Well ... "amazing" is a term that's best left for the listener to assign.

Amazing Dave compared to what it sounds
like an ootb Yamaha vh2 that is...... in no way does it compare to a korg tc helicon unit....just sayin'.....

Sorry, VH2...whatever that is?

Also, I have auditioned both the TC Helicon and Digitech units for guitar. Both were o.k...good for their intended use.

Thing is, my Tyros system(whatever it's called..or whomever makes it)seems to me to sound just as good as the TC Helicon and Digitech systems I auditioned.

For me anyway, vocal harmonizers don't replace the real thing. It's one thing to see one person on stage and hear harmony coming from one person. It's a totally different thing to have three folks on stage where you can hear the differences in their voices, see their expressions...hear the natural sound of harmony that way.

For me, vocal harmonizers just add interest to the song when I'm playing solo. Nice to have something a bit different at times rather than just the melody...sort of like changing keys in a song now and then.

guitpic ... I wholeheartedly agree ... a VH unit compared to two/three/four or more part LIVE harmony is analogous to an arranger keyboard being compared to a two/three/four or more piece live band ... there is no comparison, but absent the availability of LIVE singers and players, I have to appreciate the fact that I have a VH unit and a KB to work with ...

And I know all the arguments against working with a band, so I don't have to hear them again, but I will repeat, that working with the same 4 guys for 26 years is something I will never be able to replace ...

I won't beat this horse, but singing effectively with a harmonizer requires much more than good coordination to find the "on" button. Singing in a vocal group, or even a small ensemble requires a totally different style of phrasing. If you think just selecting "1 above" makes you sound like the Everly Brothers ... think again. I practice my vocals much more than my instrumentals because my audience is made up of VERBAL attendees, and NOT musicians. (not usually) Everyone thinks they can sing, and most really enjoy it, so I feature the voice ... I feature the arrangements and I am meticulous with my harmony treatments.

Some of my favorite medleys includs:
Mills Brothers, Andrews Sisters, Beach Boys, Doo Wop groups, Eagles, Beatles and even certain solo artists that feature elaborate choruses like "Me and Mrs Jones" or "Always and Forever" .... both sound dreadful with just one voice ... no matter WHO that voice belongs to. Then there's the specialty numbers .... I could do a whole master class on harmonizers in a solo rig. Wish I had time to do so.

Best quick tip? Sing SIMPLER when the button is on. Vocal groups listen to each other and phrase together. Use your dynamics too ... sneak in with a harmony or back off on one for effect. Listen to the Carpenters - they were masters at lush, creative backgrounds.

If you own a substandard harmonizer - stick to 1 or 2 extra voices and keep them close to your original pitch. Use compression and keep them wet (reverb) for the best blend. The better quality harmonizers do not need as much "sweetening" and can handle heavier loads. I never heard a Yamaha sound good (to me) with more than one voice on. As soon as you hit the second note, it looses something. VH2 was greatly improved , but mostly in performance ... not sound. If you do not consider harmony VERY important, then use whatever you have. If you are like me, and NEED that lush, dense blanket of sound in your shows ... nothing beats the TC stuff. Digitech comes close, but TC is my favorite.

Oddly enough, I've found that my harmonies generally sound better with very little effects. Maybe I'll try more reverb to see if Uncle Dave is right. He usually is!
I'm a "light" harmony user. Just enough to spice up the bridge or chorus sometimes, and generally one-above.
Wish I had the initiative to set up some elaborate backings such as Dave uses. I'm afraid I'd have to change my entire setup and use right hand to trigger the harmonies though.
What I do is working (because I am working so I probably will just continue as is.
This old dog is still capable of learning new tricks, but's he is pretty lazy and wants to just chew on the bone most of the time.

lately I feel too much VH adds to the falseness of a OMB & arranger Kb act ...so much smoke & mirror foolery makes the audience say...."WTF?" is going on here listening to all this with seeing only one person on stage,.. instead of concentrating on the artist talents and music. That's why I really turned back & weened myself using VH as I used to and just pepper some songs with it when needed but not much at all. I will however use VH when recording backing tracks a bit more to give the proper treatment for the song. I see acts all the time trying to use VH and it's a disaster...why?.... because they don't know how to use it correctly, or sing the whole song with VH on OMG!!!! First off you have to KNOW how to sing,.....Secondly you have to know what it's like or have the experience with a band, etc, .. to sing with other people so you can correctly infuse the VH into a song at the right times....and play at the same time all in sync. VH on a Arranger or external unit is an art form that must be honed to perfection or there's no sense using it.

Donny is correct - correctly using the VH systems is an art in itself. It takes a fair amount of practice, some fine tuning, and again, that word "Sparingly" comes into play. I even explain the vocal harmonizer to my audiences before I use it - I sincerely believe this is very important.

"Ladies and gentleman, if you've ever been to the Florida Keys, especially Key West, you will undoubtedly hear a lot of Jimmy Buffett songs. One of his most famous, of course, is Margarettaville, which pretty much everyone knows the words to. In order to provide the vocal harmony for the chorus in this particular song, I have a little black box in my setup, one that records my voice, then plays it back, in two-part harmony, a millionth of a second later while I'm singing. Now, no one can hear a millionth of a second delay - it's too quick to hear, but you will hear me singing live, and in harmony. Now, lets have some fun."

Then I kick off the intro, do the song, and they're all singing along with me, especially the chorus. And, we do have fun. Not only does this provide the audience with some insight of how all this comes together for an OMB act, but it provides them the opportunity to interact with me during the song.

Damned I love my job,

Gary

That sounds about right Gary, Don, Dave and Donny.

God Bless,
Don