10 Most Amazing Octaver Pedals – Adding More Tone Layers!

This polyphonic octave pedal for guitars is simple but extremely effective. It’s popular among musicians and our editor’s choice thanks to extremely fast tracking. With this pedal, you don’t have to worry about mismatch between what you’re playing right now and what effect the pedal is creating.

The pedal is controlled with just three knobs. The sub-octave knob allows you to control how loud the voice of one octave below your input sound is, while the octave up knob controls the volume of the higher octave effect. So, you have the option to play both higher and lower octaves simultaneously with this pedal. A dry knob controls the volume of the input signal.

The only downside that users found to this pedal is that it has a loud click when you first turn it on. This can be problematic if you want to flip the octave effect on in the middle of a song, so you’ll want to use the dry knob to control it while playing.

What do we love it for?

• Extremely fast tracking
• Simple knob controls
• Durable construction
• Includes power adapter

What were we disappointed with?

• Loud click sound when first turned on

This wonderful octaver guitar pedal has a ton of functionality for you to create advanced sound effects. To start, you can choose to modify your sound by going up octaves, down octaves, or both simultaneously. On top of that, guitarists loved that this pedal allows you to create octave effects that are up or down three octaves from your input sound.

Unfortunately, you can’t control the volume of the individual up and down effects. But, a blend dial allows you to precisely determine how much octave effect you want to mix into your guitar’s natural sound.

Even better, an expression pedal input on this pedal allows you to create some very intricate effects. For example, you can use an expression pedal to generate pitch shifts or glissando effects. The Latch switch further modulates the expression pedal input, so the options are truly unlimited.

The only complaint that users had about this pedal was that the sound could be a little muddied when using it with overdrive in your effects panel. But, they noted that this was a minor issue and hardly noticeable in most rock and metal songs.

What are our favorite features?

• Advanced pitch control
• Compatible with expression pedal
• Up or down up to three octaves
• Comes with power adapter

What could be better?

• No volume controls for simultaneous up and down effects
• Slightly muddy sound when used with drive pedals

This digital octaver pedal from TC Electronic is extremely versatile. It’s one of the few pedals that we reviewed that can be used not only for guitar but also for bass and keyboard as well. Plus, it features a true bypass switch that musicians, who can hear every off tone, absolutely loved.

The Sub ‘N’ Up pedal features a relatively simple set of controls. You can switch between mono and polyphony modes using a basic switch. While the polyphony function gives you a lot more fidelity, the mono mode mimics the classic sound of old-school octaver pedals. Either way, you’ll get extremely fast tracking with this pedal.

This pedal is especially suited for bass guitars because it features a second sub-octave that can be controlled separately from the first octave down. But, users note that you’ll need to be careful not to blow out smaller amps when turning up the Sub 2 volume – a testament to how low and booming the -2 octave effect on this pedal truly is. Also, some users found the TonePrint app very glitchy and frustrating.

Why is it special?

• 2 sub-octaves
• Works with guitar, bass, and keyboards
• Simple knob controls
• True bypass switch
• Polyphony or mono switch

What are the flaws?

• TonePrint digital app can be glitchy
• Must be careful with Sub 2 volume in pair with smaller amps

This octaver pedal from BOSS is designed for dropping the frequency of your guitar or bass while also providing stable sounds. Importantly, unlike most of the other pedals we reviewed, it doesn’t go both up and down – instead, you can only go down one or two octaves with this pedal.

Users loved this pedal because it has a built-in drive mode, which allows you to create some very fat and aggressive-sounding effects in the lower registers. The drive mode is only available for the first octave down, but a control dial gives you precise control over exactly how your drive effect sounds.

Unfortunately, some customers weren’t satisfied with the lack of true bypass switch. This wasn’t a deal-breaker for many guitarists and bassists, but it’s something important to watch out for.

It’s also worth noting that this pedal comes with a five-year warranty. For the relatively modest price, that’s a huge plus that ensures you’ll have this pedal for years to come.

What are our favorite features?

• Compatible with guitar and bass
• Includes built-in drive mode
• Comes with five-year warranty
• Octave effect can be adjusted within a specific note range

What could be better?

• Only one or two octaves down
• No true bypass switch

This octave pedal from EarthQuaker Devices is as simple as it gets. Simply plug your guitar or bass in and hit the on the switch to start tracking with a +1 octave effect. The only control to worry about on this pedal is a switch for standard or momentary operation. Beyond that, the pedal is either on or off.

That’s great for beginners, but the lack of a wet/dry control can sometimes be frustrating. Still, users loved the tracking on this pedal and found that the octave effect it does make is generally very clean, especially when used for single notes. The pedal can handle chords, but the effect starts to break down in quality slightly.

Unfortunately, this pedal doesn’t come with an adapter, so you’ll need to pay extra for that. But, the simple design also means that you’ll get more life out of a nine-volt battery than for most other octaver pedals.

What are its best features?

• Simple analog octaver pedal
• Perfect for beginners
• Excellent tracking, especially for single notes

What could be improved?

• Doesn’t come with power adapter
• Lacks wet/dry control knob

This octave pedal from MXR is specifically designed for bass guitars. While it’s only capable of dropping one octave, users loved the organic analog sound and the control that they have over it. A “girth” knob controls the fatness of the octave effect, while a “growl” knob allows you to add a deep, static edge to your effect. For achieving a unique bass sound, these controls are perfect.

Users also liked that this pedal has a mid-range boost, which stops your sound from being overtaken by the -1 octave effect. The dry knob also has a nice range so you can really dial in your effect.

The only downside to this pedal is that the tracking isn’t 100% perfect. But, users found that this can be mostly alleviated by ensuring that the pedal is at the front of your effects panel. With that setup, many bass players report keeping this pedal activated with the settings on low throughout entire gigs.

Why are we impressed?

• Designed specifically for bass
• Growl and girth controls for organic sound
• Excellent range of dry control knob
• Mid-range boost for extra bass voice
• True bypass

What negatives must you be aware of?

• Tracking isn’t always perfect

This pedal from DigiTech combines octave and whammy effects to give you a ton of control over your sound. The octave effect can be applied in seven half-steps, up to ±3.5 octaves, or you can jump one full octave at a time. Users noted that figuring out how to combine all of the controls on this pedal can take some time, especially since you have the depth of your effect and tone shifts.

It includes multiple footswitches for different effects and a momentary footswitch for some tricks, which is rare for many other models. With that, you can create hammer-on and pull-off effects for your octave jumps or whammy effects. The pedal is made from durable metal, and users felt that it was solid enough to stomp on without being afraid of breaking it.

Users also liked that this pedal comes with a true bypass switch. However, they did have some complaints about the tracking with this pedal, which really suffered when playing chords.

Why is it special?

• Combined octave and whammy effects
• Foot pedal for hammer-on and pull-off transitions
• Durable metal construction
• True bypass
• Tons of flexibility in controls

What are the flaws?

• Poor tracking, especially for chords
• Expensive

This versatile and high-quality digital octaver pedal from Donner is a great option for guitarists and bassists. This durable and compact pedal is capable of creating octave effects in semitones up to ±7 (3.5 octaves), or you can switch up or down one or two octaves directly.

The sharp/detune/flat switch on the top of the pedal can be confusing, and users weren’t quite sure what to make of this effect. Ultimately, the consensus seemed to be that the sharp effect is best for guitars, while the flat effect is best for bass. However, most musicians left this switch in the same position and simply adjusted their effect using the wet and dry control knobs.

Aside from that, users were happy with the true bypass in this pedal. They also found that the tracking was surprisingly good, given the budget-friendly price of this small-sized pedal. However, some guitarists felt that the octave effect wasn’t fat enough and left something to be desired, even when the wet knob was fully activated. Overall, it is a great investment for those effects.

What makes it stand out?

• Semitones up to 3.5 octaves
• High-quality tracking
• Can be used for guitar or bass
• True bypass switch

Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?

• Effect isn’t extremely thorough
• Sharp/detune/flat switch can be not really useful

This inexpensive pedal from Joyo combines an octave effect with the distortion. The cut-rate price shows that you can only go up one octave with this pedal, which somewhat limits its usability.

But, users were pretty happy with the controls on this pedal. A mid-cut switch allows you to modulate the frequency of the octave effect, and a tone control knob gives you a lot of adjustability in how your octave-up effect sounds. As far as the distortion effect goes, musicians noted that you get what you pay for – it really is better described as “fuzz” rather than true distortion. But, it’s a nice effect to have on your panel without adding another pedal.

The pedal also has a true bypass control, which is important because users noted that the sound is still extremely fuzzy even when the fuzz dial is turned all the way down. The downside is that this means that you can’t really separate your octave effect from the fuzz effect.

What makes it stand out?

• Inexpensive
• Combines octave and fuzz effect
• True bypass switch

Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?

• Fuzz can’t be turned off without using bypass
• Only one octave up

This affordable octaver pedal from Mooer is a great choice if you’re on a tight budget or don’t have much space on your effects panel. The pedal is extremely flexible, although users noted that Mooer could have done a better job designing the controls. You have 11 different octave effect modes to choose from, each one combining a different number of octaves up and octaves down.

You can customize your effect sound using the sub and up knobs. But, these are really small knobs, so you’ll need to be careful when trying to make tiny adjustments. It’s easy to twist the knobs too much and go overboard. Unfortunately, the dry mix knob is just as small and suffers from the same issue.

That problem aside, though, users were very happy with the tracking on this pedal for it’s price. It also comes with a true bypass switch, which is a nice addition to ensuring your sound stays clean when you don’t want an octave effect.

What do we love it for?

• Low price tag
• Compact design
• 11 different octave effect modes
• True bypass switch
• One-year warranty

What were we disappointed with?

• Control knobs are extremely small
• Mode dial is confusing and could be better designed