Acoustic Paradiso - Boss VE-8 Acoustic Singer

[BluesKing777]

After watching the Andertons video with Acoustic Classics, I noticed they do a test video of the Boss VE-8 Acoustic Singer gadget.

 

They muck around with the looper at first, which distracts a bit from the purpose of the thing, but then they get in to it:

 

 

 

 

(I am never going anywhere again without mine! That good!)

 

 

BluesKing777.

[Mafy31]

Have checked this boss ve8 thing since my thread about looper for acoustics, and seen several videos of demos... Now i can't get my mind off it, think i'll wait a bit and put the extra bucks for it.

Seems to be a nice tool for both guitar and voice.

[BluesKing777]

Well, the guys are just a riot when they get going, aren't they? :blink:

 

 

Obviously, I am a Serious Sam, because I use the gadget to get, starting from the left:

 

 

 

1. Acoustic guitar - touch of reverb, splash of delay, resonance if I am not using my Aura systems.

 

2. Vocal - enhance, splash of reverb, harmony as needed.

 

3. Balance the guitar and vocal level - don't need another mixer!

 

4. Back Panel - Headphones.

 

5. Back Panel - guitars in mic in - stereo XLR leads out to >>>>>>>

 

 

So if I was using it at a gig, the only button I would alter would be the harmony. The rest, I would leave, set and forget. Don't really want boing boing noises for a classy acoustic sound.....

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[EuroAussie]

Nice review by the boys, enjoyed that, although they made the classic error on the harmonies by going way too had on the mix. But im starting to like this unit more and more, especially since it seems you can actually adjust the individual paremeters like on play acoustic. The guitar effects are much better than the play acoustic (why no volume boost !) and the looper is miles ahead. Might keep an eye out for a used one somewhere ..

[EuroAussie]

BK - i bought this unit 2nd hand, I like it a lot. I like a lot the guitar sound in how it takes away the quack, just like the Aura Spectrum and also the acoustic resonance, easy change to give your more sparkle, mids or body.

 

Guitar effects are really good love chorus and mod delay chorus.

 

Looper is great, except dont like how you have to press twice to stop it.

 

Harmonies also good, but like with play acoustic have to be kep low, i keep mine at 20% and just use the octave higher to give a more richer vocal tone. I also like how the harmonies kick in when you specifically sing closer to the mike, so you can then control the harmony output.

 

Couple question - do you know if its possible to have a volume boost ? Because when i use the looper and have a rhythm part running Id like to increase the volume of the guitar output when i play lead over it ... I cant find anything.

 

And, do you know how to use the foot switch ? I bougth one also from Boss, but its default set to chagne the memories, but i would like to use it to change the guitar effects or use it to stop the looper. I know it can be done but instructions are not clear on it.

 

Oveall really happy with it, looks like I will go from 3 boxes (Aura spectrum, Play acoustic, Zoom G3) to just the Boss unit.

[kwalker201]

wow that has some really nice effects in this unit

 

Mark, what do you use mostly?

[BluesKing777]

BK - i bought this unit 2nd hand, I like it a lot. I like a lot the guitar sound in how it takes away the quack, just like the Aura Spectrum and also the acoustic resonance, easy change to give your more sparkle, mids or body.

 

Guitar effects are really good love chorus and mod delay chorus.

 

Looper is great, except dont like how you have to press twice to stop it.

 

Harmonies also good, but like with play acoustic have to be kep low, i keep mine at 20% and just use the octave higher to give a more richer vocal tone. I also like how the harmonies kick in when you specifically sing closer to the mike, so you can then control the harmony output.

 

Couple question - do you know if its possible to have a volume boost ? Because when i use the looper and have a rhythm part running Id like to increase the volume of the guitar output when i play lead over it ... I cant find anything.

 

And, do you know how to use the foot switch ? I bougth one also from Boss, but its default set to chagne the memories, but i would like to use it to change the guitar effects or use it to stop the looper. I know it can be done but instructions are not clear on it.

 

Oveall really happy with it, looks like I will go from 3 boxes (Aura spectrum, Play acoustic, Zoom G3) to just the Boss unit.

 

 

 

I set out what I wanted the gadget for in post#3 above and it hasn't changed. It is a minimalist list but those ingredients are really missed if you don't have them.

 

I don't like chorus pedals on acoustic guitar, so have never used this one....

 

I also didn't want another switch, so can't help there. But if you can't get the volume boost sorted, the old Strat trick is to turn down a notch on the in-guitar volume control and turn it up for a 'boost'. You will need to adjust the gadget settings up a tick or 2 to compensate.

 

 

Edit: I also don't use the resonance control and turn it off, plugging the Aura pedal in line first or using my Aura Martin.

 

 

BluesKing777.

[EuroAussie]

wow that has some really nice effects in this unit

 

Mark, what do you use mostly?

 

For vocals I use the enhance option at 50% and then the octave up (high harmony) but only at 20%. Give the vocals sort of an 'edge' which sounds lovelly when not abused.

 

For guitar a bit of reverb as standard, and then chorus on about 20% if i want a nice jangly 12 string tone, and on a couple picking tracks a bit of chorus / delay.

 

It is a very good unit, I think overall its a better package than the Play Acoustic, whicih is very good in its own right.

 

I love that now I only need one box to take to a gig, and its such a fast and easy set up, whoa ..

[EuroAussie]

 

 

 

Edit: I also don't use the resonance control and turn it off, plugging the Aura pedal in line first or using my Aura Martin.

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

I find the resonance to be quite good to give you an instant tone boost, in terms of sparkle for example. On darker guitars like the SJ is balanced out the tone quickly.

[BluesKing777]

After owning the gadget for a while, a few foibles have turned up, nothing to change my mind about how great it is but........

 

It is ideal for plugging direct to a mixer/PA in stereo, beautiful sounds.

 

For straight through recording, the 2 XLR plugs going out give a great sound, in stereo, but I can't see plugging 2 mic leads plus power at an open mic/blues jam to test the soundguy patience, plus lugging your own mic and lead. 'Here I am, aren't I special!' isn't it? And if you are using the standard type acoustic amp, they don't have 2 mic plug channels, usually 1 guitar lead, 1 mic. So, for both these situations, MONO out with 1 mic lead out the back and the reverb/delays and effects sound a lot plainer without that stereo swirl! Well to be picky, it is a dud in mono.....

 

Next, there are a couple of 'modes' for use. Without getting too wordy, the standard 'fiddle knobs as you go' is easy. Next you have a 'stomp box mode' for switching a lot during songs and pre-planning! Gulp. Integral to the planning is 'saving' a few sound setups to switch between. Say, room reverb on guitar and cathedral reverb on vocal, saved, hit switch to next saved, say, ambient reverb on guitar with hall reverb on vocal........and as complicated as you want to make them, it will save ir for you.

 

Except, you can't save a name for a memory jog, just get a number. Need to make a big notes page and stick to your arm!

 

And....after saving a few setups, I was playing through and thought..."Hmmm, that doesn't sound like the setup I had before saving!" So it changed my nice reverb I liked to chorus when I played back with my saved setup.

 

So a glitch here and there, and as EA mentioned, serious loopers won't go for the '2 presses to stop looping' function.

 

All said, the plain old set it and forget settings work very well and do stay 'as is' between turning the unit off and the next sessions.

 

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[j45nick]

That's pretty cool. Where was this stuff back when I was doing sound engineering 45 years ago? Back then, the magic was all in the guy who built or ran the board. Now you can have most of it in a couple of easy-to-use devices.

 

Sheesh.

 

Actually, I really like this. As Mark says, you still need to exercise some judgment to get a really good, natural mix.

[BluesKing777]

That's pretty cool. Where was this stuff back when I was doing sound engineering 45 years ago? Back then, the magic was all in the guy who built or ran the board. Now you can have most of it in a couple of easy-to-use devices.

 

Sheesh.

 

Actually, I really like this. As Mark says, you still need to exercise some judgment to get a really good, natural mix.

 

 

 

 

Ha, you still need to beg the nice soundperson at a jam night/blues jam or any place with a PA not you own!

 

 

But the beauty of it is the ability to create your 'sounds' at home and the big thing...practice with them. And the theory of everything says you take you gadget and leads to the nice PA person and ask if you can plug all your leads in to his nice unit and you don't need his dodgy ears because you have all your own settings saved! (Hmm, it may need a road case like a Hiscox in case they decide to tread on it!)

 

I did a little test of guitar I will load in a sec, but I have to say with the settings I use for guitar/vocal are better than any soundguy EVER gave me, no matter their credentials. I mean EVER. They give you what they want in a hurry, not what you want, which takes a lot of time to set up and test.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[BluesKing777]

I just recorded a couple of sound clips in a row, using the Boss VE-8.

 

 

Now some explaining....

 

Firstly, for just strumming and singing, I would be happy to use just the box as is.

 

But as soon as I add fingerpicking with bass notes and trebles notes and chord splashes and all the things I do without thinking about it, there it is - QUACK. And that quack has been expensive over the years for me and would be better if I just played with it quacking and shut up about it!

 

 

So the quick little test below. I used 2 guitars - the first is my Lowden S35 which has an undersaddle pickup with no preamp. I don't know what make it is, but probably a Fishman passive. I played this one because passive undersaddle pickups have not a lot of level so the first thing you do is turn up the volume and then, like on these first tracks....electronic hiss. So ignore that if you can, but the gadget can give you a bit of electronic hiss anyway..... like an amp, you just don't notice after a minute when playing.

 

So I recorded a short fingerpicking track of the Lowden S35 in the Boss with no 'resonance' control added, then added 50% resonance, then added 100%. (I think just by plugging a passive pickup in to the Boss you get a better sound with less quack than if you plugged it straight to a PA or amp. The input 'buffers' your signal for you.)

 

Next I plugged the same guitar in to my Fishman Aura box with a OM18 setting (I don't have any Lowden guitar images yet.).

 

Then next, I grabbed the Martin D18 Aura loaded guitar - sorry, I had the volume a tad louder than the previous guitar track because of the internal preamp giving more. I recorded 2 different Aura image settings......

 

 

 

 

https://soundcloud.com/bk7-3/test77a-3

 

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[BryanMichael]

Great comparison. IMO, the Aura system still sounds pretty darn good - at least as far as direct plug-in systems, it seems to sound the most full and natural to me overall, even as they keep coming out with new ways to mount mics and pickups and things, the AURA still sounds about as good as a "plugged in" acoustic can I suppose. The Boss pedal with the resonance control definitely improved the sound of the UST by leaps and bounds though! Nice to hear. I wonder if anyone has tried to compare things like this to the rather inexpensive iRig Acoustic STAGE version with the clip-on mic and body pack. The demos sound much better than the product seems like it SHOULD sound - and not just the IK manufacturer demos, even videos online by users. Just curious.

[BluesKing777]

Yeah, been through all the pros and cons a few times now!

 

 

But nothing, absolutely nothing beats a nice mic in front of an solo acoustic guitarist/singer..... it captures everything. Which is the problem if the audience gets err...rowdy, or a few other players join in and the worst, worst, worst of all - drummer.

 

 

But if I was going to do a tune at the blues night or an open mic, only choice of guitar would be my Martin D18E with Aura inbuilt! The blurb is that it has the 'studio recorded sound of the 1937 Martin D18 done with top vintage mics' in the DNA of the Aura. It DOES sound like a guitar that has been nicely recorded in a studio in a decent mixer. I am sure the soundie can do his best to test it! Make it squawk a bit....

 

 

If I had my own spot and time, I would take a couple of my guitars that have undersaddle pickups and use my Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and Boss VE-8. I just like it all. The 'enhance' on the vocal channel is a biggie! Reverb, delay etc different on each guitar and vocal, superb! When I practice with this setup, and you do need to practice with it to get use to it, I close my eyes sometimes and and the reverbs make me think I am at a bar playing....

 

I have seen the iRig video but not in real life - designed for budget home recording, isn't it? Can't see using the phone at a gig, but you know, never say never.... those leads look a bit skinny for road use.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[BryanMichael]

The STAGE version has a body pack for live performance interfacing - no phone. and yeah, the leads are pretty small, but the demos online actually sound pretty amazing for what it is - and it allows you to blend your UST in with the mic, making it a pretty cheap, portable multi-source kind of add on.

I just wish they would quite hyping things like that though, they claim "big rich sound like a mic in a studio!" It goes too far. It sounds pretty good for what it is, but come on :-)

 

Here is a good audio demo review (in French) of using it that way - blending the piezo ad the mic:

[BluesKing777]

Looks a bit junky to me.

 

The Aura stuff is pretty rugged, not invincible but roadworthy.

 

Anyone stick their iPhone to the side of the guitar, or inside, to use as a mic?

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[EuroAussie]

Great comparison. IMO, the Aura system still sounds pretty darn good - at least as far as direct plug-in systems, it seems to sound the most full and natural to me overall, even as they keep coming out with new ways to mount mics and pickups and things, the AURA still sounds about as good as a "plugged in" acoustic can I suppose. The Boss pedal with the resonance control definitely improved the sound of the UST by leaps and bounds though! Nice to hear. I wonder if anyone has tried to compare things like this to the rather inexpensive iRig Acoustic STAGE version with the clip-on mic and body pack. The demos sound much better than the product seems like it SHOULD sound - and not just the IK manufacturer demos, even videos online by users. Just curious.

 

I did a gig with my cajonist on Saturday night in a relatively major venue where I wanted to hae all my toys with me. So I took the Boss VE-8 but also my G3 effects unit and the Aura Spetrum. I agree with runnng the Boss after the Aura gives the guitar tone definitely a 'fuller' tone, it just sound big and fat and nice. However for smaller solo pub gigs the Boss on its own is ideal and the guitar still sounds very good. So i will probably use the different options according to the gig and venue.

[blindboygrunt]

Still videoing gigs Aussie ?

 

Am a big fan of cajans , when I played in a little folk band the bodhran player brought one along and be jeezus we got em dancing !

 

I'd be interested in how one fitted alongside you ... does he play it every song ?

I'd be scared of ending up with the usual drummer who goes all Kieth moon even on the ballads🙄

 

Sorry to divert the thread a little. I'm also interested in some sort of magic box.

Funny how you both choose the boss , most comparisons come out with the helicon being the winner

[EuroAussie]

Still videoing gigs Aussie ?

 

Am a big fan of cajans , when I played in a little folk band the bodhran player brought one along and be jeezus we got em dancing !

 

I'd be interested in how one fitted alongside you ... does he play it every song ?

I'd be scared of ending up with the usual drummer who goes all Kieth moon even on the ballads🙄

 

Sorry to divert the thread a little. I'm also interested in some sort of magic box.

Funny how you both choose the boss , most comparisons come out with the helicon being the winner

 

Good questions.

 

Jamie, my cajonist has been on quite a learning curve with the cajon, we both have really.

 

He had to essentially learn from scratch as his background was mainly tribal drumming after too much hash and pretty much going a bit Keith Moony (Em7 would like it)

 

He had to learn essentially that the role of the cajon is to support the guitar and voice and build the foundation, everything is about the groove. And that groove means different things for different songs. That was his biggest challenge, mainly to understand that in most cases its a case of less is more. Its easy to bash it on Folsom Prison but its a challenge on the fingerpicking numbers. But hes learnt that on those numbers he just needs to feel the groovy and apply the cajon in a very subtle manner , sometimes hit it just once per beat and creat teh right atmosphere.

 

So yes, he does participate in all the tracks, but he has to very conscious, especially on the slower numbers, sometimes he still drifts off into his own world, thats when i need to snap him back to earth again.

 

Ill try to record a gig when we play together next time, havent dont it for a while, will post it.

 

cheers,

EA