It’s that time of year, when Premier Guitar readers from such disparate places as Florianópolis, Brazil, to Katy, Texas, share with us their prized collection of sonic goodies. All kinds of players write in: Sunflower Bean’s frontman/guitarist Nick Kivlen goes down memory lane, describing how he acquired, through many years and sources, all the pedals he loves. Simon Gotthelf, who has his own YouTube channel dedicated solely to the world of guitar and demoing gear, shows us his fave pedal configuration. A few session guitarists give advice on grab-and-go stomp setups. And then there are dozens of players who call themselves “bedroom” guitarists, many of whom know more about how to wire up a board than some stars featured on Rig Rundowns. Now, let’s dig in!
Ratings
Pros:
Small, tough package. Powerful processing.
Cons:
Traditional talk box sounds not particularly faithful.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$249
Boss VO-1 Vocoder
bossus.com
Little Loquacious Powerhouse
Creative and patient tinkerers will be able to extract a lot of very interesting sounds from the VO-1’s four modes. Vintage mode sounds are akin to those of classic vocoders, and meld the vocal signal with the signal from a guitar, bass, or keyboard to cop the robotic noises mostly associated with classic funk, rock, and modern electro-funk records. The advanced mode is the most modern sounding of all of the VO-1’s effects, and gives the vocal signal much more clarity. For both the vintage and advanced modes, the color knob swings emphasis in the vocal from masculine tones to more feminine ones.
Talk box mode is an homage to the revered (and sometimes reviled) Heil Talk Box. It nails some of the original’s vibe, but lacks some of the deeper, swirling, and chewy sonic character. You can, however, add distortion with the color knob in this mode. To my mind, the minor shortcomings in sound authenticity seem like a small price to pay in exchange for avoiding the extra amps and tubing of the original. Choir is the one mode you can explore without a microphone in the mix. It adds an ambient chorus of synth-y tones that harmonize with your guitar signal, and it sounds huge mated to a delay or deep reverb.
The VO-1 is not particularly finicky about guitars or amps. It worked well with everything from humbucker-equipped Les Pauls into Marshalls to smaller tube combos mated with single-coil guitars. Players that typically run very distorted sounds may find the VO-1 difficult to use in the most expressive talking functions. High-gain tones predictably squash some more-rounded vocal contours. That said, the advanced setting and a high-gain amp yielded some of my favorite, most unpredictable, and downright scary vocal sounds.
The Verdict
Vocoders—even units as compact, self-contained, and powerful as the VO-1—are nichey, specialized tools. But cavalier experimentalists, players working in electronic or contemporary pop idioms, prog-rockers—or really anyone with a taste for the unusual—will find the VO-1 well worth the price. Especially given the small footprint, easy set-up, and durability.
Tell Me Something Good
The M222 feels incredibly tough. The thick, 2-piece enclosure weighs in at a hefty 2.6 pounds, and it’s held together by five deep-set hex screws. Most of the weight, though, comes from its custom driver and class D amplifier, which eliminates the need to use a separate amp rig to drive the effect. Requiring a completely separate amp has always been one of the most annoying aspects of using a talk box, and MXR has eliminated that obstacle in one brilliant stroke (to be fair, Rocktron’s recent Banshee models also conquered this hurdle). That said, the M222 still requires use of a microphone, and therefore also a PA system or separate mic-friendly amp for amplifying the returning vocal signal.
Shaping the tone of the effect is simple, thanks to a trio of controls—volume, tone, and gain. MXR designed the M222 with an 18V power supply—powered by an included wall wart—to give the effect as much clean headroom as possible. And if you’re adventurous, the onboard MXR Distortion III circuit can add a whole lot of grind when the gain knob is at its higher levels.
Setting up a talk box can seem like a confusing ordeal—especially for the majority of guitarists, who have never actually used one—but the M222 is pretty easy to grok. Start by connecting your guitar and amp to the input and output jacks (the latter of which is muted when the effect is on, because the mic and PA amplify the talk box.), plug the included surgical tube into the top of the pedal, and then, using the included mic clip, connect the other end of the tube to your microphone stand (be sure to leave enough length to allow you to place the tube toward the back corner of your mouth). When you play, the tube transfers the processed sound to your mouth—thereby allowing you to create the unique talk box effect by speaking and shaping sounds with your mouth. Because your mouth is the primary tone-shaping tool for the effect, you’ll want to make sure that you can get close enough to the mic (while the tube is in your mouth) that the mic can capture the resulting sound from your mouth as clearly as possible.
This Box Rocks
MXR hit it out of the ballpark when it
comes to the M222’s usability and tone.
The controls are intuitive, and players
should have no trouble dialing in acceptable volume and gain settings for their playing
and music style. Still, there are some factors
that might cause some frustration, the
biggest being that the effect takes a lot of
practice to master. You have to think about
both your playing and what words you
want the music to sound like. It’s basically
the same conundrum players face when
learning to sing and play simultaneously.
Similarly, the extra effort eventually rewards
you with something that adds a whole new
dimension to your music.
Ratings
Pros:
Marvelous build quality. Easy to dial in. Distortion III circuit adds a whole new element to the talk-box formula.
Cons:
Output is muted when the effect is active, making amp-and-talk-box doubling impossible. Takes time to master.
Tones:
Playability/Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$169
Company
jimdunlop.com
After setting up the M222 and connecting it to a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, I fired up my PA, grabbed a Les Paul, and got ready to rock. I set the controls at noon and turned on the pedal, and it only took a few moments to get the hang of shaping the guitar’s sound to form basic vowel sounds. It took more time to figure out how to effectively make consonants, because the tube itself obstructs jaw movement and essentially requires learning how to speak differently. Eventually, though, I could form complete sentences with ease.
The M222’s Distortion III circuit gives the effect some really cool textures that range from light grit to full-blown demonic grind. Higher gain settings made vowel sounds much more pronounced, and almost synth-like when the gain was cranked. The gain circuit is also very sensitive to your guitar’s output, so you can vary the intensity of the effect significantly by working your guitar’s volume and tone knobs.
The Verdict
The talk box has survived decades of
music and gear fads, but for most of that
time, the need for a separate rig has made
the effect impractical for the average
player. Though MXR is not necessarily the
first to address this issue, the company’s
a smart internal amplifier-and-driver
design and dynamic inclusion of the
iconic MXR Distortion III circuit add up
to a very enticing recipe for those who’ve
put off trying the effect until now. On
top of that, the M222 is housed in one
of toughest, most roadworthy enclosures
MXR has ever used—and that’s saying a
lot. If you’ve never used a talk box before,
this thing is bound to feel weird and take
some time to adjust to. But adding the
M222 to your rig gives you a tone option
that’s bound to turn heads and open the
door to new ideas.