DIGITECH VOCALIST LIVE 2 - NOW WITH CONCLUSIONS AND VIDEO CLIPS!

[gc24]

Yea, here's a tip. Don't let the other guys sing! LOL.

[sventvkg]

Yea, here's a tip. Don't let the other guys sing! LOL.

no, turn them off in the mains, leave them on in the monitors and the crowd will think you guys have really stepped it up vocally!....And the band members won't resent the machine that puts them out of a job vocally!

[horstay]

Has anyone of the lucky owners tried to play music (more then just a guitar only) thru the guitar in, if its also able to show the chords. I think drums, reverb and so on could irritate the algorithm. But if this would work ...

end of guessing -what chord could this be??-

Just a suggestion

[neuro-feed]

no, turn them off in the mains, leave them on in the monitors and the crowd will think you guys have really stepped it up vocally!....And the band members won't resent the machine that puts them out of a job vocally!

Well not quite. Unless the songs you are doing enable you to sing backing sections to your songs then you won't have a voice to trigger the harmonies. The problem I have with these units in general, and it's through no fault of their own, is that there are many songs you can't use it for if you've got separate background harmony parts going on while the lead vocal's doing something else. If you need to be singing separate lead parts while harmonies are going on, then you have no choice but to rely on one of your bad singers to trigger the harmonies.

[Chumly]

neuro-feed ,
You are not entirely correct that "you have no choice but to rely on one of your bad singers to trigger the harmonies" because the TC Helicon VoiceWorks has a hold function giving you some flexibility in terms of two separate parts in real time.

It’s one of a number of areas where the newest TC Helicon gear is actually superior to the newest Digitech gear. As I have discused I am keeping my TC Helicon VoiceWorks and buying a DigiTech VL4.

[jfwong]

So I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to stuff like this but I have a fairly simple question (or so I hope).

My more than experimental rock band consists of a vocalist, keyboards, bass, and drums - aka no guitar.

Now I'm really interested in buying the VL2/4 because I do stuff on the side with guitars, but I want to know the extent of the ability for the VL2/4 to work with an output from an electronic keyboard.

I know there's no midi-compatibility with the VL2/4 and the TC Helicon stuff seems to have it, but is there any way to add onto the VL2/4 with additional hardware to be able to use an electronic keyboard and create the same kind of harmonies? Some people have said they've had success with synths and the VL2/4, but I'm not sure if that's the same.

Thanks so much,
jw

[Chumly]

There are quite a number of things that you can do with the MIDI output from a keyboard that will not be possible with the VL 2/4 at all, on the other hand using a VL 2/4 with the audio from a keyboard may (well if it works well it should) give you better conventional results with traditional harmonies with less work.

If you want to be “experimental” then go for MIDI keyboard control with a TC Helicon unit and forget the VL 2/4.

[Tom in Naples]

If you're the lead vocalist and usually drive the harmonies, I would guess that, short of a 2nd VL2, you'd switch mics with another member so they could drive harmonies that are not in line with the lead vocal. "The Last Waltz" was on a few weeks ago and Robbie Robertson was harmonizing like crazy and I always thought his mic was off and it was just for show - I could be wrong. But is turning the bad singers' mics off and letting them fake it sort of like Milli Vanilli? I'm using the VL2 in a solo act and would probably consider doing the above in a band situation but I'd mix the real singers a lot lower instead of OFF. I remember seeing a duo of guitar and keys with backing midi tracks and noticing the guitarist wasn't playing the right chords. I walked around back and the keyboard player was just banging on the keys, not playing anything. So, basically, they were 2 vocalists pretending to be musicians.
As far as the Harmony setting, I think it suggests 11 o'clock but I'm closer to 1:30 or so.

[neuro-feed]

If you're the lead vocalist and usually drive the harmonies, I would guess that, short of a 2nd VL2, you'd switch mics with another member so they could drive harmonies that are not in line with the lead vocal. I'm guessing you could get a mic splitter and have two mics feeding into one VL2 PROVIDED you're both not singing at the same time (and there's enough isolation that whomever's mic is not triggering the harmonies is not picking up unwanted stage noise). I've never seen a mic splitter that allows you to A/B the 2 mics, i.e. switching one on and turning the other off, though they may be out there. As far as the Harmony setting, I think it suggests 11 o'clock but I'm closer to 1:30 or so.

 

 

I had mine up around noon and was playing along with it in the basement. To my surprise, my wife, who was listening through the floorboards, said that she thought the harmonies sounded robotic. I'm going to be using the VL2 live this Friday blended with my band, so I'm thinking I'll elave the level at around 11 o'clock to serve as more of a thickener for the backing vocalists we already have.

[orbm1]

This is my first time posting anything. but after reading all of them, I have to agree that this is a great processor. I am not that good of a singer (I have played guitar for 13 years, sing for 4 moths ), but with this your confidence level will boost, I am the choir director at 2 churches, and I am getting a lot of compliments on the vocals. I even know a couple of musicians that have approached me asking: "who is doing the harmonies? he/she is pretty good!" I have not revealed my secret yet to them ....

One question That I have.... I read in the thread that the vl4 will have pitch correction??? is that true?, and possible? also, do you think I can get pitch correction with this one (vl2) with the unison?????? or should I just wait for the vl4????

another question, I play guitar (nylon strings with a fishman pickup) It works great with the vocalist but i do have to use almost full volume... now, for the other church i play the piano, baby grand, and i was wondering? do you think if i mic the piano and input the signal in the guitar input, would this works? any comments?????

Thanks in advance.

Omar

[mikesr1963]

[jfwong]

This is my first time posting anything. but after reading all of them, I have to agree that this is a great processor. I am not that good of a singer (I have played guitar for 13 years, sing for 4 moths ), but with this your confidence level will boost, I am the choir director at 2 churches, and I am getting a lot of compliments on the vocals. I even know a couple of musicians that have approached me asking: "who is doing the harmonies? he/she is pretty good!" I have not revealed my secret yet to them .... One question That I have.... I read in the thread that the vl4 will have pitch correction??? is that true?, and possible? also, do you think I can get pitch correction with this one (vl2) with the unison?????? or should I just wait for the vl4???? another question, I play guitar (nylon strings with a fishman pickup) It works great with the vocalist but i do have to use almost full volume... now, for the other church i play the piano, baby grand, and i was wondering? do you think if i mic the piano and input the signal in the guitar input, would this works? any comments????? Thanks in advance. Omar

 

I'm fairly sure you wouldn't produce consistent results by mic-ing a piano and using that as the audio input. However from what I've gathered, it's more consistent (but still not perfect) when you use a direct audio signal from an electronic piano/keyboard.

 

When I e-mailed Digitech about it, they stated that "As for other instruments, [the vocalist] doesn't work consistently". Mic-ing a piano probably wouldn't produce soundwave patterns that the MusIQ could recognize.

[Anderton]

The VL4 does indeed include pitch correction.

[orbm1]

The VL4 does indeed include pitch correction.

 

 

now, do you think the pitch correction will be for the main vocal, harmonies or both? in real time?

 

Thanks again!

 

Omar

[Chumly]

When pitch correction for harmonizers is discussed the reference is to real time pitch correction for the inputted main voice. By default the harmonized parts almost always have the option of pitch correction.

However, don’t think that pitch correction on the main vocal is going to solve your problems of poor pitch accuracy, as it can make things worse by confusing you with you with two pitches:

1) internal pitch
1) you hear from the VL4

[FocusPlayer]

Partial Pitch correction is achieved in the Unison voice on the VL2 by using the chromatic unison. You are getting a chorus effect but the dbled voice is forced to stay on a solid “real” pitch… so even if your “A” is 446, your twin is 440 … and thus the blend is closer to in-tune than you were without the added voice.
I used my VL2 at a small live gig on Friday and loved it.

I'm new here - so I'm not sure about your polocy on linking to other sites - but -
should anyone wish to hear me doing a simple original song I wrote and recorded with the VL2, - I can drop a link to it here.

[FocusPlayer]

Working back thru the first 10 pages here.... WOW. What a great review and excellent follow up info. Thanks H.C. !

[donsimon76]

I though I was done buying stuff for a while! I am happy with my amps, I am happy with my guitars (and the one on the way), I am happy with my Fantom X8 keyboard! I stumbled in here and next thing I know is I'm buying a Blemished one off of zZounds.com for $279 and free shipping. I have been a choir person for the last 25 years, have played piano for 25 years, taught piano for the last 5 years and took up guitar about 5 years ago. I have had the itch to finally break out and do a little solo performing even if it is just a few stupid little gigs. This just seems like that extra little boost my performing needs to kick it up a notch. I should have it Thursday with serious time to try it out Friday afternoon. I can't wait!

[Miket156]

I only wish Digitech or SOMEBODY would come out with a small desktop harmonizer for KB players. A floor model doesn't do anything for KB players. I've been using the original Digitect Vocalist since 1993. I like having that unit on top of my main KB where I can mix real time, turn it on and off with a footswitch, as well as do manual program changes while I play along with my sequences. I looked at rack units, but there are too many variables in different rooms to rely on a rack unit that I might not be able to tweak or control on the fly like I do with the original vocalist.

When I first started using it, I use to provide the chords directly from my KB Live via a midi cable. That method limited my playing too much, so I went about recording chord changes on a midi channel to provide the chord changes to the unit. It is a MUCH better method than be stuck playing chords, especially as a solo act.

I think the newer units sound better than mine, less chipmunks running around inside. I have the harmony parts in a separate channel in my mixer and reduce the highs a bit compared to my lead voice, and it sounds better.

[lhoard]

I've had my VL4 on order from Musicians Friend since May 15th. I contacted them about shipment. They said Digitech told them the latter part of August they would be shipping. I contacted Digitech and they informed me no one has received any VL4's yet, but intend to start shipping the latter part of August. Just FYI.

[Chumly]

Miket156,

A rack mount TC Helicon VoiceWorks plus the Behringer FBC1010 foot controller will give you all the hands off flexibility you could need. Mind you (as I mentioned) I wish the VL4 was a rack-mount MIDI-able device. Hopefully at some point they will bring out a VL4 Pro. It seems to be a common marketing stratagem.

I am a guitar player and am buying the VL4 so hopefully it is smart enough to allow solos and other guitar-istic devices to not interfere with its sensing of chord structure. Apparently it is! I do a solo act too so in some sense am in the same boat.

I have not sent MIDI chord data to my harmonizer (via guitar synth or otherwise) but use the scalic mode (for better or worse) with MIDI patch change data as needed.

Or how about a MIDI control surface and the MIDI-able harmonizer of your choice? What I am saying is that you are not locked into your present system and can have small desktop access or floor access with rack or whatever pleases you.

As far as making the harmonized parts mix better, putting them farther back in the mix spatially with a larger 'verb sound combined with high pass filtering is the way to go, I can’t really agree that low pass filtering (as you use it) makes as much sense.

For me in your shoes, I would use low pass filtering more as a last resort than a tool of first choice and yep I had the same unit you own years ago, it was OK for its time.

FYI I would use band pass before low pass in terms of priorities.

[Ontariomedic]

Hey guys,

I wrote to Mark Cooper regarding the VL4 demo video that was supposed to be released a long time ago. For those who are not familiar with Coop, he is the same fellow who did the VL2 demo video for Digitech. Cut and copy the link below for his response. Once you enter the link, the previous page will show you the question.

http://www.coopdeville.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=47&func=view&id=115&catid=2&limit=6&limitstart=6

Sounds like alot of legal issues surrounding this amazing box.

Anyhow, I'm still anxiously waiting for my VL4 !!

[jfwong]

Since I didn't really get enough of an answer for my original question (I know, greedy aren't I?) I was hoping someone could post up an example of feeding their keyboard audion into the VL2 and harmonizing over it.

I'm seriously thinking of buying the VL4 because I do some guitar stuff on the side but I would mainly be using it currently just for keyboards and vocals - I'm just hoping that it works enough of the time for it to still be useful.

Examples / samples = my eternal love

[donsimon76]

I know that I will be trying it with my Roland Fantom X8 keyboard when it arrives tomorrow as well as with my guitars. I may be able to report on it tomorrow.

[jfwong]

I know that I will be trying it with my Roland Fantom X8 keyboard when it arrives tomorrow as well as with my guitars. I may be able to report on it tomorrow.

Great!

I'm definitely looking forward to the results!