Electronic Audio Experiments Mirror House V2 Pitch Detune Pedal

Mirror House creates two pitch-shifted copies of an incoming signal, sending them in equal and opposite directions. The result can range from strange detuning and disorienting microtonal clusters to parallel harmonies, ugly dissonance, and unconventional chorus effects.

The two pitch voices can be shifted statically or dynamically across a range of behaviors. Envelope control produces dynamic vibrato, glissando, and divebomb effects as the voices pull apart and return to center. In Flutter mode, Animate controls a random LFO for an off-kilter chorus and vibrato.

Detune and Flutter provide a static range of one semitone, while Shift is quantized in semitone steps up to an octave in either direction. Depending on your harmonic proclivities, this particular array of features is perhaps an invitation, perhaps a provocation.

Originally developed in collaboration with the band Pile, Mirror House Version 2 adds Flutter mode, improved envelope tracking, and a reduced noise floor compared to Version 1.

Controls

Mix — Sets the balance between the dry and effected signals. Turn clockwise to increase the pitch-shifted signal. At maximum, the dry signal is fully removed.

Amount — Controls the amount of static pitch shifting. Turn clockwise to move the two voices symmetrically away from the original signal: the upper voice rises in pitch while the lower voice falls.

Animate — Adds modulation to the Amount control. In Shift and Detune modes, modulation is envelope-based. In Flutter mode, it uses a random LFO. Turn clockwise to increase modulation depth.

Voices — Blends between the higher and lower pitch voices. At center, both are equally mixed. Turn clockwise to emphasize the higher voice; counterclockwise emphasizes the lower voice. This also affects the direction of envelope motion.

Mode — Three operating modes:

• Shift (Up): Quantized pitch shifting in semitone steps, up to one octave in either direction.

• Flutter (Middle): Similar to Detune mode, with Animate controlling a random LFO. Designed for chorus and vibrato effects.

• Detune (Down): Shifts each voice from unison up to one semitone in opposite directions.

Specifications

• Power: 9V DC, center negative, <95mA current draw

• Bypass: True bypass with soft-touch relay switching

• Input impedance: 500kΩ

• Output impedance: <1kΩ

• Footprint: 4.77" × 2.58"

• Artwork: Nicole Rifkin

Version 2 — 2025

• Relay-based bypass switching

• Improved envelope tracking in Shift and Detune modes with a more clearly defined threshold

• Reduced noise in the DSP signal path

• Updated artwork

• Added Flutter mode