An octaver audio effect is a simple form of a harmonizer that creates harmonies from more than two notes. It operates by shifting the original version either one octave up or one octave down. In other words, this effect mixes the input signal with a synthesized one. The synthesized octave signal comes from either by halving or doubling its frequency. This effect is conceivable due to the two-to-one relationship between the frequencies of the musical notes—the octave of its name. For instance, guitarists tend to use this effect when performing.
Octaver: the Pedals
Now let’s talk about pedals. The first octaver pedals were analog. In fact, for many years, analog pedals were the only ones you could find in the market. Nowadays, in contrast, thanks to the advances on digital technology we are able to find both analog and digital octaver pedals.
The Analogs
Analog octaver pedals are mostly monophonic and, logically, use an analog circuitry to achieve the desired effect. Modern analog octaver effects have a tracking feature. This means that they can recognize the played note. And, most importantly, they can create an octave of that particular note. Taking all these into consideration, analog pedals can be quite magical: they introduce specific colors and vibes to analog sounds.
Digital Effects
Digital octaver effects have more complex functions. The effects obtained by these can alter the sound input. Since they are not limited to one octave down only, you solve the analog model issue (mostly). Digital octaver effects can switch over from a monophonic mode to a polyphonic mode, which allows the user to play more than one note at a time. In addition, these models have better tracking features than the analog ones do. Some of them even have a drive mode which can add distortion to the signal!
