Modes"1.
Three modes and 14 intervals
The pedal's core is a three-mode pitch-shifter covering Glissando, Resonant Filter and Vibrato modes, with 14 different intervals and additional parameters2. Across those modes and intervals there are 14 intervals with different Param (Rate, Cutoff, Depth) settings per each of the modes1. Guitar Pedal X characterized the pedal's character as somewhat glitchy and wobbly, in the title of its feature on the release1.
The Pitch Magpie arrived as the newest of the tkog trifecta, released after a gap on the maker's release schedule1.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mode switch | Selects Glissando (Rate) / Resonant Filter (Cutoff) / Vibrato (Depth)1 |
| Pitch | 14 intervals: P15 / P8 / M6 / P5 / P4 / m3 / m2 on one side, m2 / m3 / P4 / P5 / M6 / P8 / P12 on the other1 |
| Param | Mode-specific: Rate in Glissando, Cutoff in Resonant Filter, Depth in Vibrato1 |
| Overtone | Overtone control1 |
| Mix | Blend control1 |
The Param knob is the one control whose job changes with the mode: it acts as Rate in Glissando mode, Cutoff in Resonant Filter mode and Depth in Vibrato mode1. The Overtone and Mix knobs round out the four-knob layout, with Mix setting how much of the shifted signal sits against your dry tone1.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson covered the pedal twice in 2024. In January he introduced it as another cool, somewhat glitchy and wobbly pitch-shifter pedal, noting that it "offers lots of versatility around polyphonic pitch-shifting - courtesy of 4 control knobs, and 3 Modes of playback"1. In December, his round-up of the year's new modulation, pitch and utility pedals listed it at $200 and described it as "A cool 3-Mode Pitch-Shifter covering Glissando, Resonant Filter, and Vibrato Modes - with 14 different intervals and add[itional parameters]"2.
Videos
The King of Gear ;
Joe Edelmann
collector//emitter
Questions
Is the Pitch Magpie polyphonic?
Yes. Guitar Pedal X describes the Pitch Magpie as offering lots of versatility around polyphonic pitch-shifting, with four control knobs and three modes of playback. The same reviewer summed it up as a cool delay-based polyphonic pitch shifter, so it can shift full chords rather than only single notes.
What does the Param knob do in each mode?
The Param knob is mode-specific. In Glissando mode it controls Rate, in Resonant Filter mode it controls Cutoff, and in Vibrato mode it controls Depth. Each of the 14 intervals has its own Param behaviour per mode, so the same knob does different work depending on where the mode switch is set.
What intervals does the Pitch Magpie offer?
The Pitch knob covers 14 intervals: P15, P8, M6, P5, P4, m3 and m2 on one side, and m2, m3, P4, P5, M6, P8 and P12 on the other, giving both upward and downward shifts across two octaves and a range of harmonic intervals.
How much does the King of Gear Pitch Magpie cost?
Guitar Pedal X listed the Pitch Magpie at $200 USD in its 2024 round-up of new modulation, pitch and utility pedals.
Is the Pitch Magpie analog or digital?
It is digital. Guitar Pedal X describes it as a digital delay-based pitch-shifter with integrated effects, built around delay-line pitch-shifting rather than an analog circuit.
Sources (2)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-30
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-19