Electro-Harmonix V256 Vocoder Reviews

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.

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.

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!

stellar.

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.

I've owned this pedal for two years now and have developed mixed feelings about it. First bought it for the vocoder function. The vocoder sounds nice and has a good range of settings available that enable you to create an acceptable vocoder sound. Haven't found any use for the three identical "VOX ROBO" presets slots because the settings don't have enough of an impact to need more than one preset. The output of the device and mic gain (even on the low setting) tend to be very hot. I've had many experiences in live settings where I was unable to use the pedal because of feedback issues. I know that feedback issues can be combated with proper gain setting technique but you can't guarantee that every live venue will have a properly set sound system with a decent engineer. This high output and high gain issue applies to all effect types within the pedal.

The midi input on the pedal works alright. The internal synth that acts as a carrier signal produces a vocoder sound just as good as what I can get using my moog little phatty as a carrier for the inst input. Triggering the internal synth via midi opposed to an external synth is a little more limited. For example, I can't achieve a glide (portamento) sound with midi internal synth. I've been able to send expression signals such as mod wheel, or octave transposing over midi but not the portamento which really helps create a more realistic, vocal like sound.

Beware of the outputs and their design on this pedal! This really holds the pedal back in my opinion. Has prevented me from using it in live situations and has also caused major phasing problems before I was aware of the possible design flaw. When the pedal is engaged, it sends the same effected signal through both (INST and XLR) outputs. That's ok in the sense that it gives you a choice in what type of cable you'd like to use for output but it works against you if you choose to use both outputs. I've needed to use the XLR output multiple times so I could sing dry back up vocals while the pedal was disengaged. But when I turned the pedal on for vocoder function it sent two signals to the house pa and the signals phased with each other creating a terrible sound. The dry vocal signal the pedal sends is almost no good because it's so hot. Makes things very tough and inconsistent for a sound guy.

So now all I use this pedal for is the occasional vocoder effect. I use a total separate mic and line for another other vocal related things whether it's live or at home.

I found this unit to be extremely temperamental. My first attempt at vocoding, I used a guitar for the pitch. It tracked reasonably well, but it wasn"t anywhere close to perfect. I"m a very clean player, yet this unit would frequently freak out. This is fine if you"re into sick audio perversion... So I tried it using a keyboard using a dry signal, and it just could not track. At all. I tried several different patches with various attack envelops and signal strengths, and the pitch kept jumping around all over the place. Nothing I tried would get this thing to track consistently, and I tried a lot of different things. I noticed others liked this unit, but I found it to be very difficult and time consuming to get a passable track. I just don"t think this device is ready for prime time.

Worst Vocoder I have ever owned. Just doesn't work properly, has to many bugs, I have been using so many great vocoders since the Jodeci 90's and this one just takes hours to get a decent sound thats not useable. you would be better off on other brands. Sincerely a headache. worst purchase I've made on a pro product.