RE-Subject: [Harp-L] Digitech Vx400 users aboard?

I wrote a review of it a few years ago.

I love this unit and use it on all my harp gigs.

here it is again

randy

check out my harmonica jukebox
http://randysinger.com/bin/juke/juke.htm


Begin forwarded message:


Message: 9
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2006 13:01:57 +0000 (GMT)
From: Ludo Beckers <ludobeckers@xxxxxxxxxxx>


I searched the archives for Vx400, but nothing came up.

Does anyone here use it with harmonica?


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 ( of which richard hunter is the undisputed RP master and expert- he event posted his settings on the internet). This is also great for multiple instruments like vocals, 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. 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, especially with my Turner/Sure mike (designed by dennis-mr microphone) .

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

Here is the 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.

For best results, I alternate mikes. For clean playing, or minimal distortion, i use my audix fireball. For maximum paint peeling distortion, I use my Turner mike with the custom sure capsule designed by mr microphone (dennis). The sound is incredible, like ten trains coming down the track.

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. This is the unit I use now. It is much better and has some handy output controls on the front panel that the 300 lacks.
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