Vocal Harmonisers - anybody use them without syrup?

[Jools4001]

As the only backing vocalist in a rock covers band I'm quite tempted by some of the newer generation vox processors like the TC Helicon Harmony G or the Digitech Vocalist to add a bit more interest in the backing vox department.

Particularly interested in using something like it for doubling up harmony vox to thicken up the falsetto parts I have to sing (eg the bridge in Dani California and the 'talks like a gentleman' bit in the Killers "when you were young"). Obviously I'd be using it to thicken up backing vox where there is more than one harmony part.

Trouble is that all the demos I've seen of these things on manufacturers sites and youtube etc all seem to feature very 'sweet' songs - anybody have any experience using this type of thing for rockier material?

 

[Vinny D]

I use the TC Helicon Voice Works Plus, it's a rack mounted version (not a pedal).
They take a bit of experimenting and tweaking too get them right, but when you get it to fit properly in a song it works great.
I use it primarily with one band that does everything from old school rock & funk to all the new hip hop stuff that I just don't understand

The person you intend on using it with (yourself, or someone else) needs to have a good solid voice, not just your friends telling you that you have a good voice.
Because when you sing off key, now you have 2-3 part harmonies or vocal doubling singing off key.

I like them, they do take some tweaking, they can be a F'n feedback machine if your not carefull, but I am happy I bought one.

 

[Jools4001]

Cheers Vinny.

Fortunately, I've got a solid enough voice when it comes to intonation so I think i'll be OK, and now that the newer generation devices analyse a clean feed from a guitar to know what key and chord they're supposed to be harmonising, I can take an instrument feed from the 'tuner out' of one of the two guitarists amps.

Thinking about it, I'd probably be better off singing in unison with the lead vocalist for some parts (we do that anyway for certain parts to get some 'manual' doubling going on) and letting the box do the harmony work, otherwise if I sing harmony it'll be harmonising a harmony part and that might be weird.

Just wanted to be sure that I wouldn't be stuck with a device that turned the Foo Fighters into The Carpenters

 

[Vinny D]

I think you will be happy with the results of these newer harmony devices, they are so much better then the older ones!

 

[Hellbastard]

TC helicon VoiceLive2 is a great piece of gear when used properly. A guy I know used to feed it with his bass, so the harmonies were totally messed up and he had way to much reverb so everything sounded blurry and undefined. If you feed it with with the correct input e.g an acoustic guitar or better yet keyboards there shouldn't any problems getting nice sounding backing vocals.