The Best Vocal Effects Pedals for Studio and Stage
Add creative effects to your voice.
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When we listen to music, the vocal sound is the first thing our ears naturally single out as a focal point. This makes vocal production a great tool to define yourself as an artist, especially in today’s rather saturated musical landscape. To help you do this, we’ve selected some of the best vocal effects pedals for studio and stage.
In this Article:
Which are the Best Vocal Effects Pedals?
Vocal effects offer a range of sonic possibilities that you can use to your benefit while recording, performing, and rehearsing. From EQ and compression to reverb, delay, and pitch-based effects, you can find ways to set up effects chains to accentuate each section of your songs.
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: HeadRush VX5
The HeadRush VX5 is a compact vocal processor with straightforward control of a range of effects, and it also functions as a 24-bit 48 kHz USB audio interface. One of its primary features is the Antares AutoTune pitch correction effect, which lets you do everything from subtle, more natural tuning to the hard robotic tuning effects used by artists like Charli XCX.
The mic preamp has its own gain control, so you can quickly optimize your input level, and it offers phantom power for condenser mics. This makes the VX5 usable on stage but also in studio, and it functions as a recording interface, so you can connect your laptop and record directly into your DAW as soon as your ideas start to take shape.
In addition, there is a harmonizer effect that analyzes the chords from the incoming guitar input, ensuring that it follows the structure of the song you’re performing. The VX5 also has a selection of other effects algorithms, including compression, chorus, delay, and reverb, to add expression to your vocals. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: Roland VT-4
The Roland VT-4 is a simple but versatile desktop effects processor with mobile bus-powered or AA battery operation. It comes equipped with five different effects, including Robot, Megaphone, Vocoder, Harmony, and Reverb, as well as auto and manual pitch correction and formant shifting capabilities.
Within each of the five main effects algorithms, you can access four variations, which give you access to classic effects such as BBD Chorus, Talk Box, Speak & Spell, and Dub Echo. On the main control panel, you can tweak the pitch, formant, wet/dry mix, and reverb amount while performing, and there are eight memory slots to save your settings.
In addition, the VT-4 functions as a 24-bit 192 kHz audio interface with loopback, so you can easily use it in your streaming or content creation workflow for high-quality and unique voice processing. Overall, while the VT-4 looks basic at first, the range of algorithms under the hood makes it suitable for a wide range of applications. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: Tascam TA-1VP
Although the TA-1VP is not a pedal, it is still a versatile effects processor with some unique features to enhance your vocals either in studio or on stage. The TA-1VP provides a mic preamp with microphone modelling, as well as double tracking and digital outputs for added flexibility.
This allows you to optimize the processing with a choice of different source microphones or enhance the signal with a selection of microphone models for specific applications. What’s more, there is a tube saturation effect, Antares AutoTune, compressor, gate, de-esser, and EQ, so you can shape your vocals for a range of different music styles.
The TA-1VP presents a range of quite technical processing options, but in a way that makes it easy to dial in the sounds you’re looking for. The key features of each section are simple to find and operate, and the useful metering gives you a clear overview of each of the effects being used. Get it at Thomann.*
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: Boss VE-22 Vocal Performer
The BOSS VE-22 is one of the most recent additions to the popular Vocal Performer effects pedal series. Although it may not offer the most sophisticated control for effects design, most of the standard presets are usable.
The effects are divided into 3 main sections: Harmony, Effect, and Echo, giving you access to reverb, delay, phase/flange, and distortion sounds without too much menu diving.
Meanwhile, the XLR outputs offer plenty of flexibility, as they can be used in stereo, dual-mono, and wet/dry configurations. Overall, with 50 presets, the VE-22 is a great choice for beginners or those who are only seeking to use vocal effects rather sparingly.
- More from BOSS
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: Radial Engineering Voco-Loco
The Voco-Loco from Radial Engineering is a versatile solution for adding an effects chain to vocals or other acoustic instruments like saxophones and trumpets.
It’s equipped with a decent preamp, EQ, and two footswitches for engaging the effects loops in different ways. The main feature is obviously being able to use any guitar pedal available which is incredible, and you have the ability to carefully balance your wet and dry signal.
That being said, not every pedal sounds great on vocals so be sure to try before you buy. Not everyone wants to sound like the Beastie Boys with a Boss DS-1, but it’s certainly an option.
- More from Radial
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: Old Blood Noise Endeavors MAW
Old Blood Noise Endeavors make some interesting pedals to put it mildly, and the MAW is extremely outlandish even by their standards. What started as a simple design request to build an XLR effects unit, quickly turned into a monster with huge creative capabilities.
The MAW gives you a preamp and two independently blendable effects chains. This provides a range of different effects including octave shift, rotary, flange, phase, delay, and reverb.
In addition, you also have the option of using additional pedals with the aux send/return, and there’s a completely dry post-effects XLR out for mixing purposes.
- More from OBNE
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: Zoom V6 SP
If you’ve used Zoom multi-FX pedals before, you’ll know they are packed with features. The Zoom V6 SP has just about every effect you can think of, and a few you probably haven’t heard yet.
The layout is broken down into three sections: one for altering the character of the voice, one for creating harmonies, and one for adding effects. Meanwhile, there is also a pretty involved looper and formant shifter, which gives you plenty to play with.
Overall, you have plenty of creative tools to build layers of lush effects and the Zoom V6 SP comes with its own shotgun mic to get going immediately.
- More from Zoom
The Best Vocal Effects Pedals: TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme
The VoiceLive 3 Extreme is the flagship of the TC-Helicon vocal pedals, with all the live performance features you’d expect in this price range. Rather than being simply a vocal effects unit, this pedal gives you workstation-like control for stage performance.
The ability to playback your backing track and sync effects automation over different sections of each song in your set is one of the most unique features. This allows you to worry less about the technical side and more about your performance.
In addition, you have individual switches for each effect category and extensive connectivity options for both studio and stage. This type of pedal, however, is geared more toward guitar-playing singers and songwriters, so keep this in mind.
- More from TC-Helicon
More about the Best Vocal Effects Pedals:
- Browse Vocal Pedals on Thomann
- All about pedals
- Thomann’s Guide to Multi-FX
Videos:
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7 responses to “The Best Vocal Effects Pedals for Studio and Stage”
I’m really glad to see this post, because vocal pedals ought to have WAY more attention in live music market. Unfortunately the best the market has to offer are pedals that are pretty low in quality and more gimmick than meaningful.
The Boss ve20 is an over 18 year old dinosaur, and the 7 year old voicelive 3 (this predates iphone4 technology…) sounds like a toy compared to most console preamps and built in effects.
The industry really would benefit from a vocal pedal that does only a few things, and well:
Preamps that are on par with studio or large venue quality preamps.
Reverb, ducked delay, and possibly a simple auto tune, that are natural.
I wish we had a Helix quality vocal effect pedal but given the lackluster product offering in the market that is a long way off.
For what its worth, Ive used most of these up there, and the Roland vt-4 blows them all out of the water by a mile. Unfortunately its designed more towards ed and dj music. For example, xlr in but only 1/4 out. And desk top format, it footswitch form
Actually there has been a great solution for years now. It’s called the Eventide Mixing Link. It’s a swiss army knife for FX, allowing linking of multiple types of sources together with no issues. I use it to run my vocals or any other instrument through any guitar fx or any other fx chain I want including my phone or laptop or rack gear and it is the size of a stompbox. Even has mic pre built right in. It’s the heart of my chain for live. You can use it to custom build your best vocal chain using the multitude of guitar stompboxes or run line level keys or synths through the same or just run your phone app fx from your pocket. It’s great.
I’m hoping that next decade we’ll see better vocal effects. Up till now there still aren’t any pedals that sound fantastic on voices. Unless you go for a very robotic, chipmunk or alien type of sound, then every pedal will basically do the job.
Interesting, would like to know more details.)
Like Sean says above, I’d love to see more vocal (and wind instrument-oriented) pedals. I use an OBNE MAW with my sax and recorder. It is freakin’ awesome. Best pedal investment I’ve made bar none though I love many of the other pedals i have.
I’m an older Woodwind player, which one do you think works best for that? Don’t sing a lot.
Seeing this a little late; I personally use the MAW and a TC Electronics Quintessence (for harmonizing). I add in some vocoder for robot effects on my voice from time to time using an EHX v256. This is a pretty complete and simple set-up IMHO.
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