Vocal harmonizers for live use. Using effects on vocals etc.

Creed_Clicks

I was looking at maybe getting a vocal harmonizer, such as the TC Helicon harmony singer for some experimental live use.

I wouldn't necessarily be buying it to sing the Beatles, Eagles or Teenage Fanclub songs.

I would like to use something like a vocal harmonizer to make the vocal almost another instrument, so maybe effect the vocal at certain points, with a harmony for example.

Anyone use the TC Helicon harmony singer? I hear mixed reports. Fairly sure Damien Jurado used one on Jools Holland a while back as an effect on one of his songs, and it piqued my interest, in terms of playing a solo slot, and trying to use loopers or vocal harmonizers to mess around with the standard guitar/vocal...

PolarityMan

Our singer occasionally uses one of these:

http://cms.rolandus.com/assets/images/products/gallery/ve-20_top_gal.jpg

The delays and reverbs tend to be better than the harmonies, especially if you have someone else singing harmonies already.

Also the robot voice is pretty funny.

Creed_Clicks

aha, will check this out!

vasselmeyer

Another user of the Boss VE-20 here. Easy to use and, as usual, bulletproof construction.

GavRichList

Our singer has the voicelive touch. It's so good. Imogen Heap a go go.

Creed_Clicks

I had a look at the Boss demo. Looks like what I'm looking for!

Phil_aka_Pip

our drummer sings BVs thru the TC Helicon device. nicely effective

caveats: minor keys don't work so well unless it's the aeolian mode.

Creed_Clicks

Gah, I'm a minor type of guy

monquixote

I had a Harmony Singer. 

It's quite good though I decided not to bother with it in the end. 

I wouldn't choose it for weirdness really as that's not really what it's for, it kind of does it's thing and that's it.

Creed_Clicks

The Boss might be good for the weirdness I think..

PolarityMan

Phil_aka_Pip said:

our drummer sings BVs thru the TC Helicon device. nicely effective

caveats: minor keys don't work so well unless it's the aeolian mode.

That's a good point actually, the way the harmonisers work they usually just pick from a scale so if you;re playing stuff that's already musically complex, especially if very chromatic it can pick some pretty daft notes sometimes.

monquixote

PolarityMan said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

our drummer sings BVs thru the TC Helicon device. nicely effective

caveats: minor keys don't work so well unless it's the aeolian mode.

That's a good point actually, the way the harmonisers work they usually just pick from a scale so if you;re playing stuff that's already musically complex, especially if very chromatic it can pick some pretty daft notes sometimes.

Absolutely true. 

If you are playing something that isn't completely diatonic they will occasionally do a crazy harmony that sounds odd.

Creed_Clicks

I might take a punt on a used Boss VE 20

PolarityMan

monquixote said:

PolarityMan said:

Phil_aka_Pip said:

our drummer sings BVs thru the TC Helicon device. nicely effective

caveats: minor keys don't work so well unless it's the aeolian mode.

That's a good point actually, the way the harmonisers work they usually just pick from a scale so if you;re playing stuff that's already musically complex, especially if very chromatic it can pick some pretty daft notes sometimes.

Absolutely true. 

If you are playing something that isn't completely diatonic they will occasionally do a crazy harmony that sounds odd.

Tbh as our bassist is also a really good singer we tend to use it fairly sparingly for actual harmonies and more often for delay, reverbs, distortion, telephone filter and that kind of thing.

Creed_Clicks

Yeah, I'd be into using the effects as opposed to leaning to heavily on the harmonies.

Doubling up the vocal would be a nice effect as well.

Fez

We bought the TC one for our singer and he gets some good results with it so long as the bass amp isn't pointing directly at his mic.

Creed_Clicks

Took a punt on the Boss VE 20