harmonizers

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NLAlston

NLAlston

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I think that I have coined the name of these units right (vocal harmonizers) but, in the event that I haven't, I am in the market for a piece of equipment that will afford me the opportunity to record multiple vocals in one pass. I do all my own vocals and have been doing them in singular fashion. If there is a way to get them down - in an easier manner - I will jump on it. A few years back I borrowed an effects box from a friend, and one of the features was within the allowance of enabling the harmonizing of a voice as it was being recorded. However, it was limited to just one added voice, and I would like to be able to record two harmonizing voices on top of mine, per each background tracking. Additionaly, the effect was proper only with "straight" (or Major) notes. If a Minor key was desired, the harmonized note would (at that particular point)be off.
Would anyone know of any such unit that would be effective in all types of harmonics? And, if so, what type of cash outlay should I expect to part with? I would appreciate any info on this.

[This message has been edited by NLAlston (edited 06-26-2000).]
 
The product you are looking for is made by Digitech and it's called the Studio Vocalist EX.I have one and I use it all the time,I love it.Digitech has made different versions of this type of box over the years,at varying price points(and levels of Quality),but IMO the one to get is the Studio because it's got better converters,an IEC power cord,XLR individual outputs,and more features than most of us want,but it's good to know they are there.They've been around for a while so you might be able to find a used one,I paid $750 new for mine in 1996,then $75 to get the EX upgrade chip in 1998,but any unit made from '98 on comes w/the EX OS.You can feed it from an aux send on your mixer just like a reverb,and the Studio even has anXLR mic input w/Phantom power.Cheers!
 
Thanks Ray. It is more than what I had wanted to spend - but I guess you get what you pay for. I will definitely look for one.

Peace, Nate.
 
Cool! If you find one used,try to check it out against the other Digitech models(Vocalist Access,etc.) to see if YOU feel it's worth the xtra dosh to you,"cause the other models are by no means crap,either,I was just saying that for me,the first time I heard the Studio,I knew I had to have one...Cheers!
 
Hi again, Ray ~
I went to the Digitech web-site and emailed them a query on their units. It turns out that the Studio Vocalist is no longer available. The next in line is the Vocalist Workstation, which I believe they are selling for $500. This one doesn't have the Phantom power (though I don't rightly know what that translates into, anyway) but it may be the route that I take. I am going to do just a little more research into their products to see if there is a cheaper model that will siffice for my applications. Maybe they will have one offering the same quality of sound, but with fewer bells and whistles.
Once again, I thank you - and hope that I can be as helpful to someone else as you have been to me.

Peace, Nate.
 
De Nada,mi Hermano! What goes around comes around...About the Phantom Power,it's used to supply 48volt power to condenser microphones(this type of mic can't function w/o it)Condenser mics are generally considered the best choice for recording vocals 'cause they can capture a very detailed sound.But if you have a mixer,it might have Phantom power available already,so you may not need this feature on a harmonizer device.Too bad they aren't making the Studio anymore,I guess there weren't enough people willing to pay for it or something.Anyway,ALL the Digitech Vocalist products use technology developed by IVL,a Canadian company,so maybe IVL is working with someone else nowadays.Cheers!
 
V-Ray,

Just a few more questions, if you don't mind. First, let me state that I don't have a mixer. All I have is CWPA9, and my QY700 music sequencer. But what I'd like to know is this: how close to sounding like the "real deal" do these units, such as yours, come? Though your model has been discontinued, I did happen to find one at an on-line musical equipment house for nearly $1100. This is way out of my range and, as stated earlier, I would be looking at the Workstation EX or the Vocalist Access. These are somewhat lower grade than yours, but I am of the hopes that what they lack wouldn't be within sound quality (realism). I had found it to be opinioned, by one reviewer, that these units were good for trying out different background harmonies, but alluded that the actual recording should be performed by real singers. Do you agree with this? I really wouldn't mind parting with the money if what I could expect to get out of the machine would be difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

[This message has been edited by NLAlston (edited 06-28-2000).]
 
When this episode of my gear quest started,I also had as a priority a good bang for buck factor,so my 1st move back in '96 was to mail order what was then Digitech's economy model,the MIDI Vocalist.I think it was like $349.Please understand,at this point I had already been able to try out a STudio Vocalist that the store near me was selling on consignment(they let me take it home for the weekend).While I had the Studio I made tapes with it for reference.When the MIDI vocalist arrived,it took me 2 days to be totally convinced that the Studio was superior in all respects,and worth the extra money to me.The Studio,IMO,comes the closest of ANY box to sounding like real singers.It has greater BANDWIDTH,DYNAMIC RANGE,and less noise(I capitalised not to seem like I'm shouting,but if you don't know what these terms mean,try to look 'em up).Now,to be totally up front and honest with you,if I had the financial and logisti means to have a trio of good singers come over to my place 3 or 4 times a week(after having spent the ir day rehearsing the parts I needed them to sing),I would probably not use the Digitech or any other machine like it,because that would sound better.But I don't,so the Studio gets me as close to that as possible.I would say it's as close to the real thing as any good keyboard or drum machine comes to sounding like the real thing in their respective categories.IT CAN BE MADE TO SOUND PRETTY BAD,but in the right hands and context,it can really add a lot to any project.I know it's a lot of bread,that's why I told you my story.I would hope that you can find one for less than $1100,that seems like a lot to me.Good Luck!
 
Hi Ray,

I found the "Access" - a demo model in Grand Island, NY (Jackson Music) for $288. After fooling around with it for most of the night I have come to the conclusion that I can indeed work with such a unit. However, I will be upgrading very soon (they're ordering the "Workstation EX", and will allow me to return the Access against it when it arrives). It's going to really help me a lot, and I wanted to say again - THANX.

Peace to you & yours. Nate.
 
That's cool that they'll do that for you.Let us know what you think/how it sounds.Enjoy!
 
V-Ray,

I decided to hold on to the 'Access'. One of the contributing factors is the fact that I needed a mixer, and I used what would have been the balance for the Workstation EX to pick up a Behringer MX802A mixer.
I have been finding my way around the Access pretty good, and know that I will be able to do just what I desire to do with it. I think that it is an awesome little piece of equipment. THANKS AGAIN, pal.

Nathan.
 
The Eventide harmonisers are wicked - i highly reccomend them.
 
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