The Electro-Harmonix Pico POG is one of those pedals we could see coming, in light of the popularity of the NYC’s company POG family, and of the miniaturizing trend that’s been affecting the stompbox realm for over a decade now.
In the POG’s case, this is the 3rd increasingly smaller interaction of the most popular octave generator in the world, after the Micro and the Nano versions, and also the first EHX product named “Pico,” which in all likelihood hints at an upcoming series of mini versions of classic EHX effects.
Unsurprisingly, this is a much more streamlined version of the original POG, but, notwithstanding its small form factor, it sports more features than both the Micro and the Nano ones.
Three knobs give you control over the three octaves, with the Dry control representing the central one and the Sub Octave and High Octave knobs taking care of the transposed tones, which are tracked extremely efficiently in a polyphonic fashion (i.e. the effect can track chords as well as single notes).
The handy new feature comes with the fourth knob and the push button placed on the top of the case, which together activate a 3-mode Filter that further takes this pedal into synth territory.
There’s a regular Tone Mode that applies to all octaves a tilt-EQ, which is the type of EQ found in most dirt boxes (brighter clockwise, darker anticlockwise, flat in the center). In Low Pass Filter Mode, the knob cuts the highs like a classic synth filter, but only in the Sub and Octave Up voices, while High Pass Filter Mode does the exact opposite, cutting the low frequencies in the Sub and Octave Up Voices. In the latter two modes the position of the knob will determine where, in the frequency spectrum, the filter will start its cutting action.
The POG Pico looks like a useful little device for creative musicians or for those who like to have their octaver separate from their fuzz.
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Electro-Harmonix Pico POG, Builder’s Notes
EHX’s smallest and most powerful compact Polyphonic Octave Generator yet. The Pico POG takes the streamlined simplicity of the Micro and Nano POGs and fits it all into an ultra-compact chassis and adds a powerful tone control. The tightest octave effect now fits on the tightest of pedalboards.
The EHX Pico POG features a lighting fast feel that will track every note and chord you play with precision. Dial in Sub Octave to add stumble rumble or monstrous thunder. Add Octave Up for ethereal air or max it out to shred into another galaxy. Perfectly blend 3-voice tones for fat synthy madness. The 3 mode Tone control lets you tailor your sound to fit into any pocket no matter how massive or small.
Controls on the Pico POG include dedicated volumes knobs for the SUB OCTAVE, OCTAVE UP, and DRY voices. These three controls act as a mixer for infinite possible voice mixes. The TONE knob features three modes controlled by the FILTER button. In Tone Mode, the knob acts as a tilt-EQ with a flat frequency response in the center, more treble and less bass as you turn the knob clockwise, and less treble and more bass as you turn the knob counterclockwise. In this mode, the EQ is applied to all 3 voices. In Low Pass Filter mode, the knob cuts highs in the Sub and Octave Up voices, while High Pass Filter mode cuts lows in the Sub and Octave Up Voices.
- Lightning-fast tracking with perfectly precise octave tones
- 3 volume knobs control level of SUB OCTAVE, OCTAVE UP, and DRY tones
- TONE knob with 3 filter modes
- Tone Mode applied tilt-EQ to all output
- Low Pass Mode applies a resonant low pass filter, which allows low frequencies to pass while cutting higher frequencies of the Sub and Octave Up voices
- High Pass Mode applies a high pass filter, which allows high frequencies to pass while cutting lower frequencies of the Sub and Octave Up voices
- Power adapter included
