Guitar Tricks Insider August/September Issue | Page 72

GEAR REVIEW STREET PRICE $249 VO-1 VOCODER EFFECT PEDAL Review By Dave Celentano O ne of BOSS’s most innovative creations, the VO-1 Vocoder effects pedal, was recently unveiled at the 2016 winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California. This exceptional and cuttingedge unit harnesses the idiosyncrasies of the human voice, and puts it in the hands of guitarists and bassists giving them vocal expression to “shape” the tone of the instrument as they play. Teaming a guitar and voice (via microphone) to produce out-of-thisworld synthesized robot tones, electronic voices, talk box sounds, and even a believable wah-wah, this device raises the bar in vocoder standards by offering more function and flexibility. 72 DIGITAL EDITION The latest in BOSS synth technology is built into the VO-1 Vocoder giving guitarists access to sounds previously only available to keyboardists, and expanding the range and possibilities of your vocals in remarkable ways. Plus, you don’t need be a great singer to take advantage of this pedal. While using the device in conjunction with a microphone, the mouth is employed to shape individual note and chord tones from the guitar signal, so provided your guitar is in tune, the vocals will always sound great regardless of the pitch you sing. AUG/SEPT