Digitech Vocal 300 saxophone effects demo (01)

[Sirvalorsax]

Have you used a wireless mic with this?!?! Nice stuff dude!!! I love stuff like this!

[infIikkt]

how to fix the fucked up hiss?!?! ugh. im so disappointed with this piece of crap

[CamTheCat]

@infIikkt I don't have that problem, though a couple of fx patches have some hiss due to the odd effects. This recording was done with a cheap camera, so there is some audio noise. I've seen a video on youtube where a person has the same problem with hiss... it might be a power supply issue.

[AboveAverageJoe96]

@CamTheCat PLEASE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS! How did you learn to improvise? What did you do to get better?

[CamTheCat]

@AboveAverageJoe96 I learned to improvise by studying with great teachers (exactly what I studied is a much longer answer) and practising. I practised about 3 or 4 hrs a day from the age of 15 to the age of 19, then was a street performer (busker), playing for change up to 10 hrs a day for a few years. After that I went back to school for music. Basically I had good direction from teachers and made time to work things out.

[BigSax1984]

Hey Cameron, just to give you a heads up, this unit has a looper built into its delay. While in editing mode, go to the "delay" row. The pedal will scroll through the row's columns. The third column should be titled "Fback"... or something to that effect. it's controlled by the high EQ knob, and regulates how many times a sound is repeated during a delay. Moving the knob all the way to the right moves the repeats to infinite. I'll post a vid to demo how to use this practically.

[holgitonk]

Hi

do you need a pre amp between the mic and the digitech 300 ? Just want to know because with a regular Wah Wah you need sth. like a little pre amp.

thanks

[CamTheCat]

@holgitonk there is a built in preamp... actually, a selection of preamp settings.

[saxyphilpot]

do you ever gig in Los Angeles?

[CamTheCat]

@saxyphilpot not yet. ;)

[saxyphilpot]

hey Cam thanks so much for all your help

I got the 4th down with the wah going now sounds great!! lots of fun.

I have one more question about using an amp on stage,I just started using an amp because I got sick of not being able to hear in the monitors and having no control of my sound.I was wondering where you like to place your amp in proximity to you as far as being able to hear yourself and not feed back ?

thanks again for all your help im so glad you did these videos.

[CamTheCat]

@saxyphilpot No prob Phil! I put my monitor amp on the floor at my side, about two or three feet away.

[saxyphilpot]

do you use an amp when you play live or do you go in to the PA?

[CamTheCat]

@saxyphilpot it depends on the house system and soundperson, I like to use a stationary mic so I can adjust my proximity to the mic. That runs into the Roland amp I'm using in the video and I use that as a monitor on stage. I've had a line out of the pedal split, so that it goes straight to the house mix. I've also had the roland amp/monitor mic'd to go out to the house, and I suppose I could use the line out from the amp to house mix as well. Usually mic'd at the amp to the house.

[saxyphilpot]

hey thanks so much I just got the digitech and thanks to you im having fun with it already.

by the way you sound great without the peddle but its nice to see someone so good not affraid to push the envolope and use a peddle in addition to great technique.

your fingers barly move

[saxyphilpot]

hey thanks so much I just got the digitech and thanks to you im having fun with it already.

by the way you sound great without the peddle but its nice to see someone so good not affraid to push the envolope and use a peddle in addition to great technique.

your fingers bairly move!

[saxyphilpot]

how do you get the 4th down with the wah?

[CamTheCat]

@saxyphilpot I use the preamp that allows for the 4th down, and then I apply the auto-wah.

[ModernSaxDotCom]

Hey Cam, I finally got the 300 and still experimenting with it...here is a video of my band Jazzmosis live and I am using the Detune effect (16). After hearing it and using it some, I feel the only real useful ones are the bigvrb, chorus, and adjusting the "5th up" at patch 12, to an octave lower, for a bari sax effect. here's the live video:

/watch?v=fcbj6a979cU

[Vinsax96]

what's the song you play at 1:30 nice saxofonist you are :P

[CamTheCat]

@Vinsax96 Thanks. I'm just riffing at that point. :)

[olivermiguel]

Hey I just got this pedal. It's really fun.

What are your settings for the Wah with a 4th down?

Thanks,

[pokeyds]

What's up cam, i have purchased a vocal 300 from watching your demo's. Can you tell me how to program some sounds. The instructions isn't given me much. i'm trying to get a chorus and a reverb together. also the octive down. If you can help plaese. THanks (Steve.)

[MSCoopstar]

This thing is amazing!! Does the Vocal 300 have a standard wah-wah pedal as well, not an envelope filter? Thanks!

[ipod628]

hey can u make a set up video i cant seem to be able to set mine up

[Saxysax05]

Hey cam.

Just got my vocal 300, been playing with it a fair bit. im looking forward to using it tonight on a gig!

So im just getting the patches set up at the moment and i was wondering if you can maybe email me a list of the settings you use for a few of the patches (wah, 4th down and wah, etc)

Also, i could work out how to put different effects together....

Sorry to be a pain!

[CamTheCat]

@Saxysax05 the wah settings are in the extended description just underneath the videio. I think I left a description for one patch on each video. Hope that helps! Watch out for feedback on the envelope filter. Don't swallow the mic with your bell.

[Saxysax05]

Hey man! Sounds really good, just a quick question...

Will the vocal 300 work as well with an alto? Im sure it wouldnt be much different, but just thought id ask.

Thanks!

[CamTheCat]

@Saxysax05 Sure it will!

[Pikachu25sci90vt]

Hey Cam! It's me again. A good all around reed to use is Rugatti Gold. I use it with a special type of plastic mouthpiece on my alto.

[Gdelbosq]

Hi,

Been trying to get intervals in my wah sound like the 2nd example you demonstrated but have not succeeded. Any advice on how to do this would be a great help. Thanks!

[CamTheCat]

@Gdelbosq I used a different preamp that provided the fourth, changed the settings, and added the envelope filter. One of the unfortunate problems with this pedal is that a user can't combine any of the seven effects on the one effects bank. While delay, EQ, and reverb are separate and combinable, the env filter, harmony, phaser, etc are all on one bank and only one can be used at any one time. I guess it's an excuse to go out and buy more fx units...

[LatigidGolana]

Dude what is with the patrick swayze dirty dancing hair doo?

[CamTheCat]

@LatigidGolana lol  that's awesome. I miss the 90's, and so does my hair. ;)

[mycompasstv]

nice playing... great demo

[ModernSaxDotCom]

thanks for the vid's, I've been concidering this effects unit for a while now.

[Copilot24]

damn man you can play. where are you from?

[CamTheCat]

@Copilot24 Thanks! Victoria, BC, Canada. :)

[Biscosaxx]

great video! thanks!!

[Crunchitup]

this is awesome i play alto and want to learn tener

[PappyCaligula]

I never really liked the alto. Thought it really didn't sound "saxy" enuff'. Ofcourse, I really don't like Eb instruments in general. (Alto Clarinet, Alto Sax) with the exception of the Bari-Sax. But IF you can find one of the very rare Bb Bass Saxes, the sound is better.

Really like the second FX.

[WiFooo]

That's great man, like Jeff Coffin in some way. Really nice!

[BlueVooch]

Thanks for the demo CamTheCat. You've got great chops too. I play harmonica (Mississippi sax...lol) and am interested in recreating some horn sound. Would you happen to know if there might be some settings/dial in parameters on the Vocal 300 that I could use? Thanks

[CamTheCat]

Hi Blue. Thanks for the kind words. Are you asking if you can get a harmonica to sound like a sax via this pedal? That would be very difficult. Not sure how to go about it. You might try using the pitch effect set an octave lower, with some reverb, and dial down the highs in the EQ, but really I'm not sure that you'll get a realisitic sax sound. A midi interface triggering a sax sound might be another way.

[CamTheCat]

@BlueVooch I don't think you'll have much luck trying to get a horn sound using a harmonica and this fx unit, but you could definitely get some cool effects!

[guitarnsaxman]

You're a great player. Thanks for the demo's! (BTW, Greetings from Charlie Parker's birthplace, Kansas City.) I was about to buy a TC Helicon vocal effects pedal (the "Create") for use with my tenor, for the same price....now you've got me wondering. Did you possibly consider that pedal?

[CamTheCat]

I hadn't considered that pedal but it looks great. The Digitech is less expensive and has an expression pedal built in which is great. I'm not thrilled about being unable to layer many effects on each other in one patch. Delay and reverb can be added to any patch, but the user has to CHOOSE between flange, chorus, envelope filter, etc... they're all in one bank, so the combinations AREN'T endless.

[CamTheCat]

BTW, thanks for your kind words!

I'm now thinking about maybe adding a qtron envelope filter, an eventide pitchfactor and maybe an EHX microsynth. All I need is $1000.00. :-)

The other reason I went with the Digitech is that I'm looking for far out sounds as well as the regular reverb and delay.

[guitarnsaxman]

You're welcome. I actually looked at the envelope filter (after seeing a Jeff Coffin concert vid where he's using his) as well as the eventide pitchfactor AND harmonizer pedals. But as you said, that's a lot of cash!

[guitarnsaxman]

Well, the two pedals were priced exactly the same at Musician's Friend, though I know the Helicon has a much higher MSRP. Having been highly impressed with your vid's (and with the fact that a player of your caliber was happy with it), I went ahead and bought the Digitech 300. I was also impressed by another tenor player's video demo of imitating a bari using the same pedal's wah effect. Now I just need to start tweeking the patches! Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be asking you for input.

[CamTheCat]

Thanks Super, thanks Big!

Regarding the Wah patch, I have my clean sound mixed into the patch at about 40%. That can be eliminated completely if I want, but I like to retain some of my actual sax sound. In this recording my acoustic sound was picked up because I was pointed straight at the camera. If I post more vids I'll make sure that the FX come through strong and clear.

[BigSax1984]

Great tone and feel you have there Cameron. Gotta love those Links too.

[SuperCdavis]

Now that is funky! i love it1

[CamTheCat]

Have a listen to all of these and let me know if you have and questions or comments!