Digitech Vocalist Live 5 Demo without guitar input

Los Angeles voice actor and impressionist Jeff McNeal tries out the Vocalist Live 5 in the studio booth for the first time. This is a simple demo singing America's "Ventura Highway" using this device to provide real time reverb and harmony effects. For all of the other videos I've recorded, the backing vocals are usually on the backing tracks already. For the handful that I've had to create myself, I've had to multi-track and sometimes use pitch effects in my software to create the harmonies in post production. Literally all of my vids have been sung "dry", that is, no reverb. That's always been aded in post production, also.

I'm starting a second new band. My first, Mrs. Jones Revenge, is currently on hiatus while our guitarist battles back from some serious and debilitating health issues. That group features some great backing vocalists. My new, as yet unnamed group, is a wild card when it comes to backing vocals at this point, so I wanted to pick up a device that can provide harmonies I can punch in if needed, so the other guys don't have to stress about it if they're not feeling up to the task. They can just concentrate on their playing.

I've never been impressed with the pitch adjusting software. I find the vocals too robotic sounding, but this box does a remarkably good job and the harmonies sound a lot closer to natural than I've been able to attain through my software in post production, so I'm pretty impressed.

I was using preset number 73 "Eaglets" on this one, using the A/B switch to go between 3rd and 5th harmony vocals. I still need to mess around with this thing and learn how to fine tune it to achieve better results, but considering this was 15 minutes after I plugged it in? Not bad!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Digitech
• Vocalist
• Live
• five
• demo
• harmony
• harmonies
• vocal
• processor
• box
• stomp
• America
• Ventura
• Highway
• tribute
• cover

[rockmanreturns]

Is that a Neumann m149 mic?

[JeffMcNeal]

@rockmanreturns No, it's a TLM-103. I rarely use it, but was on this day.

[rockmanreturns]

@JeffMcNeal

You sound really good. I have a Neumann KSM105 which is great for live singing but would love to get a Neumann studio mic. I also just bought the vocalist live 5 which I am pretty impressed with.

[JeffMcNeal]

@rockmanreturns You're very kind, thank you. I used a Pearlman TM-1 for most of my videos until May of 2011, when I switched to a Neumann U47 clone that I built myself. I really love how it sounds. I think my cover of Bread's "Guitar Man" or "Make It With You" might have been the first time I used the new mic. I've recorded everything I've done since with it. Have fun with your Vocalizer 5! I'm really enjoying it with my band! Cheers.

[thisux7x7]

this sounds okay but it doesn't follow the right harmony without using an instrument, which made your kareee- a little bit oakeee.. Great job anyways, I would have thought this song would be to high for you since your talking voice is so low....Great singer..

[JeffMcNeal]

@thisux7x7 I'm not a musician so I don't know the answer to this, but I wonder if I fed the audio from the karaoke track into the Vocalizer, if it could pick out the chords, or would it be too confused by all the other instrumentation?

[mjones53]

Great voice sounds really good

[cast390]

Sounds really good but the vocals need to be much louder

[TreeHouseBR]

@JeffMcNeal Music?

[BobbytheBeast444]

I own the Digitech Live Vocalist 5, and it does not work properly with prerecorded music. You really need a solo instrument, usually a guitar, although the rack mounted unit also works with a keyboard. But using more than one instrument or prerecorded music will only cause chaos and useless cacophony.

[thisux7x7]

@JeffMcNeal It is how they can sound more realistic, the harmonies can follow different notes that are are in their perspective range..It may only work wit piano and guitar ??