I've been assembling this collection for about two years now, balancing cost and functionality. Some of these may not be the best units out there, but they get the job done for me and I've had very few issues with any of them.
What's In The Processing Rack
Aphex Exciter
The Aphex Exciter xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lexicon MX200 Effects Processor
The Lexicon MX200 Effects Processor xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Behringer Tube Pre-Amp
The Behringer Tube Pre-Amp xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Behringer Virtualizer
The Behringer Virtualizer xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What's In The Recording Rack
Alesis ADAT HD24 Hard Drive Recorder
The Alesis ADAT HD24 Digital Recorder xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Behringer Digital/Analog Converter
The Behringer Digital/Audio Converter xxxxxxxxxxxxx
What's In The Playback Rack
Alesis Compressor/Limiter
The Alesis Compressor Limiter xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Behringer Equalizer
The Behringer Equalizer xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Presonus AudioBox Mixer
The PreSonus AudioBox Mixerxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Behringer NU1000 Amplifier
The Behringer NU1000 Amplifier xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
dbx 215s Equalizer
The dbx 215s Equalizer xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
What's In The Pedalboards
DigiTech Vocalist LIVE 5
The DigiTech Vocalist LIVE 5 is arguably my favorite piece of equipment. I was in a wine bar the first time I heard one (it was a LIVE 3) and I immediately had to have one after I talked to the guitarist who was using it. To make it even better, when I order the LIVE 3 from Amazon, it was a marked down price; after I placed the order, they notified me that the LIVE 3 had been discontinued and was out of stock - they sent me the LIVE 5 at no extra charge. It's hard not to love anything bought under those circumstances.
If you're not familiar, you basically feed your vocal signal and the guitar signal into it - what you get back are fairly complex harmonies based on your own voice plus the chord patterns that you're playing. There are dozens of presets harmonies that range from simple voice doubling to one that makes you sound like Elvis.
That's not to say they're easy to use, however. It's taken me a lot of trial and error to get the sound right and not have the guitar signal distorted. I finally came to the realization that keeping the harmony signal, which is stereo, as low as possible was key to making it sound right - that and manually eliminating all the guitar effects that are pre-programmed into each setting. When it works, I think it works well; when it doesn't, it takes careful choice of the setting to use and some resetting of the default parameters. I've got it to the point where I have about a dozen harmonies that I use for the various songs I play.
The only really negative thing I can say about the Vocalist is I wish they had built it with a pedal rather than a push-button switch for toggling the harmonies on and off. Before I bought one, many of the reviews I read were concerned with the longevity of the original switch, especially if you're prone to stomping. And, until I got used to exactly where the button was and made sure I kept it in the same place, I was prone to stomping. And, sure enough, after about 18 months of regular use, the pushbutton started to flake out.
If you look closely at the picture, you'll see that the bottom right pushbutton is missing and there's some lovely black electrical tape holding down a cable. Rather than replacing the pushbutton switch - which the techs were kind enough to give me the specs for so I didn't have to send the unit in - I bought a cheap pedal, a Hosa FPS-502, and wired that into the contacts where the pushbutton used to be. That's the pedal in the bottom right of the picture. Works like a charm, good enough so that I immediately bought another pedal for when I wear this one. Way better than the switch, since now I have a large target for my foot and I don't stomp nearly as much or as hard as I used to...
If you're not familiar, you basically feed your vocal signal and the guitar signal into it - what you get back are fairly complex harmonies based on your own voice plus the chord patterns that you're playing. There are dozens of presets harmonies that range from simple voice doubling to one that makes you sound like Elvis.
That's not to say they're easy to use, however. It's taken me a lot of trial and error to get the sound right and not have the guitar signal distorted. I finally came to the realization that keeping the harmony signal, which is stereo, as low as possible was key to making it sound right - that and manually eliminating all the guitar effects that are pre-programmed into each setting. When it works, I think it works well; when it doesn't, it takes careful choice of the setting to use and some resetting of the default parameters. I've got it to the point where I have about a dozen harmonies that I use for the various songs I play.
The only really negative thing I can say about the Vocalist is I wish they had built it with a pedal rather than a push-button switch for toggling the harmonies on and off. Before I bought one, many of the reviews I read were concerned with the longevity of the original switch, especially if you're prone to stomping. And, until I got used to exactly where the button was and made sure I kept it in the same place, I was prone to stomping. And, sure enough, after about 18 months of regular use, the pushbutton started to flake out.
If you look closely at the picture, you'll see that the bottom right pushbutton is missing and there's some lovely black electrical tape holding down a cable. Rather than replacing the pushbutton switch - which the techs were kind enough to give me the specs for so I didn't have to send the unit in - I bought a cheap pedal, a Hosa FPS-502, and wired that into the contacts where the pushbutton used to be. That's the pedal in the bottom right of the picture. Works like a charm, good enough so that I immediately bought another pedal for when I wear this one. Way better than the switch, since now I have a large target for my foot and I don't stomp nearly as much or as hard as I used to...
DigiTech GNX3
The DigiTech GNX3 xxxxxxxxxxxxxx