EVENTIDE MODFACTOR

The Eventide Modfactor is a multi-effect modulation stompbox pedal, suited to home studio users as well as live performers. Like most other Eventide products there’s more packed into this pedal than you can poke a stick at, you can even modulate the modulations and have as much control over the second modulation as you do over the first!

Looking at the unit’s core features, the Modfactor has all the usual suspects: phaser, chorus, tremolo/pan, vibrato, wah, flanger, as well as rotary speaker emulation, filters, a ring modulator and even ‘Undulator’ – a classic Eventide effect that combines two delays, two detuned voices and an FM-modulated tremolo. There are 11 knobs on the fascia, starting with a rotary knob for effect selection, followed by a knob that selects the type of effect – for example, there are four different phaser types. You can then manipulate the depth and speed of the modulation, and the shape.

Eventide has also slipped in the ‘Xknob’ for miscellaneous parameter adjustments that change with each effect, such as stereo width for the tremolo/pan. Then the Modfactor really gets gnarly [sad, but appropriate], putting a whole four more knobs at your mercy to modulate the initial modulation. These consist of depth modulation, speed modulation, the modulation rate and the secondary LFO modulation source. It’s here that you can add little characterful warbles, shimmer, and full-blown warping of sound. The Modfactor is an inventive and satisfying pedal, which allows you to add something unique to otherwise well crafted and diverse, yet classic [read standard] modulations. There’s also an Intensity knob for altering the wet/dry mix, and three footswitches that can be alternated between Bank and Play modes. All the knobs feature ‘catch-up’, making sure you turn the knob to the original preset position before it allows you to manipulate it further. It’s probably not fair to complain about omissions on a ‘kitchen sink’ pedal, but considering Eventide’s pitch shifting heritage, it was a shame not to see some kind of pitching effect. But Eventide is holding its cards close, and we might see a Digitech Whammy rival around the next bend. You can check out some of the sounds on www.eventide.com. –  Mark Davie

Price: $649

Syntec International: 1800 648 628 or [email protected]