Boss V0-1 Vocoder

BOSS VO-1
VOCODER
£205
Something to sing about as a classic vocal e ect comes alive again
LOOK
up a defi nition of
what a vocoder is
and you’ll learn it’s a ‘category of
voice codec that analyses and
synthesises the human voice signal
for audio data compression,
multiplexing, voice encryption,
etc…’ Eh? Look, it makes your
voice sound like a robot, okay?
Vocoders were used in the Second
World War to disguise messages.
These days, they’re used to add
some weirdness to vocal tracks, as
heard on Phil Collins’ In The Air
Tonight, Radio Gaga by Queen and
Dr Dre and Tupac’s California Love
among others. Daft Punk can’t get
enough of the sound, either.
The new Boss VO-1 Vocoder
crams its treasures into the fi rm’s
classic compact stompbox. Two
important pieces of information:
you need a decent vocal (non-
phantom power) microphone to
make the VO-1 work; and you
don’t have to be a good singer to
play. Setting up is easy. Plug your
mic into the dedicated XLR socket,
your guitar (or bass, keyboard or
whatever) into the instrument
input, and run a cable to your amp
or recording setup, and you’re
ready to get it on.
You have a choice of four effects.
Choir, a guitar synth sound, is the
only effect on the VO-1 that you
don’t need a mic to operate.
Vintage is your classic 70s/80s
keyboard-based vocoder sound.
Advanced is a modern take on the
classic vocoder sound with a touch
more clarity. The fi nal destination
on the knob is Talk Box. Everyone
knows what this sounds like: it
powers Richie Sambora’s riffs on
Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer and
It’s My Life, and provided the hook
for Peter Frampton’s old chestnut,
Show Me The Way.
It’s a hugely expressive
and addictive effect
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
Of the rest of the controls we
have at our disposal, Colour is the
most interesting. In the Vintage
and Advanced modes, it adds
depth to the sound for a deeper
tone; turn it up and the effect
becomes increasingly shrill, like
squeezing Barry White’s nuts until
he squeaks like a choirboy, if you’ll
forgive the mental image. In Talk
Box mode, Colour adds increasing
amounts of distortion to the effect.
The Vintage and Talk Box modes
are the pick of the litter here. The
former works great for adding
extra expression to bottom-string
riffs and lead runs. It’s a bit like a
super-duper wah pedal where you
can accent certain notes just by
talking or singing into the mic.
Fear not, if your singing voice
blows; its the signal from your
guitar that keeps the pitch correct.
The Talk Box mode isn’t quite as
throaty-sounding as the iconic
Heil HT-1 unit that established the
effect in the fi rst place, but the
VO-1 is easier to setup and use,
and you don’t need the teeth-
rattling plastic mouth tube that
Richie had to contend with – it’s
all done via the mic.
Some will dismiss a vocoder as a
novelty robot voice simulator, but
it’s actually a hugely expressive,
and addictive, effect. The VO-1
makes the vocoder sound, and that
of the Talk Box, easily accessible to
every guitarist. Once again, Boss
has shown us the way…
Ed Mitchell
TYPE: Vocoder/talk
box pedal
CONTROLS: Concentric
level/blend, tone, colour,
mode, effect on/off
SOCKETS: Instrument
input, output, XLR
microphone input,
send/return, power
BYPASS: Buffered
POWER: 9V battery
or optional PSA-230
power adaptor (£22.95)
CONTACT: Roland UK
01792 702701
www.roland.co.uk
AT A GLANCE
HARD AS NAILS
THE guts of the VO-1
Vocoder are built into
the classic Boss die-cast
metal chassis that we all
know and trust
VOCAL POINT
YOU’LL need a decent
non-phantom-powered
microphone to make the
Vocoder do its thing
– there’s a dedicated
XLR mic input on the
side of the pedal
OPTIONS
THERE are four
effects here, including
Vintage – a vocoder
sound – and Talk Box,
which simulates the
sound heard on Bon
Jovi records such as
Livin’ On A Prayer
MAY 2016 89
GEAR BOSS VO-1 VOCODER
TGR279.gear_boss.indd 89 3/21/16 9:04 PM