Adding a Harmonizer to a Yamaha CP4 Stage, Question(s)

[georgetj]

Hello Musicians/Artists!

Need some guidance, I want to purchase a Harmonizer as a gift for my son. However, I have a couple of questions:

First a little about him: He's 16 years old, plays both the Piano/Keys (11 years), and Drums (4 years). He is now taking Vocal lessens as well. His Youth band made it to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis just last month, as one of the youth showcase acts.

Questions:

1. Can he connect it to his Yamaha Keyboard? (the reason I ask, is that most everything I find speaks to connecting guitar's)
2. If it is possible, which one do you recommend?

Thank you in advance for responding.

George

 

[Fred Coulter]

I haven't heard about using Harmonizers with keyboards. Generally, I've heard about them being used with a monophonic instrument.

Perhaps it shows my background, but the use I've most often heard of them is for vocalists, creating harmony from a single singer.

Was the Harmonizer his suggestion? Or are you just looking for a music related present? If the latter, it might make more sense to get him a synth expander. Connect the MIDI out of the CP4 to the MIDI in of the expander, and he'd open up the sonic possibilities without surrounding himself with keyboards.

But he may be thinking about using a harmonizer for his singing, at which point I'll be quiet. I have not idea what harmonizers are out there and their capabilities.

 

[georgetj]

Fred,

Thanks for the response. It most likely shows my inexperience as well.

To answer your question: It would be for his Vocals/Singing while playing the Keyboard. Or even for the Lead Vocalists/Singer that works with him from time to time, while he plays the keys.

George

 

[happyrat1]

I saw this on an episode of Shark Tank two years ago and I think it's just the bee's knees.

http://www.amazon.com/Singtrix-Bundle-Premium-Karaoke-System/dp/B00JBJ2HNO

Unfortunately they only sell it as a bundle with a Karaoke speaker of their own design.

I contacted them when I saw the episode and asked if they'd planned to release it without the speaker bundle and in the process discovered they share patents with and maintain a professional association with TC-Helicon.

Personally I own a TC-Helicon Voicetone Synth which has vocoder and autotune as well as other features which I use plugged thru my Casio XW-P1 mainly for the vocoder effects.

Just plug it into the L(Mono) channel and it's all good.

The Voicetone Synth has since been discontinued by TC-Helicon but they still make dozens of other wonderful vocal processors that would operate just fine along with any keyboard with standard Line Outs.

Gary

 

[garnermike]

Yes, harmonizer pedals work with keyboards, as noted in other posts. Been doing it for years and for hundreds of gigs playing with an SK1 Hammond. Have used the Digitech Vocalist 3; others that I have bought and tried (and then returned) have not tracked harmonies as closely as the Vocalist. I have found that these others brands/models seem to have difficulty handling the Leslie/rotary sim effect, and thus don't track harmonies correctly or closely enough when the FAST rotary sim is used.

One trick is to try to put the pedal as close to the kb as possible (in your sequence of cabling).

If connecting a kb to a harmonizer, use the mono output on the kb. But if you want the kb to sound out in stereo (I do, as I am using a Center Point Stereo v.3 amp), you can just run either the left or right channel lines through the pedal.