I did my best to search for this discussion - and I don't see one.

I heard a guy play through a Harmony G (older model) last Saturday night. The harmonies sounded way more realistic than my VL2.

I went to the GC to check out the G XT, and the sales person (seemingly more intelligent than your avg GC employee) claimed that the VL3 is really the way to go.

I have been impressed by TC sound quality in almost all their products and they seem to beat Digitech across the board, sonically.

I was less than impressed by their customer service for repairs on my friend's fx unit. Seems like other folks complain on that front as well.

Everything Digitech that I have ever owned has always worked as if new.

I would like to avoid a side to side comparisson in the confines of the GC to settle this issue for me moving forward. That is where you all come in.

Pulled the trigger on the Helicon. Night and day better than my VL2. First gig next Thursday.

John, in what ways is it better? I used to own a TC harmonizer but it was WAYYY too complicated for me to use effectively so I went to the Digitech. It's good, but I am very aware that the TC sounded much more authentic.

How hard is the Harmony G to use?

Also, did you opt for the G XT instead of only the G?

quote:

Originally posted by SunDog:
Pulled the trigger on the Helicon. Night and day better than my VL2. First gig next Thursday.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: captbanjo,

Two videos that are making me consider selling the Digitech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6atLel9CbQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...P9Ao&feature=related

Wayne,

What you hear in those two videos is a very acurate representation of the product. I got the G-XT. It has pitch correction - and is still very reasonably priced. My wife was blown away by the difference. She has never been a fan of the VL2 sounds.

Even without pitch correction - the harmonies seem more forgiving if you dont hit the exact right note with it engaged. If you hit a sour note with the VL 2 - it seemed to produce a mass of cringed faces.

As for ease of use - the only thing that has not been obvious so far - was how to turn on the phantom power for my mic. I had to look that up in the manual.

Otherwise - out of the box - most of the stuff was intuitive. Oh - I also had to look up how to turn on the pitch correction.

I was worried about the type of foot switch being diff from the VL2. I easily adapted.

The major problem that I may have with this thing - is that all the lights are red - and the unit is small - and my eyes are old.

The Helicon effects are vastly superior to anything that I have ever heard from digitech (i own a lot of digitech stuff).

The G is so cheap right now that if money is tight - it is still a no brainer. All you real good singers out there dont need any stinking pitch correction anyway! Us hacks need all the help we can get (short of an Auto Tune - for which my band mates would impale me on an L1 tower - if I showed up with one).

In short - I will be keeping the Helicon. I am sorry that I bought it at GC - instead of Sweetwater - where they double the warranty - but I wanted the easy try out at the house.

I would defintely order from Sweetwater if I had to do it again since my major concern now with the helicon is on the reliability front. Hope it lasts two years. Like - i said before - all the Digitech stuff that I have owned has lasted forever. The helicon is superior sounding on all fronts - IMO.

Thanks for the info John. Be interesting to see how it performs for you at your gig.

By the way, if only your eyes are old, you're all set...

Wayne,

I just listened to some of your songs. I like them a lot.

Not to hijack the thread too much - but I have a tennis buddy that writes banjo books for a living. One day we were at a tournament in Chattanooga - jamming in the hotel lobby btween matches. Some random guy wandered into the area that we are playing and flipped out that he was meeting Jack Hatfield in person. We all thought it was awesome that our friend was so famous. To us he is just an old tennis hack.

I have played a couple of times with him - and it is very fun. Would love to do a duo gig with him some day.

I've had professional dealing with Jack (bought his tabs) and met him once at a banjo camp in Tennessee. He is great!

I ordered the Harmony G XT. I figure I'll A/B it with my Digitech VL4. If I don't think it works, I'll send it back but if it's better sounding than the harmonies on the Digitech, I'll sell that.

I've come to find that I don't use the multitude of harmonies on the Digitech, preferring basic harmonies like a third above. If the TC Helicon unit sounds better (I've got a hunch it will) then I'll convert!

quote:

Originally posted by captbanjo:
I've come to find that I don't use the multitude of harmonies on the Digitech, preferring basic harmonies like a third above. If the TC Helicon unit sounds better (I've got a hunch it will) then I'll convert!

Wayne - I was the same way on the VL2. I used a third above almost exclusively - except for about a half dozen songs. I thought that the unison buttons were pretty useless on the VL2 - especially in a group situation.

With the G-XT so far - I am finding multi voices more useful. I am probably goind to keep my G-XT let our Lead Guitarist/backup vocalist use the VL2 for some ooooooos and ahhhhhhhhs. First full rehearsal tonight. First Gig - Thursday night.

First use in a band room setting. I have the following observations:

One band member agreed with the notion that the harmonies sounded more real with the G-XT.

We all felt like most times that I selected a patch with more than one voice - that it was too much.

We are a rock band - and I probably fidget around a bunch while playing - and probably dont have the greatest aim - but it seemed like with the G-XT I was more prone to inadvertantly move a knob with my foot - than I was with the VL2.

I got used to all the lights being red. Still a dumb plan from Helicon. The clip light is nearly invisible - even close up. It is impossible for a 6' 1" 45 year old guy with a slight astigmatism to see.

And the biggest problem of all - at some point in the evening - it just quit. the lights were on - speaking or singing into the unit with or without the harmony button engaged produced some god aweful sounds that were nothing like the input. The bypass did work at this point. I cycled the unit off and on - and it reset and performed as normal. Only happened once. I have never seen anything from Digitech act like that - ever.

That cannot be a good sign. Now it is time to see how the Helicon CS people act when I call them about this. Gag.

I would just return it for a new one and see if you got a lemon?

I am definitely going to return it - but i want to see how TC Helicon acts when I call with a real concern about their product. This is the first of theirs that I have owned.

Well I got the Harmony G-XT and I hooked it up with a Goodall Standard guitar through a Fishman Aura along with an Audix OM-5 and a Heil PR 35 all into a Compact.

Initial impressions: improved sound over the Digitech VL4, both in terms of harmonies and also the solo vocal. I slightly preferred the Heil over the Audix but both sounded really good, the Heil sounding slightly fuller than the Audix through the setup.

I didn't like the doubling effect and, surprisingly to me, I LIKED the gentle pitch correction turned on. I didn't like it so much on the Digitech which I thought added a phony sound to my vocal so I avoided it. On this unit I just hear a slight shift up or down depending on sharp or flat (how DID Lennon and McCartney sing in tune so well without this stuff?) and I can see a use for it on a few tunes.

The unit is less than a third of the size of my VL4 and I like that. I do miss the Digitechs bigger foot pedal and, as John noted, the red lights and writing are tough to read. But since I would mostly just be hitting the far-right button, that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I'm keeping it!

Wayne,

Glad to hear that you are satisfied with the G-XT.

After last night's gig - I do not see myself keeping the Helicon. Maybe I am just too clumsy but the compact size is just not suitable for operation by a mid aged slightly overweight rocker wannabe. At several points in the evening - I somehow adjusted the levels - and even managed to edit a patch with the foot that I was just trying to hit the harmony button with.

I got compliments for how it sounded overall - but it is just too darned compact for me. I am going to take a look see at the Voicelive Touch. If anyone has any experience with this unit - please pass it along.

Thanks.

I wish someone made a harmonizer that would mount on a mic stand (like the T1). You could turn the harmony on or off with a single foot switch.
Switching to different harmony combinations (or effects) would be right at your fingertips between each song.

My size 13 feet are too clumsy to navigate around multiple foot switches without being distracted from the song.

Respect,

Col. Andy

Andy,

You are describing the Voicelive Touch. Can be used with the Helicon switch 3.

http://pro-audio.musiciansfrie...rc=3WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0

You know, that would be really cool; the ability to see and read where you are and where you need to go. If you're over forty, it's a big issue looking down and trying to get your bearings. That's actually one of the reasons I initially considered jumping to the TC Helicon, so I could simplify things. The biggest issue for me is, in shrinking the size, the controls shrunk too.

Thanks Sundog. That looks very cool, and looks very user friendly, but unless I missed it, there is no foot switch to turn the harmony on and off.

I like to use harmony on the chorus but not the verse, or vice versa,(no pun intended).

Respect,

Col. Andy

Col. Andy, both the TC Helicon and Digitech units have foot switches to turn harmonies on and off. The Digitech has a bigger one that I like more than the TC Helicon. I do like the TC Helicon's smaller size overall and sound-wise, it is way better than the Digitech. That's why I'm selling the latter and keeping the former.