vocal effects

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bunnygirl

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OK! here's a complete newbie question for ya! Is there such a thing as a small fx pedal for vocals for live performance and/or the studio? I'm looking for reverb/delay to add a little ambience to some slower songs, mostly when sung live. For the studio i can use the multi track, but i was wondering if there is such a thing as a fx pedal for a vocal/mic line. (similar to the $50-$100 guitar pedals out there) or can you just use a guitar pedal on a Mic line? *whew*!
 
Well you cann't just plug a mic into a line level FX box.

Keijo
 
Yes, I can't remember the model number - and I don't have a catalog in front of me, but I think DOD has a floor pedal effects unit for live vocals. You can program various presets (to add delay in the chorus etc.)

Also I think Digitech makes a live version of there Vocalist series.
 
Yo Funny Bunny:]

Well, there are mics out there that have a little dial on them and when you turn the dial, Voila, you get reverb but it is low end.

Now, it seems to me that you can plug in about any reverb unit to a "system" and when you want the reverb on, just push a button or turn up the input. With practice of 20 minutes, you'll know just how far to turn it up.

I like the Alesis Midiverb 3 -- it has some nice patches. I also use a Lexicon 100 and it is a better processor but has clumsy controls and kind of meaningless variations on each patch.

But, all will help you learn. I'm sure a trip to a major vendor will get you exactly what you need for your gig.

Green Hornet
 
thanks

ooo good stuff to start working with. thanks all!
 
I think this is what mikeh is talking about: DOD VoTec

http://www.dod.com/multieffects/votec.htm

I have one, it would be good for live use, but I don't use it in the studio very much because the thing is noisier than a train wreck.

I have used it to record, but only when lots of noise was appropriate for the project I was working on.
 
simple pedal

ok, i looked at the DOD and the digitech products. They look really good, but too much for what I'm thinking. (Plus they are $199 and up...) i'm thinking more in terms of... "hey look at that cute guitar fx pedal, gee wouldn't it be nice if there was something simple and small like that for vocals/mics/XLR's?".. hmm anyone hear of something like that?
 
eeemmm I don't know If I'm about to burn something in my equipment, but I connect my dynamic mic to my guitar fx board and it kinda does the job...

But the other day I tried the Digitech unit, and it's so sweat it reminded me of my grandma!! jeez... I'm gonna buy one of those one day...
 
Well you cann't run a unbalanced line for 30m (live 4 exmpl).
And for furthermore.....
What you are trying to do is a FOH engineers nightmare.
Let's say I set up your clean vox so the monitoring and the FOH sound is perfect and now you plug in the distortion on your dandy FX box, but the level is way loder than the clear vox....... Feedback!!!!!!!! Blown speakers!!!!!!!!!! angry people all looking at me ;)

What might work is a small mixer on stage with a FX unit.
The mic goes into the small mixer.
Balanced outputs from the mixer to the FOH mixer.
You (and the FOH engineer) setup the mic and the FX unit with headphones on the stage so it would be nice and balanced and then the FOH engineer sets up the vox in the FOH mixer....

Complicated... hell yes ;)
But why do it simple when there is a harder way ;)

Keijo
 
urg

i'm beginning to think that i have to bite the bullet and put down the $199 for a vocal effects pedal set. goodness though, if there are any ingenious engineers out there, can you please figure out how to make simple vocal effects pedals a la a single guitar pedal? except i guess you'd have to have a pre-amp and effects and other goodies in that tiny little pedal, but i'm sure it's possible. i know you can get effects from a mixer or amp (reverb etc.) but that's not exactly very accessible to the vocalist up front if she's doing her own sound.... *"please excuse me while I go to the mixer board and tweak the vocals a bit"* doesn't make for a smooth set really... hmmmm. food for thought..
 
If your going to use one of those petals for vocals make sure you tell the sound tech in advanced so he can have a direct box ready. As someone said above the output is unbalanced and you can't do long runs back to front of house with that. The direct box will balanced the signel and step it down to low z.

Bring your own xlr to 1/4" transformer if there is no xlr input on the unit, your better off using the suppied mics rather than your own because the techs will know the mic's common feedback freq and be use to its sound.

Most sound techs will have there own rack mounted effects unit for adding reverb to the vocals. You hardly notice it while the band is playing and its usually muted while the band it talking. You won't hear it in your montior either, its just going to foh.

Another thought, it might be best to split the mic before the effects and give them a clean feed for montiors and have the effects on another channel for foh.
 
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