[Harp-L] Re: Digitech Vocal 300 or RP300 Guitar Effects Pedal?

[randy singer <randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 14:44:53 -0800 (PST)
> From: Bill Houle <saxandharper@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] Digitech Vocal 300  or  RP300 Guitar Effects Pedal?
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Message-ID: <20051208224453.96894.qmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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>
> I play harmonica and sax. For harp I've been interested in the  
> Digitech RP300 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal. For sax effects I found out  
> about some folks that like the Digitech Vocal 300 Vocal Effects  
> Processor.
>   They look pretty similar and have some of the same effects but some  
> are different. Seems like amp modeling vs voice effects may be  
> different enough that you couldn't use one unit for both tasks. On the  
> other hand they both have reverb, etc. (links below)
>   Anyone out there able to comment if the Vocal 300 could fill the  
> bill for harp? (I'm checking on the sax list to see if the vice versa  
> is true.)  My gut feel is get the RP300 for the harp and see if I  
> could use it for sax.


hi bill,

a few years ago, i wrote a review on the digitech 300. I love this unit  
and marvel at its versatility and ease of use. I am including the  
review in this posting.  Since this writing, two units have come out,  
the improved vocal 400 and the Rp units (which richard hunter is the  
undisputed master and expert- he event posted his settings on the  
internet, which I need to do). This would be great for sax and harp,  
you could have different presets for both and select them quickly using  
the footswitches.  I am now using the upgraded VX 400 because it is  
super clean, has phantom power and has lots of mike modeling options  
(Rob Paparozzi has my VX 300). The Rp unit has a lot more distortion  
settings, but if you consider yourself more of a clean play player, you  
may not need them, I find 4 or 5 distortion settings that my Vx 400  
unit has are sufficient for me. One day I will pick up the Rp unit and  
compare them head to head.

Just remember the best tone you will ever get comes from yourself!!!!

Here is the mini review i wrote a few years ago.


 THE DIGITECH VOCAL 300 by randy singer


THE DIGITECH VOCAL 300 has everything you could want for getting a  
great harp sound fast and easy. It is designed for vocal mikes and  
singers so it is super clean or saturated, depending upon your custom  
settings. Therefore, it is an easy transition for harmonica players to  
use it.

It is an all in one floorboard unit and has footswitches to scroll  
through your custom sounds and a volume/expression pedal.  It has  
everything-- Mic pre and voice characters, compression, EQ, noise gate,  
chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, vibrato, strobe, doubler, envelope,  
pixelator, detune, pitch, Whammy, digital delay, analog delay,  
ping-pong delay, 8 reverb types and more. It comes with 38 fully  
programmable studio quality effects (up to 7 effects at once). The  
built-in expression pedal can be assigned to control your choice of up  
to 3 parameters in real-time. Once you find and fine tune your favorite  
presets, you can use the led display to call them anything you want.

It only weighs 3.76 lbs, it has a CD Input: 1/8 in. TRS. It has very  
good converters A/D/A: 24-bit, the sample rate is 44.1 kHz, the inputs  
are quarter inch and XLR !!!! The outputs are stereo quarter inch TRS  
and Mono XLR.

Plus, this thing is built like a tank. It also has a master output so  
if the dunderhead engineer doesn't give you enough monitor, you just  
reach down and crank up the master output knob and you will have plenty  
of volume. Setup is a breeze, plug in the mike, power it up and send a  
cable to the mixer. The assortment of effects and volume pedal gives  
you an edge that guitar players  have utilized.

I have tried some of the guitar effects units of other manufacturers  
with limited success. I have found that they overly color and over  
distort my sound, and if I wanted super clean sounds, the frequency  
response of some of those guitar units were lacking,  There are no  
problems with the digitech vocal 300 --I believe this baby runs  
20-20,000 hz so the top end is super clean.  Plus, this is a  
footcontrolled unit so accessing your sounds become a breeze.  You can  
even use the volume control as an expression pedal to control the  
amount of delay or reverb, for example.

The only drawbacks that I can find is that the bypass switch is placed  
too close to the expression pedal...be careful not to hit it  
accidently. Also, the quality of the reverbs are fine for live  
performance, but just so-so for the studio.

Also, I found some of the distortion mike preamps were a bit too  
distorted even at low settings. I found excellent results just turning  
up the input knob and overdriving the preamp of the unit. So, when you  
play soft, the sound is clear. When you blow it harder, it distorts  
accordingly and naturally.

This unit sounds unbelievable with my chromatic playing jazz and then  
gets as nasty as you want to be for the diatonic chicago style blues.  
Plus, I can add some beautiful and wild effects for some of the spatial  
compositions and life is great!!. And the soundman loves it because he  
does not have to ride my level for the ballads to the rockers and  
adjust reverb levels. And the EQ gives me the smoothness or edge that I  
require.

The price- 200 dollars.

You can find more information at digitech.com

peace and harps,

randy singer 2004

ps, there is a new model out called the VX400. You will have to  
determine yourself if the new features and upgrades are worth the extra  
price. The new version has usb outputs, mike modeling (even a green  
bullet setting), phantom power and a rhythm machine, plus a few more  
goodies.
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