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There's a chance one of the other guitarists may get one too and set that one up for drop b so I won't have to do it on mine, if I'm learning songs or just trying to write something though the pedal might be handy.
Sepultura were touring with their guitars tuned to B, and using either a Drop (I think it was) or a Morpheus to go down to A, with the same guitar. I was working for them.
In other news @Lestratcaster is a bad man, I've just order a Drop.........
Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21)
It's impossible for the pedal to be zero latency because it has to process the sound and retune it - whether or not you'll notice any latency is another question.
According to this forum post, depending on the tuning The Drop's latency is between 12 and 17ms.
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/some-digital-latency-measurements-including-digitech-drop-vs-ehx-pitchfork.1734022/
When you consider that in the context of a typical DAW setup you're potentially going to hit around 20ms total latency for tracking guitar parts. YMMV but many people would find they'd feel that. If you've got a DAW it's simple to see if that'll affect you, just add a 12ms 100% wet delay into your tracking chain and see how it feels. If you can still play tight then go for the pedal.
I get where you're coming from and I've been in this situation myself. There's not a zero compromise option here so you're going to have to make the best decision for you. You clearly feel that the pedal is a better solution for you so it makes sense to try it out.
That said, you definitely get away with it in a band context...
And I'd be interested if there's something better than it, I've heard about the EHX Pitch Shifter but not seen much of it.
Will it still sound like a guitar - yes. Will there be latency - yes. Are either or both of these things an issue, that's up to you, you're going to need to try it yourself.
I don't understand why you're opposed to getting the nut filed. There'll be no negative consequences if it is done properly, the guitar will be able to take strings for either standard or the lower tuning, it'll sound and play better, and it'll cost you less money.
It really doesn't take that long to restring a guitar and tweak the setup for either set of strings/tunings, you just need a set of allen keys and a bit of free time, and getting better at setting your own instruments up is only ever a good thing in my eyes.
From experience the latency is going to be the biggest issue, even if you can live with the sound. If the figures I found are correct for latency it's going to be really tough to play tight pop punk/metal rhythms when the latency is going to be in the region of 20ms typically including the latency of the pedal and DAW setup.
I know you want the pedal to be the best solution, but IMO it isn't. It's a bigger compromise, but if it is a compromise you can live with then that's all that matters.
No power issues with Voodoo labs or Strymon supplies for me.