Vocal effects

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I am new to this whole "band gear $$$$ who needs food?" thing and I'm thinking about buying some neat vocal effects processor thingy. My only problems are:

- I have no idea what I want.
- I have no idea what's available.
- I have no idea how much I want to spend.

So, um, any tips on where to get started educating myself about these things so I can throw away some money?

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 12:54 (nineteen years ago)

Are you looking for a palette of really basic effects, or something to do serious weirdo Knife-like processing? And is this for live/rehearsal use, or for recording?

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 14:35 (nineteen years ago)

Let's start off with the basics; I really have no idea what's out there so I don't want to jump all over some ultrabizarre gonzo thing that won't fit in with my band at all (even though I'm mentally going "YESYESYES I WANT TO SOUND LIKE A TRACTOR IN HEAT"). The focus should probably be more towards live/rehearsal use than recording; we aren't lined up for any gigs yet and are in fact still putting together demo tracks but the goal is much more towards playing out than recording.

Something that could make me sound like I was harmonizing with an ostrich would be awesome.

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 14:54 (nineteen years ago)

So just a multi-effects pedal, basically: I always just used a guitar multi-effect for this. (They're cheap, you can keep them on the floor and punch up different settings at your leisure, and even the ones that sounded a little too slick and cheesy on guitar worked much better for voice.)

These days, though, the guitar multi-effects are stocked with all kinds of amp modelers and cabinet simulators and stuff like that, so they've broken out equivalents for voice -- same thing, different set of extras. Digitech makes a task-specific Vocal Effect pedal for $200, which sounds like it comes with all the basic effects (same that would be on a guitar multi-effect) plus loads of unnecessary "scary alien voice" settings. But I've never used any vocal ones, so I don't know about specific recommendations.

These are basically going to range from $50-$200, though, so it shouldn't be too much trouble to pick one up, try it out, and return it if it isn't your style. I think the main thing to look for is actually the interface, and how much of a pain in the ass it's going to be to actually sort out your own settings -- the reason the cheap stuff is cheap is often that it has like two knobs and a three-character LCD display, and you're somehow meant to control 40 effects types with just that. (Digitech, for instance, will sell three different multi-effects that all seem to have the exact same processor in there, with the only differences being size, controls, and ease of use.)

So yeah, you should be good just poking around for one that looks usable, then taking it home and playing with the effects for a while. People who know way more than me about this will probably have more specific item recommendations, I assume.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 15:37 (nineteen years ago)

Oh RIGHT: the other important difference with the vocal ones is that they're going to have mic inputs! So yeah, don't forget to sort out what kind of input you're going to need, both for rehearsal and if you wind up playing live -- that one I linked can take XLR and quarter-inch both.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

Ha, note also that it has a foot pedal, so you could sing, like, "Free BiiiIIIIIIIIIrR@%$^RRR|)D)))) ... D)))) ... D)))) ... D)))) ... d)) ..."

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 15:45 (nineteen years ago)

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=tc+helicon+voicelive&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&oi=froogle&ct=title

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:01 (nineteen years ago)

Okay I totally want that but if I drop that much cash on something that can't be used as the centerpiece to a living room and could support a lamp or potted plant, I will be killed.

― Young Fresh Danny D (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:22 (nineteen years ago)

I can't think of any good use of vocal effects besides reverb and Line6 delay/loop.

― Songbirds of Darker Florida (cprek), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 16:38 (nineteen years ago)

you could get a second hand midiverb or quadraverb for bugger all $$$

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Tuesday, 29 August 2006 22:49 (nineteen years ago)

But a rack would be kind of inappropriate for his purposes, wouldn't it? A pedal seems much better.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 30 August 2006 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

Hey, I think I know a guy that owns a music store that sells Digitech vocal processors, and he says that you are eligible for the "I've known you for 19 years" discount. I'll talk to you about it at the CLAMBAKE.

― John Justen, All Dude Dual Groom Swordfight Revue (johnjusten), Saturday, 2 September 2006 21:30 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

vox through guitar multi-effects pedal: is it saif???

― I'm at the combination pizza butt and taco hell (absolutely clean glasses), Monday, 9 May 2011 17:42 (fourteen years ago)

no.

― owenf, Wednesday, 11 May 2011 15:56 (fourteen years ago)

haha

― Devil Mo (dog latin), Wednesday, 11 May 2011 15:59 (fourteen years ago)

you will die

― Devil Mo (dog latin), Wednesday, 11 May 2011 15:59 (fourteen years ago)

XLR to Jack leads have a lot to answer for

― owenf, Thursday, 12 May 2011 09:30 (fourteen years ago)

yeah i was going to pop in and say that you are dealing w/a notable impedance mismatch here (unless you use a high impedance mic) but on the other hand i doubt you are trying to use this in order to sound "good" so noise and level issues might not be a huge concern.

nothing will blow up tho.

― blbllbllllllrlrrghgghhh (jjjusten), Thursday, 12 May 2011 15:28 (fourteen years ago)

yeah but it might

― owenf, Thursday, 12 May 2011 16:41 (fourteen years ago)

Sent a 48v rail feed to my I-Phone yesterday by accident, admirably it didn't explode, just conked out for a few minutes.

― Per Yngve's having his brain out (MaresNest), Friday, 13 May 2011 11:05 (fourteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.