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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Just looking for a review from a member. Also wanting to know if anyone here has done a comparison with any other models? |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I did serious research at last years NAMM and took home a Digitech Live 3.
After a year I am still extremely happy with it and it does more than I could ever want it to.
Not sure what the 5 does cause I did not look at it at NAMM this year (since I had the 3).
I would seriously compare the features and see if you think it is worth the extra dough vs the 3. |
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Posts: 3969
| I took a close look and heard a demo at NAMM. I have the 4, and from what I could tell the main differences are:
[list]
[*]Up to 5-part harmony
[*]Fewer guitar effects
[*]Gender (you can make a male voice sound female & vice versa)
[*]Presets can be programmed with A/B settings, efectively doubling the number of presets and letting you do a quick change on stage with a single button stomp
[*]Redesigned stomp buttons
[/list]
The basic algorithms for pitch correction and harmonies seem unchanged - they worked fine before and they've always worked well with a fast response, so I doubt they had reason to change them.
I think simplifying the guitar effects is probably a good idea - there are a lot of effects on the 4 that I never use or prefer to use a separate dedicated pedal (like compression) in the chain.
I don't often use the 4-part harmonies, usually just 3rd or 5th up or down or a combination of one-up-one-down, but it's nice to have that ability & I do use it on occasion. I don't know that I'd pay a whole lot extra for one more voice.
The change I liked most about the 5 was the button switches in a staggered pattern. To this day I still on occasion accidentally hit the wrong switch on the 4 (large switches butted right up to one another). The button switches in that pattern on the 5 I think would make it less likely you'd stomp the wrong switch.
Bottom line - not worth upgrading for me, but a solid unit worth considering. The price is pretty high, and depending on how much harmonizing you need it might be more economical to get the 2, 3, or 4. |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I've been trying to get a hold of the company on the phone, because I had an idea of trying to use my trumpet/coronet through the mic and make it a whole trumpet section (: ... as I read the manual online, I noticed there was a way to get the harmonies without the use of the guitar. I know ... that's probably pushing the envelope, but I tend to do that regularly. (:
I have been haggling with a couple different online stores and have them down to $400 on the price, which isn't far from the Live 4.
I too am not concerned about guitar effects either, since Ovation/Adamas guitars sound pretty incredible on their own. |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | I don't have one (yet) but from what I've read you can select the key rather than have it deduce it from chords.
I know people use these while playing keyboards (too many simultaneous notes can confuse it) as well as vocalists who don't play an instrument.
If you can play that trumpet loud enough to drown out the 14 year old playing "Stairway" on the Marshall stack, go to GC and test one... |
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Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by Waskel:
...you can select the key rather than have it deduce it from chords. That's true for the 4 and 5, I don't about the 2 or 3 as I haven't used those. |
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Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | I use the TC Helicon Harmony box and I think it can do 3 part using just a mic, no guitar. So I guess playing a trumpet into a mic would give you 3 part. it's alot cheaper than $400 |
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Location: closely held secret | Yeah, Serge. I figured the 3 didn't have it by looking at the pictures. On the 5 you can clearly set the key (+Maj/Min) but there's nothing on the 3 like that. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | No, the 3 needs the guitar for the harmony parts. |
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Location: closely held secret | Which is why I'll save up for the 5. I want to be able to record backgrounds independently. |
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September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Yeah the trumpet-thing is just a sideline idea. I really like the idea of getting something to help my vocals sound better. My voice isn't "bad", and I can stay in key very well, but I've never had one of those "up-front-guy" voices. My voice is kinda' soft when singing, and when I try to push it, the quality goes south. I don't expect a miracle with one of these things, but by what I've seen and heard so far, it's got to be a worthwhile improvement. |
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Posts: 3969
| One nice (and useful) feature of these is "doubling" - you can set it so that your vocal is basically cloned (that is, not harmonized) and you can add slight effects like delay or reverb to those doubled voices. Gives your vocal considerably more power & "richness". |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | That sounds good (: |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | That's the hope. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | didn't work for DB.....
but then that might be the shirts throwing things off |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Waskel:
Which is why I'll save up for the 5. I want to be able to record backgrounds independently. I got plenty of things that will do that when recording.
Would you actually use it when playing live?
John....I need to send you a link. This company has got a couple of really really awesome VST plugs that they sell for $10 each! |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by stephent28:
...I need to send you a link. This company has got a couple of really really awesome VST plugs that they sell for $10 each! Pass that along! |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Send away. Which company? |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | http://www.sknote.it/
"Roundtone" Tape Emulation is the one I was specifically referring to.
It is about to go version 2 with some pretty nice enhancements.
Owners of version 1 prior to the 2 release get the upgrade for free.
The "Presence" is also pretty sweet. |
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Posts: 3969
| Kewl, thanks T! |
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September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | UPS shows My V5 out for delivery this morning (: ... YESSSS! |
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Anyone Here Have A Digitech Vocalist Live 5?
