Digitech Harmony Man Instructional by Ralf Jung Part 1

[luckymidgie]

Thanks for your quick reply Ralf, that's great news,being able to input chords from another source other than guitar this makes this pedal far more amazing than I first thought. The levels should be fine as I will preamp them first.

Can I say at this point, anyone looking for the best harmoniser pedal out there, look no further and for gigging musos, you could drive a tank over this thing and the worst damage would be some scratched paint!

[luckymidgie]

Hi Ralf, Got this pedal recently and wondered if I can (instead of relying on a second guitarist to generate chord changes) use cubase to send a 'guitar ' signal / voice to generate the chord structure for me. To simplify, If I recorded a guitar or a guitar sample onto a cubase audio track, and sent it to the Harmonyman, would it pick it up (assuming all levels are correct?) and generate the chord which I had recorded?

Thanks in advance

[ralfjung]

@luckymidgie that will work...actually I do this with my Vocalist products....sometimes I even have chords and leadlines coming from other devicers to be able to explain the boxes....make sure the levels are ok though

[terrytickler]

should i get this 1 or the boss ps6 i cant decide

[vulgarjack]

I have been scouting this device now for some time. You may be the only person to answer this question. Does this device track well with down tuned guitars such as 1 1/2 or 2 steps down from standard tuning? Or does the guitar need to be in standard E tuning for it to track and work? Thanks.

[ralfjung]

@vulgarjack The only thing you have to do is to tune the guitar using a proper tuner or the tuning feature in the pedal. I play tuned down to E flat all the time and when I play heavier stuff I drop the E string a full step which is called drop D Tuning I believe...the pedal does not have any problems with it. I have no experience using it tuned down to D completely but it should work...definetley worth the attempt

[antoine1994]

what were you playing at 1.37?

[haltrman93]

@antoine1994 You can't read, can you? He explicitly stated that it's a simple tapping lick played in the A harmonic minor scale all the the B string (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G#).

[ralfjung]

@antoine1994 thats some ripp off of a Bach Tokata.....cheap trick but nice sounding

[eonidarosen]

Try latin women **busizz4me.info**

[tweedman1975]

Hello Ralf!

Would be possible to play the harmonized parts on Technical Difficulties ( Racer X) just like the original version?

Thanks man

[ralfjung]

@tweedman1975 I used it to play Scraified and it sounded well....not all of the notes are like the original recording as they use 4th somethimes, but as the notes go by so quickly to most of the people it sounds original.

[Dedalusalley]

I was wondering how should I do if for example I wanna connect the harmony man with a delay and a reverb pedal all in the fx loop. Do I still have to connect the output of the guitar to the input of the harmony man or can I put the guitar on the fx that are in the chain that goes to the input of the amp? I'm a little bit confused :)

[sumvengeance]

the tapping was fucking epic please make a video of how to play that!!

[ralfjung]

@sumvengeance Thx for your kind words....but actually this tapping thing is not so hard. Every other note is tapped on the 12th fret and pulled off to a note inside the A harmonic minor scale. The notes in this scale are A, B, C, D, E, F, G#...if you harmonize those notes on the B string you get what I have done. This is called the pedal tone technique I believe...Bach and Vivaldi has used them ages ago and Yngwie and Vinnie Moore are ising them still....

[sumvengeance]

@ralfjung Haha yea thanks i just didn't want to take the time learning by ear it is one of my favorite sounding techniques that i never learn. and i want to. plus anthing harmonic is sick g minor harmonic! best key!

[HDWF]

again, only single notes. Play some chords and it will sound like crap. That´s why he doesn´t dare to....who the hell are you trying to fool, Digitech???

[ralfjung]

@HDWF This is a monophonic device.....only good for soloing when using the harmonies...no discussion about that. If you are using the chorusses of course you can play chords....but to my knowlegde there isnt a harmonizer accepting chords and transposing them into another pitch.....

[HDWF]

Eventides can do that. BTW, Harmonizer is a trademark by Eventide, so you just named the product that can do it ;).

[zfelps]

@HDWF if you played a chord and had someone play, for example, a minor 3rd harmony to the triad note in the chord, it would likely sound like garbage. If you want something that sounds good for chords, I recommend the EH POG or the HOG.

[SONGSTICKS]

Hi,

That guitar looks good !!

Did I hear a snippet of "owner of a lonely heart" slipped in there?

Thanks for the demo.. I rather fancy one of those pedals, nice clean sound I thought.

Cheers

[TerrorcausT]

1:36 if that does not sell the product i have no idea what will.

[killakid443]

did u make that shirt urself

[ralfjung]

@killakid443 Yes I made the colour of my tears because of some comments

[killakid443]

@ralfjung lol u know japanese lawl 

[ralfjung]

@killakid443 Oh is it against the law?....this is an official shirt made by BOSS....a friend of mine said it says something about a number...what exactly does it say?

[killakid443]

@ralfjung i dont know wut it says im mexican lol

[theleetman]

Could you please tell me what scale you were using in the very first run? I dont know if it sounded different because it was harmonized or what. A reply would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

[ralfjung]

@theleetman The first example I play over the A minor chord is a A minor scale the aolian scale with the formular 1, 2, flat 3, 4, 5, flat 6, flat 7, 8...I hope that helps...this scale is also refered to as natural minor

[MrFackuup]

How do you make just one interval instead of both

[ralfjung]

@MrFackuup Turn off one of the Voices....there are two independent controls one for each voice or harmony and both can be off or an interval

[cyberflea07]

Yea I meant the next octave...such as a 10th 12th or 14th

a second could work as a ninth and a 4th as an eleventh,but the "real" thing is an octave higher.

I,I'll buy it just the same as soon as I get the cash...

thankyou

[cyberflea07]

can you harmonize ninth's ,eleventh 's and thirteenth's above and below the original pitch with this nice little toy?

[ralfjung]

@cyberflea07 ninth will sound very out there....but yes you can do as you can of course harmonize 11th and 13th. But to get this harmonically right if you mean in the next octave you cant....if you refer to 11th as 4th and 13th as 6th I can answer zes if you really want the interval leap to be so big in other wortds the next octave it is a clear no

[LAYNESTALEYISAGOD]

what was that classical tapping piece you played? That was amazing

[ralfjung]

@LAYNESTALEYISAGOD it is just a harmonic minor scale with the root pedal tone....every other tone is tapped and be pulled off to the root

[alexorwhatever]

How exactly does the distortion loop work?

[alexorwhatever]

Specifically, do I need a distortion pedal as well, or can I use it with amp distortion?

[ralfjung]

@alexorwhatever you can use the distortion of your amp...but you need to set it up in the distortion loop

[ralfjung]

@alexorwhatever pls download the manual to learn more about this. The loop is a way to let distorted tones be cleanly reproduced with the harmony on top of it.

Either you send your amps preamp signal in and send the HM signal to the poweramp or FX return of your amp or you use a clean amp and use a stompbox to provide the distortion.....

[BenWGray]

That was a cool little octave demo man

[maynardblues]

Does this thing track chords well?

[ralfjung]

I hope I understand this the right way...the HM is monophone only single notes will be accepted for harmony generation. If you play chords the HM does not know which note to transpose so it sounds like a mess. The chord playing is only used to determine the key and tonality.

When you set up the unit to be a chorus it will track chords of course

[ralfjung]

@maynardblues it tracks chords as in it dedects the chord you play and based on that chord it generates a harmony...if you want to harmonize a chord it cant do it

[ilikeguitar22]

oh ok i got it..thank you

[ilikeguitar22]

it sounds as if im playin a cord rather than a harmony

[ralfjung]

@ilikeguitar22 This is because you are distroting two notes.

There is a distortion loop...if you set up your soundsource there the notes start sounding clean again

[ilikeguitar22]

is it possible to plug this pedal into the pod x3 live and get a smooth distortion sound because the harmony's sound good wen im on clean but sound horrible wen i switch to distortion

[cmde123]

Has anyone tried playing a mic'd acoustic instrument into the Harmony Man via a direct box? Like a dobro or mandolin? That could be amazing.

[TheMarcRS]

id like to know this too

[ralfjung]

as long as the input signal has the same quality like the utput of a regular magnetic pickup I dont see a problem for this application.

The vocalist series of digitech offer that application by the way...vocalist live 3 for example.

[megatroll]

Hi.

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but I just want to get this straight, because I think I'll definitely buy this pedal as it's the best harmonizer available I guess.

If I put the pedal in my tube amp's FX loop, will I be able to play distorted harmonies? Or do I have to plug a seperate distortion pedal in the loop of the actual pedal?

I really wouldn't want to use a distorsion pedal if there's an alternative way.

I'd appreciate your answer! (^__^)

[ralfjung]

you can slave your preamp thru the distortion loop...this way you dont have to use a stompbox

[megatroll]

Yay! ^^

Thanks mate! :D

[AirGuitarSolo]

omfg...whered u get that shirt???

[ralfjung]

is the shirt offensive?....let me know

[ralfjung]

is the shirt offensive to anyone....let me know I cant read kanji....can you?

[MrJackanthony]

@ralfjung thanks for your review. In my opinion this pedal dosent have any competition at all boss hasnt come up with anything neither has line6. Wish I can read your shirt 4 you :P

Have a great day.

[Nevadatyler13]

How do you set it up?

[ralfjung]

please check my other answers and the instructional video also download the manual there are plenty of informations on this topic...

[MrTwostone]

Can you just run the mono out of the HM and use the lead channel of your amp for distorted harmony leads without having to use a cheesy distortion box? My amp only has a clean channel and a distorted channel no FX loop. Haven't heard a distortion pedal that I like that matches my amps distortion channel. Sounds good, but that's a major drawback having to use a cheesy distortion pedal for distorted harmony leads. :(

[ralfjung]

That will be hard....you could use the preamp of your amp sending in a signal which will be used to put the other voices on top and than run a cable back to your poweramp....but this would need an FX loop.....with no FX loop on your amp the only way is to have a distortion box once you want clean harmonys....to set it up in front of your amp wont give you good results because distorting a harmy will sound like a chord

[MAlshoaiby]

I want a good harmonizer, but I also want that Digitech Whammy sound. I haven't tried the Whammy, but I hear it's great at producing harmonies. Would it be sufficient enough to play key-specific harmonies on the Whammy, since it has no key-select function? Or would purchasing both the Whammy and the Harmony Man be a better idea?

[ralfjung]

Yeah you can do it with the Whammy but the trick is to know when there is a major or minor harmony....major will be toe minor will be heel....that is a lot of movement on the pedal....the HM does it automatically....you cannot replace one for the other I am afraid

[JoshW272727]

dual guitar shredding without having to wait for your friend to catch up xD

[tony93666]

this would be great for Allman Brothers cover tunes!

[jpawesome]

very clean tapping at 1:40, i love it!

[ersemola]

hi friends. i want to buy an harmonizer for guitar. how sound this digitech? is not a little "not real" sound? maybe is better an old digitech isp33 ? thx!

[ralfjung]

I do own the IPS33B and the H3000 and when it comes to the pure guitarsignal being transposed the quality of the HM is in the league of the H3000 definetley better than the IPS....and waaaay faster than both of the other machines

[Syther334]

damn man i would so run that through a mesa triple rec it was sould SWEEEEEET

[ralfjung]

Send me one and I do it!.....smile

[u0500489]

Hi can this pedal be used in the effects loop of an amp? Thankds

[ralfjung]

Yes thats the proper way....any distortion or preamp signal should go through the distortion loop on the pedal.

I havent tried it as an FX unit in the Loop of an amp but since the sound going thru will be post distortion I cant see why this is not working.

[johnnyrocker2068]

these things were on sale at guitar center right I got one for $185 after tax, If they're still on sale I highly recommend it

[Soujurn]

Oh my God! Can you imagine what Bach, Mozart or Beethoven could have done if they were around now with this technology?

Say, how would this unit work with trying to duplicate something like the doubled guitars in "And Your Bird Can Sing." ???

[ralfjung]

I do not know that song but theoretically the Harmony Man can come very close. If you have a rhythm guitar player supplying the chords the harmoys will be pretty exact...if the musicians in that song you mentioned dont play wild harmony jumps

[Soujurn]

Sorry, I forget sometimes other musicians may not be as familiar with The Beatles catalog as I am.

Check out the song here on Youtube, or on their album, Revolver.

[iwasbornin1963]

This thing is bad ass but is about $300.

[TravuhsWree]

That sounds cool man.

[antonio92914]

do you have tabs for the tapping you did at 1:38

[ralfjung]

Hi, sorry no tabs, but the notes on the b string are b (tapping note) a, g, f#, e, d#, c#, open b...this is a natural harmonic minor scale in b....repeat the same fingering on the e string and then you should have it - I hope this helps

[TMUSICIAN]

Does it harmonize on tunes like A#, B#, C#...?

[ralfjung]

Do you mean if it harmonizes on keys which are sharp or flat....yes absolutely....for the HM it is no difference if the key is A minor oder G major or B flat or F sharp (#)....

[KindredDuo]

I think I'll treck over to my local Guitar Center anyway.

[KindredDuo]

Thanks for the Demo Ralf. How would this work with a cello using a Fishman Piezo pickup and a Digitech GSP5 (we're talking vintage 1988 stuff now).

[ralfjung]

It is a hard question and I dont dare to give you advise. All I heard was someone who played violin a. I saw a bassplayer using it too. So the extended range of the Cello is ok....but I think you need to find a way to check the tones out with the piezo signal. I dont see a reason why it wouldnt work but then again I didnt check it out myself....the violin sound good....I heard that on a trade show. Btw you can use the Cello a. someone else is using the sidechain input to provide chords!

[KindredDuo]

Thank you for the response. Would I send the signal to be harmonized from a send on the board, or do I go direct from the Piezo? The sound from the piezo is so harsh, I need to use the GSP5 to smooth it all out. I use just a bit of reverb for an acoustic tone (not really into distortions or delays). Does the Harmony Man need the raw sound directly from the piezo, or the better sounding, post-FX sound. I really appreciate your demos and the fast response.

[kellyj5150evh]

hI Ralf I meet you in Christchurch New zealand, about 4 years ago.You are still the best guitar player I have seen /meet.

ps.Stay off the porn.

[ralfjung]

Hi kellyj5150evh

that was a great time down there....but if you are talking about guitar porn I just cant stay away from it....smile...it is still the center of my universe!

Cheers mate!

[rednebb]

Hello, thanks for your great demo videos! I'm interested in this pedal myself. I see that galarius is giving you a hard time, but I understand his concerns.. In the manual for the HM it says nothing about anything other than plain major or minor scales. But in one of your comments you say it can do all kinds of scales if you give it the right base chord; a Ammaj7 gives Am harmonic etc. So it's not limited to the scales listed in the manual then? Could you do a demo of this, too?

[ralfjung]

Hi rednebb!

Galarius is a advanced user and he was expecting a lot but expectations and personal applications are not always reflected in a pedal that has to work for the broad majority. If Digitech would do a speciality pedal they had to charge more and would sell only a few. The pedal is not limited to just major and minor and after I have finished this project I am working on I am happy to record a little videodemo but I think until then you have to take my word. Check it out yourself!

[rednebb]

Ok, I guess so.. Thanks for your reply!

[ralfjung]

Hi Mark

yes no problem you dont have to use the intelligent harmonies/intervalls you can use the Harmony Man in fixed mode so regardless of any scales the tone you play will be transposed down a 6th and up a 3rd....in a mathematecial way so not a lot of matches to a given key or scale. You can and to my ears this sounds better do the same inside a scale so the intervalls sound musical correct and so fit the chords which are played behind your solo...I hope I could make myself clear.

[markkessels]

hey, great vid!!!

I'm interested in buying the harmonyman. but I always read stuff about the chord stuff. I know the theory, but I just want to press a button so that I'm a 6th lower or a 3rd up from my original note, without setting the propper key. Is the digitech harmonyman capable of this?

cheers,

Mark...

[ralfjung]

Thx....it is an octvae below and then another voice with two octaves below the original pitch. Then I have a Hardwire pedal in the distortion loop and this signal is fed in the front input of an amp set to clean. Thats it. The sound is great for riffing single notes and neo classical stuff....even 4th or 5th work as chords

[ralfjung]

I think you maybe group this too much around your advanced knowledge in music theory. If you dont have any musical background things like harmonizing a Mixolyd. or a Phrygian Maj Scale is really alien. A lot of people out there play the scales but dont know the background. This unit is made for those. The RP12 offers like the IPS33B lots of different scales but believe me this unit tracks better (sounds better I am reluctant to say since this is personal) and is not only for the advanced...

[galarius]

You certainly did nothing wrong..But Digitech sure did!...Talk about a wasted oppurtunity and a dumbed down product....Like I said, my RP-12 has far more options than this pedal..That is messed up considering that this is a DEDICATED unit to haromonization!!!....A multi-effect unit should not have more options than a dedicated unit...I like Digitech, but they need to stop pandering to the lowest common denominator.

[carltonluke]

Thanks a million, Im gona buy this tomorrow. Really sounds natural and easy to use, slightly concerned how it will sound with a overdriven tube Mesa and a 335 for example but I'll let you know ;). Excellent knowledge of theory and playing, you shouldnt ever be without a gig anyway! thanks a million

[ralfjung]

This will be online soon....I am on the road still but within the next two weeks you get it....thx

[Howhai96]

caan u make a video of the digitech valve distortion? im interested in it and there is no video review of it

[ralfjung]

Oh it is some sort of Bach...I think I ripped it off after listening to too many Tokatas and Church organ music..it is really simple just a HM5 scale with tapping each other note on the root of that scale. It is definetely not a certain well known piece just an imitation of that sound.

Cheers

[thisismybutt]

great vid man

i got one question what is the piece you are playing with the one octave down and two octave down?

[theultimaterockr]

Could you do another demo with a high gain distortion?

[ralfjung]

It would have no other effect on the pedal...the distortion loop on the HarmonyMan is made to take on any distortion pedals no matter of they are overdrive or metal distortion or just tube overdrive. You can even use the distortion loop with an amp.

Maybe I am missing something why you want this so please be more specific.

Cheers

[ralfjung]

Hi there

the good thing about the unit is that you just need to know your major and minor scale. The unit shows you the approbriate scale which is the tonal center.

The beginning of the video was a c maj scale for example but I played it in the 7th position in the Locrian position. As long as you play cdefgbc on the neck because the unti shows you that scale based on the chord you are fine with the harmonys. The video should be an apetizer something to inspire to check out the unit by yourself

[galarius]

Why is that a good thing?I think it sucks.....Are you telling me that we should all play in the natural scale 100% of the time?How boring..My RP-12 fropm 1995 can do the natural scale, harmonic minor, harmonic major,blues, pentatonic, and whole-tone/half tone scales...And a few others as well.This pedal and the boss pedal harmonizer seem to think it is good to suck.Don't buy this POS insult to my intelligence.

[ralfjung]

Hi Galarius, let me get this straight...I am NOT telling you anything, nor do I try to offend you in any way. If you are offemnded because you think this is a bad pedal....well....I cant help this.

The HM can do all sorts of scales all you need to play the chord which is the base chord for that given scale Aminmaj7 for Harmonic minor for example. Penta, Blues, HM, MM this is all possible. Again the least thing is when I post a video is to offend I just want to help thats all.

Cheers

[portranet]

Ralf, what scale are you running as examples in this video? Like the first one after the opening welcome... How about stating setting and what you're playing? (can't see setting in video) Please explain the setting and reason for various effects. (like which setting makes a single note into a chord. (adding a 3rd up and 5th down?) what is the difference between hh and h and LL and L

P.S. Love your "church organ" sound 1 and 2o down on your tapping demo. WOW sounds awesome for that.