DigiTech FreqOut Natural Feedback Creation Pedal Reviews

In my early years, we avoided feedback like the plague. Then along came Jimi Hendrix and some of us saw that it could be a useful tool in our repertoire. The problem with that is it wasn't controllable. In certain venues it was impractical because of the nature of the feedback and the volume.

Then along comes Freqout.

Now? I get feedback when I want it, how long I want it, and at a volume that doesn't make every dog for six blocks howl. I haven't had it very long, so I haven't explored very many possibilities. But I do use it when I play Aynsley Lister's version of "Take Me To The River". Awesome, just awesome!

Before the digital age, it was a simple matter to place the guitar close to an amp to get feedback. However, you never really knew what was going to happen. Sometimes the feedback was cool, but sometimes it was awful. This pedal works perfectly every time. Very predictable and sounds great through my Helix. The trick will be to not overuse!

Wanted more sustain beyond a compressor - and this pedal did it and is the bomb. Everyone in my band loves it. The audience love what they hear coming from this pedal. This is the only pedal that captures my vibrato and bends etc... EHX Freeze just captures the last millisecond of the note but not my hand vibrato so is just boring or useless for me. After watching videos - I'm guessing the TC Electronics infinite sustainer has the same issue as the Freeze. Freqout is amazing. I can't say enough about it. It's not cheap but it works as advertised.

The Freqout is like no other pedal, it gives a natural sounding feedback in a variety of different pitches and lets you control them along with every other possible aspect of the feedback. I have heard all of the other "feedback" pedals out there and they don't sound anything like the real thing. The Freqout is like playing an instrument and it becomes part of your playing style and gives you inspiration while using it. A big THANK YOU to ANDREW, my Sweewater sales engineer who was absolutely awesome to work with. If you're thinking about getting this pedal, you will be extremely happy with it, and Sweetwater is THE ONLY way to go!

Not quite an ebow... but an ebow can also deprive you of an entire hand.

The delivery of the FreqOut very much comes down to the following: have yourself a good direct signal, put this guy toward the front (if not THE front) of your chain, play with well-disciplined hands that know how and when to avoid unwanted string noise and/or muting (and how and when to UTILIZE string noise and/or muting)... and you've got a killer tool here that really knocks it out of the park.

It takes some tinkering to figure out what you're looking for, but given the variety that's in this box, it's absolutely worth the experimentation. There's a unique sound to it that feels strangely organic and can it get some delightfully eerie vibes. You'll know when you've dialed in yours.

Some people have their complaints concerning notes cutting off while feeding back, but in my experience with it, I can confidently say that the fault in those cases is generally MINE, and not the pedal's. The better player you are and the more control you have over your strings, the better the FreqOut is going to do its job. And a fine job, it does.

If you are looking for that "Rockstar" feedback at the push of a pedal, this is it! It is similar to a Fernandes sustainer pickup or an Ebow sustainer, but in pedal form. It also has some interesting string/synth like sounds in it, you just have to play around with. Really fun and musical pedal. My favorite setting is the "3rd" up. Sounds pretty natural once you dial it in. I like the momentary option. Just play your guitar and when you need that ringing feedback on a single note or at the top of a bend, just mash and hold the footswitch. Very simple. I'm powering it up with the Ciokos DC-7 isolated power and that works amazing. The pedal is a bit on the pricey side, but worth it to me. Check out Pete Thorns review of this pedal on Youtube for sound examples, tones, and settings. Highly recommend this pedal! Rock on!

I bought this looking for a way to get a feedback swell at low volumes, as most f what i do is for my own pleasure in my home studio and i play at low volumes. What i got was so much more than just a way to get a feedback swell, don't get me wrong it does that, and very well, but it also creates so many subtle effects that i find myself using it more for the subtle effects than for the "in your face" feedback scream. The pedal is quiet in that it doesn't introduce any additional noise while using or while bypassed. It is solidly constructed and easy to use. My only complaint is that the two toggle switches in the middle of the pedal should have been moved to the left edge and separated so that they could easily be switched by foot rather than having to bend over and switch them. This being said, this is a fantastic pedal that does something new and different, it does what you'd expect and much more.

I saw some reviews and demos of this that weren't entirely positive. They are wrong! Easy to use, wonderful harmonics, and lots of fun. If you slide to another note, it can sound a bit synthy. But that is not necessarily bad, you can take advantage of that too, just not when you are going for a feedback sound.

This is a great pedal. It is part of my 'plus one's rotation with my HX Stomp.

It can be used as a pseudo e-bow, as a feedback trigger and more.

I have not seen another pedal that does what this can.

Great for getting feedback in an ampless, direct-in studio setting. Also creates some cool ghostly volume swells depending on how you set it up. Definitely a cool addition to the collection.

This pedal works exactly as it claims - very controllable feedback with the ability to add your own personal vibrato to notes. Earlier pedals were unable to do this well or at all!

This is a really cool pedal. Set the switch to Momentary and you can get feedback on command.

This pedal does what I want it to. I leave it on with a slow onset so it really only kicks in when I want it to. I really like the pedal and would recommend it if feedback is something you want.

I find myself using this pedal in very creative ways. Yes you can use it for sustain and feedback at low volumes but also killing the dry sounds or using it to come in after clean chords sounds amazing. I'm still learning all of the cool uses for it. So glad I snagged this.

Go ahead and buy it already. At this current price it's a no brainier.

Does exactly what it does in the demo videos. Super easy to use and a lot more "usable" than just as a low volume feedback machine.

I love to put it on behind clean atmospheric songs and tweak the settings to get it to fill the spaces between phrases with a little swell action.

When using on demand it's hard to keep your foot off it, lol, so make sure to change up the settings to keep it fresh!

Love this whole line of pedals (Nautica, Obscura, freqout are all home runs.)

If you play in a quiet environment like I do and want the feedback of standing in front of a loud cab, this is the pedal for you. Great tone, very versatile.
Check out Pete Thorn's video demo to hear what this pedal is capable of.

The state of the art in digital modeling for guitar is pretty amazing. I own a Kemper and an Axe FX III and they both sound and feel wonderful. There has always been one thing where I thought they were lacking and that was in easily getting musical, responsive feedback from these units. This is the same problem that you have with a real amp when it's miced up in another room. This pedal helps in closing that last authenticity issue.

Put this is front of your modeling rig and spend a little time with the settings and you'll love it! I have no idea why the modeling folks didn't think of this first.

My five score is very subjective, as this pedal fits my specific needs well. Some people will likely not get as much use out of it as I have and might give it a lessor score. Look to YouTube videos and other comments for the feature, control descriptions, and audio samples. This is my subjective and personal impression of the Freqout.

This is really far more than just a feedback simulator. It's that too, and does a fine job, but set this thing up in different ways and it's like some instrument that tracks what your picking and tries to play along and it actually sounds awesome.

If you listen carefully you can tell the feedback sound is a sampled synth note, but it is very smooth with nice overtone generation at the different settings. It's one of those effects that gets much better as one practices manipulating the note generation in various ways at different settings while playing the guitar.

I was kind of concerned it might be a one trick pony, but the fact is that it's a very cool pony and it fits in perfectly with my generally ambient oriented pedal board, and I'm glad I bought it. It's a single trick that can be morphed into a few tricks because of the controls. I also have the SuperEgo, so Electro-Harmonix have now given me two great ways to generate new sounds while I play!

If you like feedback and/or are experimental, you'll love the Freqout, but only get it if you already have all the other pedals you need and/or you can afford the extra expense. It is kind of an extra treat rather than an essential item.

It also looks very nice, what with that line of red LEDs and the retro etched stainless steel look, and feels very solid and well built. Another fine EHX product.

Let me be candid about this unit. First off, it kicks butt.Period.
It is a natural feedback creation pedal. No other current manufacture is making hardware built like it.
Have you've ever stood in front of 6 quad stacks with 12 heads running at 90%? That's what it does.
It recreates natural sounding live feedback. (only without having to run all the above)
I was looking around for a device, or a fx unit, that could duplicate the sound of a live hi gain feedback sound, but without running high volume in my home or in my studio, which would deafen any bird or human within a 100 yard radius. THE FREQOUT WAS/IS THE SOLUTION. I worked with it for a few days, and got it down. Tried it alone...guitar into freqout into amp, tried it alone no other pedals in rear amp loop, etc. Then, tried a compressor in front of it, no squash, just compression for sustain.(ouu ahh)
All of the above ideas, made a BIG difference on how the unit sounds and responds. Tried all the different frequency sounds as well, to best replicate the best live sounding feedback that I could coax out of it. When I was done experimenting, it was a beast.
You slam a A, or D, or any chord for that matter, and here she comes, as sounding live as live can be.
I ended up setting it up, where i don't even have to use the foot momentary. It starts by itself, when I need it, on its own. Its wicked.
As one excellent reviewer mentioned, use it tastefully.
I use it to bring out that raw live sound at chosen moments, to heighten the feeling of a song.
Like at the beginning of a song, or going into a bridge, or at the end of a song to just blast outro of the song..
We all use different amp heads, with different settings, different guitar electronics, different fx units, different chain setups,etc. What settings that I use for my setup, may not sound very good with your setup, and visa versa. I experimented with it through different amp heads and cabs, different settings, believe me, it all makes a big difference on the end result.
You have to set it up for your system. Experiment with it, take the time, and find the best sounds and settings for you. Its now permanently a fixture of my sound.
Controlled live feedback, at any volume, at my call, yes, thank you, I'll take 50 to go.

This thing is AMAZING!!! First, be advised, don't plug in the power supply with
the Momentary turned on. Leave it off, plug it in, then turn the momentary on.

For me, the Momentary is where it's at with this thing! Feedback ONLY where
you want it! It's absolutely AMAZING!

Current draw is 235 mA,, so can be used with Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2+
using outlets 5 or 6 set to NORMAL without issue, and, of course, you can
use the optional Power Supply from Digitech!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Previously I posted in this space that my Voodoo Lab pedal power supply wouldn't power this unit. After stewing about if for 6 months, I finally looked into the issue. Fixed with a current doubler cable. (The same is true for powering the Boss MS-3).

Lovely pedal. Lots of fun. Have to be sparing with it to keep it tasteful...

This pedal is awesome! Feedback on demand?? Yes, please! It"s not like an EBow, it"s very different.... see the video. It"s like standing in front of your amp and playing, to get feedback... like we had to in the old days.

Love this thing! - Been trying to get lower-volume feedback-sustain for years! Totally worth it!

controllable feedback at any volume. this pedal rocks love it!

One of the best effect pedals ever. It takes a little practice to get the sustain just the way you want, but when you get it, the results are just magical. I really like the momentary mode combined with the "natural" setting for adding a wild shriek at the end of a phrase.

I've had this since release. Once you find its spot in your signal chain, it works as you think it would, which is sweet. My favorite is the natural low setting.

Its really unique and wonderful. No complaints. (Gain knob is very sensitive.)

I've had hands on experience with the Boss FB-2 and similar pedals that claimed to do what Digitech actually achieved with the FreqOut. I've used it with all of my amps and it even plays well with my Helix gear too! I would definitely recommend this pedal to anyone looking for more (or a different flavor of) sustain.
I ended up getting another one for my second rig, if that says anything!

Cheers!

Being able to get realistic amp feedback at ANY volume, clean or dirty, near the amp or far away, this is one of the best pedal releases for what it does i can think of in 40 years of playing. I use it multiple times EVERY GIG!!!!!
For a guitarist in a classic rock situation it is a must have to emulate those sustained feedback notes from a cranked amp. (I cant wait to use it on one of my favorite Zappa tunes "Zoot Allures" with is dense little chording and sustained feedback)
Lots of musical choices interval-wise though the 3rd setting is the perfect harmonic you are used to hearing in rock music, experimentation with the other settings will yield some inspiring results as well.
I LOVE this pedal!

With this one pedal in the right place on the pedal board its amazing what you can do. put it first inline on the pedal board, it doesn't work well in any other spot, put it first then get ready to sound like a full stack, so much fun. Yes with some tweaking it will do way more than the Ebow.
Digitech 1st Wah 2nd , Boss DS1, Boss EQ pedal, Xotic Compressor, Xotic Boost, Tuner optional, TC flashback delay, TC corona chorus, TC Hall of fame reverb, Boss rc 3 then out to Amp. Get ready to bust glass

Very cool pedal -- a new pedal that does something that seems obvious, but was apparently a lot harder to pull off than a lot of us non-technical people would have guessed. You get that old stadium-rock feedback sound. You get a few zooms and zings at the end of long notes sometimes, but you can adjust accordingly. It also has several settings to mess around with and I thought they all sounded good.

This is one of the best pedals to come down the pike in a long time. It generates a controlled feedback signal at any volume with a Kemper or a modeler or if you are recording with a cabinet in another room. I find the tone to be very realistic of true volume generated feedback. The various feedback types cover just about any situation and give you options not normally available with the traditional method. The only catch (which cost it half a star for me) is that it only generates the feedback while the string is vibrating. Once the string stops vibrating, the feedback dies. This can be a drag if you hold a really long note. The old school method creates a "loop" involving the amp, speakers and guitar pickups and will hang there forever as long as you hold it. Still, this is an amazing pedal that just earned a permanent spot in my rig.

Drawbacks: The sustained note has a specific cut-off time. I'm not sure how long - didn't time it. But it is a sudden drop/die-off after 6 to maybe 8 seconds. When running this with overdirve pedals? I found most of the settings unusable unless you have NO high-end frequencies left to your hearing. It SQUEALS in the 3rd and 5th setting. (Think like, shattering glass. No hyperbole.) Personally? I have NO use for the "Dry Off" setting either. If you do? Rock on! I can see why many would think this is a bit expensive for, essentially, a "color" pedal used infrequently to enhance certain licks.

Usefulness: Clean? This thing is AMAZING! Distorted using the 1st or 2nd setting? Sweet, baby! I found myself settling into running the "momentary" switch and stomping on the Freqout only when I want to highlight/sustain a note at the end of a run or to focus the listener on a certain tone. Works PERFECTLY to enhance and give the player a feeling of total control. Also 100% spot-on while using a light or heavy vibrato when holding a note. Just don't hold it too long, lol. I imagine that those who delve into "soundscapes" (The Edge and the like) can maximize the possibilities the Freqout offers.

This pedal took me a while to really find how I can use it well. The gain/onset knobs are very sensitive; it can get very loud and since it generates high frequency pitches it can be very harsh to those who suffer with ear damage/hearing loss. At least it is for me. I use it 2 ways: on Momentary, so I can add sustain and harmonics to specific parts in my playing. Then with the Dry signal off, fed into some delay/reverb or tremolo/pan effects. Sometimes I'll add some dirt after it to boost the signal further, especially one with a good eq section so you can adjust the "color" to your liking.

A previous reviewer described the feedback sound as a "sampled synth note" and I think that's fair. For me, any kind of pitch-generating pedal sounds questionable and often artificial. Adding delay or reverb is my best solution for combating this. I'm not crazy about modulation sounds, but with for anyone who is you can definitely make some interesting (psychedelic) stuff with this!

I don't think there's another pedal like this so if DigiTech reads this before they decide to make a V2, may I suggest adding a second output for dry/effect routing (like the EHX Nano POG)... Also, it would be extra cool to have a 2nd footswitch to kill the dry signal on the fly.

This is a fantastic pedal! The Freqout is addictive and has added a new dimension to my recorded tones. Since purchase, I've used it several different ways on a track:

- With clean-ish tones, dial gain down and set to 1st order to add sustain
- Dry signal off for Ebow type textures
- Gain up, set to natural high with momentary on to add feedback to the end of phrases

It's a keeper!

It's pretty cool to be able to summon that natural sounding feedback. You used to have to have your amp set at an unpleasantly loud volume, and/or have to literally find the 'sweet spot' on stage and stand there. I found the best setting (for me) is 'nat hi' with the gain at about 40% and onset at 50%. There are way more settings than I will find useful, but it's fun to mess around with them. Like others have stated, it's probably something to use 'sparingly'.

Pro: The FreqOut adds a dimension to your sound that you could only achieve otherwise at high sound intensities. It allows a lot of flexibility to your musical expression. Great fun!
Con: I haven't been able to power it from my Voodoo labs power supply. I have to use a HK 9V wall wart. I haven't heard this complaint from anyone else, however.

The thing I love most about this pedal is that it allows me to get the type of feedback that I like at low volume. I went shopping for my dream amp a few months ago. I plugged into a Mesa Boogie Mark V Head with 1x12 WideBody Closed Back Cab. I fell instantly in love when the amp produced this incredibly musical feedback with my PRS Custom 22. Of course, this was at a fairly high volume. Needless to say, when I got the amp home, my wife didn't appreciate the volume at which I was playing. With this pedal, I am able to reproduce that glorious, harmonic feedback that I love at marriage-friendly volume. That also makes this pedal a great value; $ for a great pedal versus thousands of dollars in divorce court.

As for the gate or sudden drop-out issue, all you have to do is keep the string moving (vibrato) and the feedback will last indefinitely. I was able to keep the feedback going until my fingers gave out!

Having a blast with the FreqOut!

This pedal is really great at what it is designed to do. It is NOT an infinite sustain tool like the eBow. It is a feedback simulator and it does that very well. For those little 3 to 5 second bursts feedback it's really great. So great in fact that I will have to reign myself in and be very selective about when I use it. Since the feedback is generated from the guitar harmonics, how long it lasts will depend on how much sustain your guitar is capable of. I clocked a 10 second feedback on one of my PRSs. I like being able to select the harmonics and the natural high setting is kind of neat .. unpredictable like the real thing. I give it a 4.5 only because for a 5 it would have to play my guitar too. Great pedal.

Insane pedal however you need to be super intentional about how you use it. To the guy that says it hits the gate real quick, you're not using it right. At first I had that issue but after messing around with the EQ it works like a beauty. Just like any other pedal you, have to give it some time and get to learn it.

Did not take long to figure it out, basically you can decide to either keep it on or press the pedal in momentary mode to get the effect. There is three tweaks that need to be made

- The type of feedback you want
- The gain on the feedback (very sensitive)
- The timing of the feedback bloom

The pedal is awesome, for me it is one that will be used often. I am still playing around with the position on my pedal board but after the wah has sounded best. I have it dialed in for my Marshall Astoria Custom right now and also have it into the loop of my Kemper. One thing the Kemper lacks is the ability to create natural harmonic feedback, this solves that.

The feedback is amazing with clean sounds when adding reverb tails, you can make some really cool sounds and swells. Clean feedback has always been hard if not impossible, not any more.

Highly recommended "if" you use harmonic feedback musically.

This pedal is just plain fun! Feedback to your hearts content! Your bandmates will love you for getting this!

I did a video Demo/Review on my GearGasms YouTube channel if you want to get my full impressions but I really like this pedal. Some of the modes sound a little weird but I really like the Natural Low setting. The weirder ones can be used to get neat, oddball almost Whammy pedal noises, but for realistic I like the NL mode. It stays out of the way pretty well in the always on mode, and while that can be interesting, I like it in the momentary mode. It's great for when you want feedback at low volume or if you are recording direct into a DAW and need feedback in the studio. I never get tired of stepping on this thing.

Again, I did a fun review and demo on GearGasms - you can Google that or just look it up on YouTube - hearing is believing!

It does as seen in the video and is easy to adjust to get the sounds you want.
The only thing to watch out for is that it is a higher drain on a power supply.
If your power amprage is too low the pedal does not work.

I played with a pre-production unit that a Digitech engineer brought in to a small local shop for some "on the street" reactions (Digitech HQ is in Utah). Super fun toy that sparks a number of creative ideas just from playing with it. A familiar effect with newfound control. I can easily see it being overused but in part I think that's because its a unique soundshaping tool and that's an achievement in an of itself. Let's see if the production units live up to the prototype

The Freqout pedal is the closest thing to a Sustainiac pickup in this price range. The high price of the pedal is why I did not give it a 4 or 4 1/2 ratting. There is no power supply provided , so add another $20.00 to it. That said , it's very good at sustaining notes and chords at low volumes.
When you use the latch mode you can get those Satriani/ Vai sounds ,provided your guitar is set up well , if not it will cut out on you.
All in all every guitar will not accept the Sustainiac pickup, but the Freqout can be used on any pedal board.

Get one today!

its okay. it sounds fake the feedback. but it can be useful if used sparingly for sure. Told me it took a battery and i almost tore it apart ha. No power supply sucks

Note that the rating numbers and their descriptions (in this case 3.0 = "Really Good!") don't match. In most 1 - 5 scales I'd call this product a 4 which would mean Really Good but could be improved. This being said:

Plus: Reliable and versatile in terms of the variations it provides. Makes getting wanted feedback much easier when performing on stage. The ability to vary the delay of onset, relative volume, and the pitch of the feedback gives a variety of options.

Minus: Will cut out when bending the string, limiting the range of applications. At times (especially when sliding up or down the neck) can sound rather artificial.

I had to send my first one back due to a faulty switch. Sweetwater did an outstanding job getting a replacement in my hands ASAP!

This is a very useful tool for me now, and getting better as I learn how to use it. Future generations of the product may see improvements.

I got this a couple days ago, and so far it's sitting here silently. I added it to my pedal board with a Voodoo power supply, and not a peep. What's been your experience? - did you have to buy the separate Harman power supply? Thanks - Bob

The unit works much better with overdrive and a reasonably loud amp, rather than clean and and low volume. It sounds somewhat artificial if you slide from one note to the next. Sort of like a whistling sound.

I got this because I run my amp at a pretty low volume at mic it at rehearsals. The amp volume is too low to get feedback and I thought this might work for me. It's alright, but a lot of the harmonic options just sound like high pitched squeals and aren't really useful (for my needs).

Also, the feedback can get really loud if you have the gain knob at or past 12:00.

I'm still trying to work out the kinks and find some sounds that I can use.

If you can get a good deal on it, I'd recommend it, but it's more of a novelty than anything you will probably use a lot. I also think it is too expensive for what it does.

Need a 300ma power supply to run it. Doesn"t sustain very long. Feedback sounds kinda processed more than natural. Cool effect.. just not for me.

The concept of this pedal was intriguing, the idea of feedback on demand. Unfortunately the feedback was not very natural sounding, more of a synth sound. The power demand of this pedal is high so it will really need a separate power supply as it demanded too much from my pedal boards current power brick. ...price tag is too much for this pedal's ability.

Noisier than I'd like... you can always hear the processor faintly humming away at a false F-note. Not really true bypass; seems like my signal is always effected by the FreqOut regardless of whether it's engaged or not. I'm also seeing a hard threshold cutoff after some sustain, very unnatural action. This occurs regardless of settings. Also some latency detected. Probably going to return it.

So the problem I have with this pedal, that it's a very latency is ridiculous. I understand you can control it however it wouldn't get you there. They could've done better if they mixed a noise gate with this so when the gate engages the feedback would kick in.
I'll be honest, I've sold all my digitech pedals except my space station. The pedals suck and the owner is a bigger looser.

I play in a national touring act. Many times we have to play at a low volume (in door/smaller venues). I bought the pedal for its claimed feedback capabilities. The feedback cut off immediately when vibrato was applied to the note. This pedal is pretty much designed for feedback but not the full ability to maintain the feedback when standard vibrato is applied to the string.

Nope.

Within less than a year after purchasing, the pedal stopped working. Ended up getting a replacement from DigiTech. The replacement worked fine for several months until it also died. Wrote to DigiTech again but because the first pedal was out of warranty, there'd be no replacement. The same problem happened with both pedals - all the lights would come on but that's all they would do.

At that point the repair cost would've been close to the cost of a new unit - so getting it repaired was not going to happen. So basically I'm out $. "Thanks".

The concept is great but the reliability is non-existent. I had purchased this pedal and within 1 month AFTER the warranty was up, it died. Using a 1-Spot power supply, btw. After plugging it in, a couple LEDs came on & stayed on. The footswitch didn't engage the effect. I contacted DigiTech and they replaced it for free.

The second pedal didn't do much better. After 14 months - with only occasional use - it died in the same exact way as the first one. DigiTech said someone from their service dept. would be in touch - I told them at this point I don't want it replaced or fixed. Too unreliable to continue using their products!

got the freqout today, it will be going back tommrow. after playing with it for a few hours, I will stick to my ebow. The pedal has a lot of features but just don't sound very good. after a few seconds the note shuts off real hard. it felt like after it hits a threshold it gates off