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Electro-Harmonix V256 Vocoder

Vocoder Pedal with Phantom-powered XLR Input, "Reflex Tune" for Pitch Correction, and Vocoder Band Adjustment from 8-256 Bands
8 Write review Item ID: Vocoder
$261.20

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Electro-Harmonix V256 Vocoder
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Take the Stage with Vocoding and Pitch Shifting

The V256 Vocoder from Electro-Harmonix gives you up to 256 bands of vocoding — and a whole lot more! Plug your instrument and mic into the inputs, connect to your amp or mixer, and you're ready to go. The V256 Vocoder sports three robotic voices and gender-bending male and female emphasis adjustment on top of the vocoding, adding even more flavor to your vocal sound. But the fun doesn't stop there, as you have the popular pitch-corrected sound at your feet in a live or studio situation, with the V256 Vocoder.

Related Videos: V256 Vocoder

Electro-Harmonix V256 Vocoder Features:
  • Blend control
  • 9 programmable memory locations
  • Vocoder band adjustment from 8-256 bands
  • Gender bender for male or female emphasis adjust
  • Reflex Tune for articulate Vocal pitch correction
  • 3 Robotic voices and single, major and minor drones all with pitch control
  • XLR microphone connecter with phantom power
  • Transposition for pitch shifting
  • Instrument control for monophonic pitch replacement
Up to 256 Bands of Vocoding and Pitch Shifting with the V256 Vocoder from Electro-Harmonix!

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Tech Specs

  • Effects: 3 x Robotic Voices, Gender Bender, Transposition, Reflex Tune
  • Analog Inputs: 1 x XLR (mic), 1 x 1/4" (instrument)
  • Analog Outputs: 1 x XLR, 1 x 1/4"
  • MIDI I/O: In
  • Power Source: 9V DC power supply (included)
  • Power Usage: 200mA
  • Height: 2.5"
  • Width: 4.75"
  • Depth: 5.75"
  • Weight: 2 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: V256

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5

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Lots of possibilities

Picked this up because I've always wanted a vocoder and somehow convinced myself I didn't need another synth. Tons of options. Fairly intuitive but definitely need to check out the manual to get the most of it. Auto tune has more control than my MPC. The other fun thing I've been doing is force pitch correcting instruments instead of voice using and Xlr to 1/4 adapter. I make a lot of weird stuff and this is great to have in my toolbox.
by Shakesbeere from Columbus, OH on
Music background: Lifelong noisemaker. Shakesbeere, CzechsForSEX!!!, Ted Danson

Wonderful Vocoder pedal - Need to read the manual

This thing sounds amazing once you get it dialed in properly. I've owned rack-mounted vocoders before by Roland and MAM, and the V256 can hold its own even though it is not a vintage analog machine. I highly recommend reading the manual and watching some instructional videos, because some of the features are not obvious by just looking at the front panel.

Some of the other reviews complain about pitch "tracking", which takes your instrument Input and tries to discern the pitch in order to play the built-in synth voices in this pedal. While that can be a neat trick, it is not really what a vocoder does. All those features are "extra" in the V256 as far as I'm concerned, even though a lot of front panel space is devoted to those tricks.

A true vocoder lets you take the actual AUDIO from both inputs, Instrument (Carrier) and Microphone (Modulator), and thrn a bank of filters will imprint the Modulator's sound on to the Carrier. The V256 lets you do this, but the settings might not be immediately obvious - that's where the manual comes in handy. You need to have the program set to one of the "Vox-Robo" options, and also set the PITCH knob to either zero or max (fully clockwise or counter-clockwise). Only then will the Input's audio signal be used as the Carrier. This is the mode I use most on the pedal, by far.

The MIDI input is great as a backup option if you have a MIDI keyboard, but don't want to use the audio input. You are then playing (and limited to) the internal built-in synth sound. The final option is to plug in a guitar at the input and let the pedal attempt to track pitch. This would be the method I use least, as it is not nearly as reliable. To get the best results I recommend using it as a true vocoder, as mentioned above. But that means you need to supply the audio signal, be it a synth pad, guitar chords, whatever. Experimentation with different Input signals can offer some nice surprises.

Drawbacks: Mic input only has a Hi/Lo level switch. A knob would have been much better to help get proper mic levels. You can leave it in the Low position and plug in an external mic preamp if you want to have better level control, just make sure to leave Phantom Power turned off if you use it that way. Despite being a little difficult to use and dial in properly, this pedal still gets 5 stars from me. It's very convenient to have a great sounding vocoder in pedal form, since I got rid of all my rack year several years ago.
by Brock from Pittsburgh on
Music background: Hobbyist/Musician

Wow!

I got this pedal on a whim, just to mess around with it and see what I could use it for. I'm SO GLAD I picked it up. This thing is incredibly fun to play with, but it's also extremely useful in the studio. I actually use it in my monitor mix, set to a mild reflex tune with the wet/dry set to about 50%. The result is that I can hear both my the note I'm singing, and the right note, and as a result, I can pull myself in tune much better. The vocals I've produced using this method are night-and-day better than what I was producing before. Oh, and did I mention it's also incredibly fun to mess around with? Totally worth the cash. Buy one and find out for yourself!
by Phil from Midwest USA on
Music background: Hobbiest

the only one

stellar.
by josh from acton, ma on
Music background: Obsessive hobbyist =

What I had been waiting for

Though EHX promoted this primarily as an auto-tune pedal, this is a stellar vocoder, hands-down. The tones it gets are rich and sonorous. The sweepable bandwidth along with the formant knob (gender bender) and pitch knob make it extremely versatile. In terms of a portable vocoder that can easily pop into your effects chain (and has separate outs for the carrier and modulator signal!) this can't be beat.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the signal coming out of the mic output is not a mic-level signal and will easily overwhelm any mic input you send it to. Otherwise it is perfect.
by Sweetwater Customer on
Music background: Pro Musician

Hear from a Sales Engineer

What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?

Carson McClain

With the V256 Vocoder you do not have to provide the carrier signal from an instrument such as guitar or keyboard because it has a built-in synthesizer. So you can simply connect a mic and start vocoding. There is a pitch knob to change the pitch of the internal synth plus a tone control to change the timbre. There are also two different types of synths. In the Robo modes it's traditional analog synth sound, in the drone modes it is more of an organ sound. You can also play the internal synth with a MIDI-capable device!
See also: wahwah, Electro-Harmonix, Electro-Harmonix Wah & Filter Pedals
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