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  #1  
Old 12-14-2019, 04:34 PM
popguy popguy is offline
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Default Boss VE-2 harmonizer for performing?

I guess/hope this is guitar related. Related to performing with guitar and vocals anyway.

I love harmony and perform as an acoustic/electric duo.

my partner likes to play complicated (but good and not too busy) parts and can but won't do the harmonies.

I tell him harmonies are what people love about acoustic vocal oriented pop music. What can I say...he's a guitarist through and through and won't play parts that he can sing while playing.

Soooo

Do these things sound even close to real? On the youtube demos they sound quite good..only one post sounded like a chipmunk. I certainly won't sing live with pitch correction.

I know the VE8 has guitar EFX...but I don't always play acoustic. Not for the rockers.

Thanks for any input!
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  #2  
Old 12-14-2019, 06:21 PM
slooky slooky is offline
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Tc helicon I think does a better job than the Boss unit.
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Old 12-14-2019, 06:27 PM
DavidE DavidE is offline
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I think the trick to using a harmonizer is to keep it very subtle. Too loud and it sounds fake. When I use one, I keep the mix so the harmony is there, but far enough in the background that it thickens the sound but doesn't stand out. I use a TC Harmony Singer so I can't comment on the Boss.
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Old 12-14-2019, 08:45 PM
jjbigfly jjbigfly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidE View Post
I think the trick to using a harmonizer is to keep it very subtle. Too loud and it sounds fake. When I use one, I keep the mix so the harmony is there, but far enough in the background that it thickens the sound but doesn't stand out. I use a TC Harmony Singer so I can't comment on the Boss.
Exactly. I use headphones when playing around with the harmonizer, and if I can heard the effects clearly then I need to dial it back. I really like it but listeners think it can be a bit much. Audience says it sounds better using just a little effect.
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Old 12-14-2019, 08:47 PM
Slothead56 Slothead56 is offline
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I just sold my TC Helicn (some buyers regret) but I found that you have to be super precise in phrasing when using it or the harmony slides all over the place. Hope that makes sense.
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Old 12-14-2019, 09:25 PM
L20A L20A is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidE View Post
I think the trick to using a harmonizer is to keep it very subtle. Too loud and it sounds fake. When I use one, I keep the mix so the harmony is there, but far enough in the background that it thickens the sound but doesn't stand out. I use a TC Harmony Singer so I can't comment on the Boss.
This is your answer.
I like my TC Harmonizer but I also keep it subtle and the harmonies are a lot lower than my lead vocals.
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Old 12-14-2019, 11:12 PM
gfirob gfirob is offline
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Set up and used correctly and they are pretty effective, used in moderation. For the occasional song, and for the sake of variety, they can be great and my experience is by and large audiences like the effect, but the occasional purist musician will throw serious shade on them. I agree TC Helicon beats Boss.
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  #8  
Old 12-15-2019, 09:12 AM
popguy popguy is offline
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Thanks for all the feedback

Yeah...I'm working on my pitch doing vocals and while I have excellent phrasing I'm not able to sing with that perfect pitch sound.

I have a hard time staying on my part when the other person is doing harmony also...I wonder if one of these pedals would make that situation better?

Then again if you can't sing in perfect harmony with another person, and I'm not in perfect pitch on my own...it stands to reason that as stated above....the harmony pedal will be thrown off and the harmonies would be all over the place.

I guess the videos on youtube where the pedals sound quite good....
1)the vocalist can really sing on key
2)They really know how to use the settings

When I read or see videos about new gear and technology (this isn't that new as I've been using melodyne for years and never liked the harmonies generated for recordings that way) I get all excited. But in reality.....

it ends up being a poor substitute for talent and real human beings.

However...you can utilize technology to enhance your talent and creativity, if you do it right.

I appreciate the opinions above that even if this pedal can enhance a live performance adding harmonies to your show.....

its not going to be the game changer I thought it might..adding rich harmonies on the chorus of most of my original songs (very vocal oriented..Byrds/Beach Boys/Beatles)

I suppose using it on every song would get tired pretty fast....if I can sing well enough to make it effective.

I will try one out and get back to everyone..

thanks
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Old 12-15-2019, 09:18 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidE View Post
I think the trick to using a harmonizer is to keep it very subtle. Too loud and it sounds fake. When I use one, I keep the mix so the harmony is there, but far enough in the background that it thickens the sound but doesn't stand out. I use a TC Harmony Singer so I can't comment on the Boss.
He beat me to it.

The TC Helicon does have pitch correction but I've been wary about using it. When I use it at home, I am far less subtle, more interested in learning, but I don't hear much pitch diference, not from behind the guitar.
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  #10  
Old 12-16-2019, 09:06 AM
popguy popguy is offline
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I appreciate all the feedback......

It's obvious that most users of these harmony pedals prefer TC Helicon products for their realism and possibly better algos.

HOWEVER:
I've read countless reviews (mostly from that music store eater amazon)
But also other reviews of the TC Helicon pedals on music store sites like Sweetwater and ZZZsounds......

That say while they provide a better overall harmony sound they are more fragile, less dependable....and have read countless reviews of the units breaking down after a year...and intermittent issues during gigs with drop-outs, noise and hiss and general dependability issues.

Many say they won't use it for gig with their TC Helicon pedal for this reason!

Does anyone agree with this?
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  #11  
Old 12-19-2019, 03:20 PM
Laughingboy68 Laughingboy68 is offline
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I’ve used a TC Helicon Harmony G-XT for 6-7 years. Mine has rarely, (2-3 times) had a momentary, dramatic increase in vocal volume. It’s gone in a second.

The build quality does seem a little bit fragile. Mine is on a pedalboard and is protected a little. So far, it’s still chugging along.

My advice with these devices is to mix the harmony fairly low, so that it is subtle. Use the footswitch to have it accent every second line in a chorus, or the end of a verse stanza. A little goes a long way - which is true of real harmony as well (unless it’s Art Garfunkel or the like).

The other thing to remember is to keep your guitar part simple while you sing. This helps to keep the harmony vocal in tune. Try to sing a little straighter and more simply while the harmony is being generated. The whole operation takes a little practice to make it sound smooth and enhancing, rather than distracting. Make sure what you play on guitar has a clear and steady third so that the harmony is clearly major or minor. Suspended chords will make it sound pretty bad.
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  #12  
Old 12-20-2019, 10:59 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by popguy View Post
Yeah...I'm working on my pitch doing vocals and while I have excellent phrasing I'm not able to sing with that perfect pitch sound.
This sounds like a more important issue to address, before indulging in a harmoniser.

After all, it's not actually true that "harmonies are what people love about acoustic vocal oriented pop music." What they really love - first of all - are solo singers that can really sing. Harmonies are the cherry on the top.

Good phrasing is one thing, and confident delivery is another - but pitching well is fundamental. You don't really have to be bang on pitch all the time, if you're there most of the time and you have a strong personality and a voice with character.
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  #13  
Old 03-03-2020, 05:19 PM
DavidE DavidE is offline
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I just got the VE8 and and find that the harmonies sound very fake compared to my TC Harmony Singer.
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boss ve - 2, harmonist, harmony, vocals

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