LIVE VOCAL PROCESSORS FOR A KILLER LIVE SET
If you are a singer , one of the most exciting technological advancements for you has to be in the field of live vocal processing . It all started out as just a small number of harmony vocal processors but , it has blossomed into a wide array of effects and processors that can almost recreate studio magic on stage . Yes , it ’ s possible to have a precise and killer live sound without needing to alter it in production before the release of a live album . You can wow your live audience with these awesome tools . Here is a basic overview of the types of speech processing options available today .
Pitch & Harmony Live pitch and harmony were among the most sought after vocal processors early on , and while early attempts were more than a bit robotic , the current generation of live pitch effects are almost indistinguishable from their plugin equivalents . Of course , if you want something with a more classic electronic sound , options like the Electro-Harmonix V256 Vocoder and the Roland VT-3 Voice Transformer will be fantastic .
Today , you can add simple chromatic tone correction to your microphone with something as small and convenient as the TC- Helicon Mic Mechanic 2 . Similarly , independent harmony processors , such as DigiTech Vocalist Live Harmony , make it easy to add choruses to your sound . As useful as the simple tone and harmony effects are , they are limited entirely by your voice or by presets . So if you are too far from the key , you will end up with some fun effects . Fortunately , these are just the initial days of these tools and they are bound to evolve very quickly .
Modern tone and harmony effects are almost always combined together . The most popular vocal multi-effects processors belong to the TC-Helicon ' s VoiceLive series . Many of these vocal multi-effects , allow you to trigger harmonies and restrict tuning parameters by following incoming guitar or keyboard chords . This allows you to use a wide range of great tone-based effects on stage .
Processors and Vocal Effects While most processors and vocal effects still live within more sophisticated units , individual pedals have become increasingly common . For example , the TC- Helicon VoiceTone D1 offers doubling and detuning effects with the simplicity of a guitar pedal . Similarly , the BOSS VE-1 Vocal Echo features adjustable delay effects , though it also includes basic doubling and pitch correction . Other dedicated vocal effects pedals cover reverb , distortion , and more , while you can get everything from compression and unwanted to the added harmonic warmth of the TC- Helicon VoiceTone T1 .
Loopers One fun way that many vocalists have explored new performance options has been with loopers . Originally only found on guitar pedals , loopers are now a standard part of practical vocal multieffects like the popular TC-Helicon VoiceLive Touch 2 . Live vocal loopers such as the BOSS RC-505 Loop Station , allow you to create DJstyle performances by looping your voice and other input sources and adding samples . There is no limit to what a creative vocalist can do when equipped with a powerful looping workstation like this one .
Live Speech Plug-ins Now that we ' ve seen the emergence of a new generation of live speech processing hardware , what ' s next ? Looking at the latest trends , it ' s safe to assume that live vocal processing plugins are becoming more and more viable . Antares led the charge with its special low-latency version Auto-Tune Live , a standard native plug-in that runs on most plug-in hosts .
The DiGiGrid hardware also brings many specialized Waves SoundGrid plugins to the live stage , allowing engineers to add things like auto gain and various vocal enhancements to large-scale music production . We will likely see future generations of live vocal processing follow this same pattern , giving vocalists incredible new possibilities .
The Score Magazine
46 highonscore . com