The 7 Best Vocal Harmonizer Pedals (2024)
A vocal harmonizer pedal is a great addition to any live-performing musician. It is essentially a pedal that you use to record your voice in real time and then it provides harmonies to your sound while playing/performing live. It is a great pedal if you want to up your live performance.
Since solo live performers are steadily becoming more and more popular, they have to rely on effects and other means of creating a full-sounding performance. A vocal harmonizer pedal is one such effect that boosts performance by adding harmonies to live-recorded vocals, making the sound more full.
My top recommended vocal harmonizer pedal is the Boss VE-20. It is a very versatile vocal harmonizer with 3-part harmony and various other effects.
My second recommended vocal harmonizer pedal is the TC Helicon VOICETONE H1. It offers a good signal path and high-quality harmonies, all for an affordable price.
Contents
- The 7 Best Vocal Harmonizer Pedals (2024)
- 1. Boss VE-20
- 2. TC Helicon VOICETONE H1
- 3. Boss VE-2
- 4. TC-Helicon VoiceLive Play Acoustic
- 5. Electro-Harmonix Voice Box
- 6. TC-Helicon Harmony Singer 2
- 7. TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme
- What is a Vocal Harmonizer Pedal and how does it work?
- Do you need a Vocal Harmonizer Pedal?
- What to look for in a Vocal Harmonizer Pedal when buying?
- Summary
The 7 Best Vocal Harmonizer Pedals (2024)
Let’s compare them in more detail!
1. Boss VE-20
As vocal harmonizer pedals go, the Boss VE-20 is among the best when it comes to embellishing artists’ live performances. This classic vocal processor pedal is a go-to stompbox for many musicians that offers useful, good-sounding, and necessary effects.
Pros
- Sturdy, durable construction
- On-board phrase looper
- Versatile pedal with many great effects
- Exceptional harmonies
Cons
- No guitar input
- Cannot save loops
The Boss VE-20 is a more-than-capable vocal harmonizer that offers 3-part harmonies. In addition to having reverb, delay, and real-time pitch correction, it also has a phrase looper with 38 seconds of recording time. The only letdown is that you can’t save your loops.
You can easily layer your vocals while adding harmonies to make your live performance sound classic, full, and richer. Additionally, the pedal is quite durable so any traveling and carrying around will not be a problem.
| Pedal Type | Vocal processor |
| Effects | Delay, Reverb, Distortion, 3-part Harmony |
| Power | 9V DC adapter, 6 x AA batteries |
| Bonus Features | Phrase looper with phantom power |
One of the major drawbacks to this pedal is the lack of guitar input, however, it does have a microphone and headphone input. Overall, regarding performance, the Boss VE-20 is a superb vocal harmonizer for upping your live performance.
2. TC Helicon VOICETONE H1
TC-Helicon’s VoiceTone H1 is an affordable vocal harmonizer that offers rich one or two-part harmonies to your vocal performance. Due to the guitar-sensing technology built-in, the pedal fine-tunes your harmonies in real-time.
Pros
- Rich, high-quality harmonies
- Modest price tag
- Easy-to-use pedal
- Preamp gain control
Cons
- Not as good for low-end harmonies
- Not battery-powered
What makes the VoiceTone H1 a good vocal harmonizer is the one or two-voice harmony selection as well as the guitar-sensing tech that tunes your harmonies live. Additionally, you have a mic preamp gain which is not something you see much on vocal harmonizers.
The pedal is also fairly durable, sporting a sturdy yet aesthetic design that is quite easy and straightforward to use. You can also chain-connect the pedal to other VoiceTone Singles and amp up your live or studio performance.
| Pedal Type | Vocal harmonizer |
| Effects | Dry/Wet, 1/2-voice Harmony |
| Power | 12V power adapter |
| Bonus Features | Mic preamp, Phantom power |
If you’re after rich, high-quality vocal harmonies, the TC Helicon VoiceTone H1 is a great addition to vocalists or guitar players with good dynamics, harmonies, and rich sound.
3. Boss VE-2
Another classic Boss pedal on this list, the Boss VE-2 is a heavyweight among vocal harmonizers due to its durable construction, 24 harmonies, and additional vocal effects for live performers.
Pros
- Simple, easy-to-use interface
- Durable construction
- Superb harmonies
- Useful effects with a single knob
Cons
- Not as fancy as other options
- Not as good when you combine guitar and vocals
This simple, easy-to-use pedal sports a sturdy, no-frills design and offers 24 harmony types, reverb, and delay effects. Although, when you combine both a guitar and vocal sound, the harmonies tend to muddy up a bit so it’s best to use one or the other, despite the infamous hybrid mode that follows the manual key setting.
The pedal features a slight, subtle pitch corrector while singing live and controls your dynamics sort of in a way a compression feature would. It also has three memory slots for storing your settings and even has an Auto Harmony function.
| Pedal Type | Vocal processor |
| Effects | Reverb, delay, combo |
| Power | 9V DC adapter, 4 x AA batteries |
| Bonus Features | Auto Harmony mode, Hybrid mode |
All in all, the Boss VE-2 is a good tool for live or studio performers that adds that extra polish to your sound and features many harmony types, effects, and user modes. For a modest price tag, this heavyweight pedal is worth considering. An honorable mention would also be the Boss VE-8 Acoustic singer.
4. TC-Helicon VoiceLive Play Acoustic
The TC-Helicon VoiceLive Play Acoustic Guitar is an all-rounder multi-effects processing pedal. This performance-ready device is perfect for any singer/songwriter who wants to embellish their vocals with good harmonies, effects, and looping.
Pros
- Great vocal and guitar effects
- Rugged build
- Great for solo artists
- User-friendly design
Cons
- Requires a bit of fiddling
- Short loop time
- No memory slots
This robust vocal processor is a well-rounded device for solo performers. It includes a low-noise mic preamp, dynamics processing, pitch correction, and an EQ. Additionally, you get great guitar effects with this processor like the Hall Of Fame Reverb and Corona Chorus.
The value-for-price ratio is exceptional here, however, it does have its downsides like the short loop time and the lack of memory slots. Furthermore, it has a bit of a steep learning curve and requires a bit of fiddling around to get the preferred sound and setting. With many features to choose from, it can be overwhelming.
| Pedal Type | Guitar and vocal processor |
| Effects | NaturalPlay Harmony, Doubling, Hall of Fame Reverb, Corona Chorus, HardTune, Delay |
| Power | 12V DC adapter |
| Bonus Features | Auto Chord, BodyRez Filtering |
If you’re a solo guitar performer, the TC-Helicon Play Acoustic would be an ideal choice. With many factory presets, effects (vocal and guitar), and a user-friendly design, this pedal is an all-rounder, in every sense.
5. Electro-Harmonix Voice Box
The Electro-Harmonix Voice Box vocal harmony processor/vocoder is a great vocal effects processor and one of the more popular choices on the market. Hailing from a juggernaut of a pedal manufacturer, this vocal effects pedal can be found on many pedalboards.
Pros
- Classic, versatile, and popular choice
- Great pitch-shifting algorithm
- Built-in mic preamp and phantom power
Cons
- Pretty set in stone with some effects
- Doesn’t play well with others, better off for single use
The Voice Box is a user-friendly, simple vocal processor you can use to add harmonies and vocal effects to your singing. With 2 and 4-part harmonies available, 9 presets, and reverb, it’s almost like you have a backup singer with you while performing.
The pedal has a built-in microphone preamp with phantom power for maximum detail. Also, the Gender Bender knob is a cool little feature for male/female formant modification. Since this pedal is a vocoder effect as well, you can turn your vocals into an interesting, instrument-like sound.
| Pedal Type | Vocal processor, Vocoder |
| Effects | Reverb, Gender Bender, 9 presets |
| Power | 9V DC adapter |
| Bonus Features | Blend knob, Voice Mix |
The Electro-Harmonix Voice Box harmony machine is a classic and popular vocal processor/vocoder to consider. With a somewhat modest price tag, you get so much value from it and great effects and presets.
6. TC-Helicon Harmony Singer 2
The TC-Helicon Harmony Singer 2 is a great, easy-to-use, well-priced vocal processor/harmonizer with good effects and many harmony types. With 3-part harmonies, vocal effects, and automatic optimal gain control, you can have your own backup singer on stage. Plus, it even has a USB port so you can connect it to some useful software.
Pros
- Easy-to-use device
- Versatile, many harmony types and effects
- On-board compressor
Cons
- Not the best highs
- Not the best build quality
The pedal boasts many cool features, all for a modest price tag. It has onboard compression, EQ, noise gate, and even de-essing. Not only that, but the simplistic design adds that much more value as it only features 3 knobs and a dedicated footswitch.
The Reverb knob offers 3 separate reverb settings that include Club, Hall, and Rm. With the Harmony knob, you can choose between 8 different harmony types and control the Level with the third knob. Pretty simple yet very effective!
| Pedal Type | Vocal processor |
| Effects | 3 Reverbs, 8 Harmonies |
| Power | 9V DC adapter, 4 x AA batteries |
| Bonus Features | Tone switch, EQ, De-essing |
While the pedal lacks a bit of detail when it comes to the highs, it is still a decent vocal harmonizer for musicians. Granted, the build quality falls short of other options on this list, however, the price tag all but makes up for it.
7. TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme
If you want an all-in-one device for your vocals and guitar, the TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme will not disappoint. This high-end effects processor comes with backing track routing, MIDI sync, and looping features.
Pros
- Great onboard vocal and guitar effects
- High-quality sound and processing
- DAW-friendly device
- Superb factory and downloadable presets
Cons
- Pricey
- A bit overwhelming for some
- Not battery-powered
Apart from having a built-in vocoder and talkbox effect, the VoiceLive 3 Extreme is a professional voice and guitar processor with many useful features for professional musicians. You have TonePrint guitar FX, amp/speaker emulation, Delay, Reverb, Looper, and harmonies to play around with.
It might be a bit overwhelming for beginners and that is why I stress ‘professional’ musicians. Granted, it is a pricey processor, but the features, versatility, and effects you get, make this DAW-friendly device so much worth it!
| Pedal Type | Vocal processor, Vocoder |
| Effects | Vocoder, Vocal Harmonies, TonePrint Guitar FX, TalkBox |
| Power | 12V DC adapter |
| Bonus Features | Amp/Speaker emulation, Phrase looper |
In addition to everything, you also have a phrase looper, a mic preamp with gain control, remappable buttons, and many presets to fine-tune and play around with to get the most out of your performance.
What is a Vocal Harmonizer Pedal and how does it work?
A vocal harmonizer pedal is basically a backup singer in a box. When you sing through this device and fiddle around with the harmony controls, you get amazing harmonies in real-time, as if you have a backup singer with you. Some even have pitch correction (auto-tune) effects and octave control to embellish your performance even further.
Do you need a Vocal Harmonizer Pedal?
A vocal harmonizer is by no means a must for musicians but it’s a very GOOD addition to any performance, especially for solo acts. Since these pedals are somewhat moderately priced, any solo performer can boost their performance by adding angelic harmonies, vocal effects, EQ, compression, and other effects/features.
What to look for in a Vocal Harmonizer Pedal when buying?
There are a few things to consider before purchasing a vocal harmonizer pedal like the sound quality, onboard effects, useful features, and the price.
The sound quality should be your main concern. Reputable manufacturers like Boss and Electro-Harmonix have been in the game and are known for producing good-quality pedals with excellent sound detail. The best you can do is test out any vocal harmonizer for yourself. Visit a local music shop and hear the sound firsthand.
Secondly, you should always consider the onboard effects and features of the pedal. You’d want some vocal effects like reverb, and delay, as well as some cool additions like a mic preamp, EQ, compression, etc.
Lastly, the price is well worth considering. If you’re just starting out, many great budget-friendly vocal harmonizers will get the job done. However, if you’re a solo performer with many years of performing under your belt, consider upgrading and purchasing a more high-end pedal with more features and effects to up your game.
Summary
Vocal harmonizers embellish your performance by adding harmonies and effects to your vocals or instrument. There are many great harmonizer pedals on the market that offer a lot of features and effects within a reasonable price range. Not only can you up your vocal performance but you can also connect other instruments like guitars and keyboards to reach new heights.
My top pick is the Boss VE-20, a versatile vocal harmonizer with 3-part harmony and various other vocal effects.
My budget pick is the TC Helicon VOICETONE H1, an affordable pedal that offers a good signal path and high-quality harmonies.
