TC-Helicon Mic Mechanic Reviews

Greg Meyer
from Bloomington
April 8, 2013Music Background:
Songwriter, Pro Musician

The Mechanic Hot rods your mic sound!

When you plug an MP3 player into a $99 Yamaha mg102g then into two radio shack ion tailgaters and get loud, clear jams it isn't terribly surprising. When you plug a sennheizer 835e mic into the Mic Mechanic then into the same mixer/amps and get amazing clarity and punch no matter how far the vocalists stray from proper mic position (more than 15 inches) you are shocked. The compression is effective and smart yet very natural sounding. It essentially fixes the raw mic output and makes it very much like an MP3 signal presented to the mix/amps. The result is warm clarity, articulation, punch and greatly reduced feedback. I'm a tightwad and I'm completely satisfied with this purchase.

Jason Bennett
from Colorado Springs, CO
March 2, 2013Music Background:
Live performer and recording artist

Outstanding Vocal Effect Pedal

Simple to use and the sound is fantastic. My first two gigs with this I noticed my vocals had the depth I have been looking for, without overdoing it. Great sound. Only drawback I can think of is that you cannot use a battery with it. You have to plug it in. Absolutely great sound and the simplicity is wonderful.

Danny Hutchinson
from Rockport, Tx USA
January 2, 2013Music Background:
Musician, Live sound engineer, Recording Engineer

Just got it!

Love this thing! Took it out of the box & hooked it up in no time, made a few simple adjustments and away we went. Just enough of reverb and effects, The pitch correction is flawless.

Misty Mountain Man
from Oregon Coastal Range
December 5, 2012Music Background:
Performing Hobbyist

It Works!

This little gem does exactly what it claims to do, no need to repeat the description. I hooked it up at rehearsal with my Blues-Rock group, and everyone was impressed, most of all me. It's a godsend to vocalists who must perform without a sound person.

Glenn
from Black Hills of SD
October 27, 2012Music Background:
Church worship team

Small box, huge improvement

I have been using the Mic Mechanic for a couple of months now and all I can say is wow. My vocals sound so much better with more clarity and a crisper sound than ever before. I sing/play in a small church group and with numerous volunteers running sound on a very basic board this pedal really has improved the vocals. I also like the fact that I have control over the effects so I am not relying on the "sound guy" to turn off the reverb before I start speaking. This is one great, simple, rugged box.

Roland Vinyard
from Mohawk Valley, NY
September 3, 2012Music Background:
semi-pro

TC Helicon Mic Mechanic

This does a very nice job. The effects seem top notch and everything is simple to understand and to operate. Hard to admit, but I could use pitch correction on certain pieces and cannot tell if this operates or not. On the other hand, I don't hear any mistakes either. The little tone button is amazing: suddenly I am FAR clearer. You may or may not want this, but I do. The difference is much more marked than their advertising would indicate. The gain control is good and the unit works fine when controlled with the TC Helicon mike, which, incidentally, is a great mike, with a pretty good sound of its own.

Travis
from Atlanta, GA
May 16, 2013Music Background:
Hobbyist

Simply a Great Product

TC Helicon has struck the right balance here! Its super simple, no more than what you need for the vast majority of situations, but it sounds fantastic. The effects are not extreme so its more of a nice, subtle enhancer for your natural voice as the instrument. Very well designed and constructed. Well worth the money.

M.S. Beck
from Baltimore, MD
March 12, 2013Music Background:
40+ years performing country, rock and folk

TC-Helicon Mic Mechanic

I'm preparing for a Roy Orbison Tribute concert and this little vocal effect lets me switch to '60s Orbison like reverb' while singing and then right back to 'no effect 'during the introductions. I've just placed it in my pedal board with my other guitar effects so its easy to tap on and off. Definitely adds high quality sustain and fullness to existing vocal presets on my mixer.

Thomas Hirschler
from United States
September 4, 2012Music Background:
Singer/songwriter, home recording enthusiast

Just what the doctor ordered

I really like this little device. For context, I also own TC Helicon's Voicetone Correct. The Voicetone Correct has been a really great product for me, and just plain makes me sound better. I have always felt that if reverb was added to it, it would be the perfect product for my needs. TC Helicon must have read my mind. Viola! The Mic Mechanic arrived. The Mic Mechanic has essentially the same functions as the VoiceTone Correct, with streamlined controls and added effects. The tone button on the Mic Mechanic combines tone, adaptive EQ, warmth, and de-essing into one button. This works well for me as I never really adjusted those settings on the Voicetone.

The effects are really good. I have always liked TC Helicon reverbs and am happy with the reverbs on this unit. I am not sure I will use the echo much. I may use a little of the delay. Having the on/off control as a foot switch on the pedal makes a lot of sense. You can just tap the effects on and off as needed. TC Helicon also has a mic that integrate with this, which can be used to turn effects on and off.

The housing is rugged, but I wish the power supply was part of the box or a bit more rugged. It seems like it could easily fail. I have not been a fan of the power chords on other TC Helicon products either.

The gain knob might possibly be a problem. They have made it recessed and put it on the side of the unit. It is a little more difficult to adjust than I would like, especially in situations where you are at an unfamiliar venue and you need to make a quick adjustment because the sound guy didn't take your advice (again) to turn the channel down because the signal coming from the mic channel will be hotter than he is used to.

So:
*It sounds great
*Great reverbs and delays
*Very easy to use
*Gain knob poorly implemented
*Power cord flimsy
*And did I say, it sounds great?
*I bought a second unit for backup vocalist and guest singers

Soapstone Studios
from Portland, OR
March 27, 2013Music Background:
Engineer/ Musician

Rad

Super happy with this little guy. I was looking for something to enhance the sound of my vocal on stage, without having to rely on a sound person to "do it right." The only thing I didn't like much was the drastic pitch shift. It wavers back and forth chromatically some times on sustained notes, and I know I'm ok at hitting pitches. Even so, I'm sure I could have spent a ton more money on something that would correct this, perhaps just choose a key rather than chromatic. Still. This pedal sounds great! And it's so simple.

Jim
from Portland, OR
September 12, 2012Music Background:
singer/songwriter

Mic Mechanic

I own VL2 and really like it but it's big and complex. So for small gigs, simple setup, and good tone, reverb, and compression this is a great unit! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is it would be nice to be able to control the amount of compression and shape, but their default settings are very good.

Roger Hatfield
from Findlay, Ohio
November 28, 2012Music Background:
Platinum/Gold/ Grammy winning musician and producer

Getting Better All of the Time

I am a sax player and the concept of having a reverb in my control is a welcome one. I would not characterize the quality of reverb and echo as being "fabulous" but they aren't bad either. Two things bug me a little, one is the length of the echo; I'd like longer lasting effect to create unusual overlapping over time. The other is ambitious: i would like to be able to control the length of the delay in increments, say with another stomp switch. Off course this would drive the cost up. All in all, I would recommend you try before you buy. Having said that, I would buy it again, and probably will purchase other stomp boxes from TC-Helicon. The tone boost is a nice addition for vocalists. For sax it is not used all of the time, sometimes a darker sound is best for me. This is a fun and usful box, and I look forward to really getting to know how to use it.

iOS/iPad

Recording

Computer Audio

Guitar

Bass

Keyboard

Drums

Live Sound

DJ/Lighting

Accessories

Dealzone

inSync

SweetCare® 24/7 Tech Support