The Missing Link: Best Processors for Guitar and Vocals in 2024

Introduction

Are you a musician who both plays guitar and sings? Are you tired of lugging tons of pedals and multi-effects to your gigs? If the answer is yes, you’re at the right place.

Imagine swapping all those multiple pieces of equipment for only one golden all-in-one processor that can do all the work by itself. Not only can these units do all the processing for both guitar and vocals but they will make them work together in sync, literally producing beautiful harmonies at choice.

Keep in mind that in this post we will be focusing only on multi effects that are designed to handle guitar and vocal effects at once. A couple of years ago, I was looking for a buying guide for this type of multi effects, all in place, but with no success. All the information was there, but not in one place. Also, most of these devices are designed to primarily work with acoustic guitars, but some do a great job at handling electric guitars as well. Don’t forget that any piece of device that works well with an electric guitar is also designed for use with a bass guitar.

I think there are many singing guitarists out there who are interested in these all-in-one processors in one post.

It had to be said since many sites talk about how certain guitar multi effects also work fine with vocals. Yes, many of them do indeed, but not at the same time. They have to have separate inputs and processing possibilities.

We are now seeing advancements in technology leading to a minimalistic approach to musical instrument gear never seen before. This approach helps musicians create professional-grade sound with minimal equipment while streamlining setups and teardowns.

Here at Easymusicgig, you will find out all about these valuable pieces of gear. 

The best processors for guitar and vocals must easily meet these requirements:

• Be easy to use
• Have exceptional sound quality
• Be flexible in performing various tasks
• Have road-worthy characteristics

After reading this post, you will have a clearer picture of what these devices are capable of doing, and with that information make a decision on which one suits your needs best. 

This article will discuss the missing link that will change your performance from OK to perfect. Elevate your performances with an all-in-one processor for guitar and vocals.

Who needs a processor for guitar and vocals?

Solo performers

So, you plan on playing solo acoustic gigs, or you already are playing them but want to minimize your gear so it’s easier to travel. Perfect! This post is going to help you choose the Best vocal and acoustic guitar processor for your needs.

Guitarists who sing in bands

Not only will a solo act benefit from using an all-in-one multi effects for guitar and voice. 

Many guitarists play in a band and sing either main or backing vocals and want to have their own specific vocal effects. That’s not easy if someone different is mixing the band night after night. 

This all-in-one approach will give you a consistent sound both for your guitars and vocals gig after gig.

Why one single unit? Benefits of Using an All-in-One Processor for Guitar and Vocals

When it comes to performing live, having a processor that can handle both your guitar and vocals is a must for every musician who is trying to minimize their gear. One device will also make both your guitar and vocal work in sync. The possibilities that these devices are capable of are truly fascinating.

This type of gear is tailored to provide your guitar, whether acoustic or electric, with tons of effects and features that are specific to them. The same goes for vocals.

Having these possibilities in one versatile unit allows you to experiment with effects and never-before-seen looping possibilities.

Main benefits

These benefits can greatly improve your performance and setup:

1. Portability & Convenience

Using an all-in-one processor means no more carrying multiple pedals, separate multi-processors, and cables to connect them. You will save precious set-up time.

2. Expanded features

When attending a gig no one wants to see the performer make big pauses between songs or bending down and turning those knobs and pressing buttons like there’s no tomorrow.

All-in-one processors for guitars and vocals are made for live gigging. They have the ability to switch between totally different sound and routing setups with a single click with your feet.

Your audience will be awed when they hear you play the acoustic, hear you sing with backing vocals, and multiple layers of looped music.

Automation and saving every nuance of song arrangements is the power of the best acoustic guitar and vocal pedals. 

3. Seamless integration: Guitar and vocal work in sync

The best guitar and vocal processor models are capable of automatically providing backing vocals in the same key that your guitar is playing which is not possible when using separate devices.

Processing and signal routing are optimized for both guitar and vocals.

Best All-in-One Processors for Guitar and Vocals

1. TC-Helicon Play Acoustic

Most acoustic guitar players have once heard of the Play Acoustic from TC-Helicon. It is the smallest multi effects pedal designed for acoustic guitar and vocals with a built-in looper and many helpful features.

I know a couple of players who went from the Play Acoustic to the top TC Helicon’s VoiceLive 3 Extreme model because of multiple looper channels and backing track features. They say they missed the Play Acoustic for its simplicity and above all its sound.

After all Play Acoustic has all of the TC Helicon’s staple effects for acoustic guitar and voice:

• BodyRez: special all-in-one DI for guitars with piezo pickups, subtle auto-compressing, filtering, and anti-feedback.
• Hall of Fame Reverb
• Flashback Delay
• Corona Chorus
• Low noise mic preamp

I always used the BodyRez pedal when playing solo acoustic gigs, and can tell you that it was the most useful single small pedal for the acoustic guitar that I’ve used. It breathes life into your guitar. All of a sudden you can hear that wooden tone your acoustic has when played unplugged.

“TC Helicon is the only pro audio company that is 100% dedicated to the performance needs of singers” (TC Helicon)

This is what TC Helicon has to say about themselves in their opening on their About Us page. When it comes to vocal effects, you can be sure that the Play Acoustic is providing quality for money.

Main features:

• Seven professional vocal effects
• Natural-sounding vocal harmonies controlled by your guitar’s chords
• BodyRez filter and integrated EQ
• Best acoustic FXs from TC Electronic
•  Vloop performance looper
• Guitar and vocal inputs with separate outputs (or combined)
• Three footswitches for controlling effects, looper, and navigating through presets

The learning curve for some could be a bit high, especially if you’re not familiar with this kind of device. For average multi-effects experienced guitarists, there shouldn’t be a problem dialing in a decent guitar and voice tone in an hour or two.

Pros:

• Professional vocal effects and harmonies with ready presets
• Great effects for acoustic guitar
• Small footprint
• Affordable

Cons:

• No line outs, only low impedance XLR
• Not good for electric guitar
• No battery-powered option: Not the best solution for busking
• Can be tricky adjusting volumes and EQ without a small mixer between it and the PA

2. Boss VE-8 Acoustic Singer

If we look for a multi-effects unit similar to the Play Acoustic, the Boss VE-8 Acoustic Singer is the logical choice. It has a similar price tag, dimensions, and main features. But the interface is very different. The Boss has a more old-fashioned display with clearly laid out knobs for tweaking guitar and vocal parameters, making it simple to use. The old-fashioned interface may be a factor for musicians looking for a device that can easily be tweaked during gigs.

Boss has been a leading guitar and bass effects manufacturer for 50 years. So you know what to expect from their effects. Besides the obvious features of vocal and guitar effects, the Boss VE-8 Acoustic Singer has impressive real-time harmonies and an 80-second looper. The Looper has the ability to loop guitar and vocals independently.

Boss has its Acoustic Resonance that works similarly to TC Helicon’s BodyRez.

Main features:

• Boss quality guitar and vocal effects
• Harmonies with up to 4 voices controlled by the guitar signal
• Looper with 80 seconds of recording time
• Professional vocal preamp

Pros:

• Very simple to use: Physical knobs and buttons for tweaking parameters
• Great guitar effects
• 80 seconds looper time

Cons:

• Not easy to find the wanted sound as with Play Acoustic
• Tiny screen

3. TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme

The best description of this fantastic piece of gear is that it’s a Swiss army knife. There are many features that support this description. It is capable of doing many things, and all of it is top-quality. The TC Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme or VL3X is truly a complete vocal and guitar processor made for live performance. It is probably the best all-in-one processor for vocals and acoustic guitar.

When it comes to plug-and-play preferences, the VL3X is the opposite. In order to adjust all your sounds, and make everything work the way you want it to, you will need time. Lots of it. If you are a player who prefers simplicity, you better look for something else. But if you are blessed with patience and are into tech stuff, you will be rewarded with a unit that will do almost anything you can imagine. And more. A great feature is that almost everything in this unit is customizable, including the footswitches. 

The rear panel is very impressive with inputs and outputs that make routing as customizable as it gets. A very nice feature is the guitar through output. If you don’t use the guitar effects from the VL3X, the through output sends your guitar’s signal to your other multi-effects unit or amp. The guitar is fed to the VL3X for harmonies that are triggered by your guitar’s key that is played. 

The vocal and guitar channels can be sent separately to be mixed on the FOH mixer or combined as they are in the VL3X.

Any footswitch can be programmed to make endless changes to parameters, adding effects, harmonies, and much more with a single tap. 

Main features:

• Professional-grade processor for voice and guitar
• Intelligent vocal harmonies
• Amp/speaker emulation for guitar
• 100 songs memory
• Recorder for capturing complete audio directly to USB
• Independent headphone mix for in-ear monitoring
• 3 customizable footswitches

Pros:

• Professional features for both vocals and guitar
• Top-quality vocal harmony algorithms
• Three separate looping channels
• Backing track capability
• Separate main vocals and backing vocals output for easy mixing for PA

Cons:

• High price tag for some
• Higher learning curve – not for everyone
• 3 channel looper and backing tracks can’t work at the same time

4. Headrush Core

The youngest on this list is the Headrush Core. It is a downsized version of the Headrush Prime which handles vocals as well but is too big for easymusicgig.com (“laughing with lots of hall reverb…”) since we focus on minimizing gear, not making it bigger.

Similar to some other multi-effects products like the Line6 Helix Floor model the Headrush Core can run guitar and vocals at the same time. The downside with these models is not having the possibility to globally set a vocal sound and then just change the guitar sound. Every change has to be pre-programmed.

The way the Headrush Core works for guitar and vocals is therefore different than the other units in this article. All other units in this list have two independent channels for working both with guitar and vocals at the same time. The Headrush uses a sort of compensation method to achieve this. It has 14 blocks of effects altogether. When using guitar and vocals we have to split the 14 blocks and the only way that it does it is that it splits them into a dual path of blocks: 7 for guitar and 7 for vocals. This can be an issue for guitarists that need to use one block for an amp and one more for cab simulation leaving them with only 5 for all the other effects.

Having all this in mind we can say that the Headrush Core is the best choice for electric guitar players who also sing and want basic, but professional vocal effects that are independent from the FOH mixer. Anyone looking for advanced vocal multi-effects made for live use should consider one of the TC Helicon models.

Main features:

• All-in-one rig for guitarists and vocalists
• Modeled guitar amps and cabs
• Studio-grade vocal processing
• Cloner function for creating replicas of your favorite amps

Pros:

• Intuitive 7-inch touchscreen with drag-and-drop functionality
• Excellent for electric guitar use
• Built-in amp cloner function
• Has WiFi and BlueTooth
• Easy to adjust parameters between songs

Cons:

• High price
• Not the first choice for singers

5. TC Helicon Perform VG

Best for solo performers who need a simple and small device that can be controlled with their hands while performing

This is the only device in this list that is meant to be mounted on a microphone stand. For some, this is a winning factor. If you need a simple guitar and vocals multi-effect and absolutely want to be able to make changes to your settings while playing without bending to the floor, this is the multi-effects you need.

The interface is as simple as it can be. The voice effects controls are placed on the left side and the guitar effects are on the right.  

Main features:

• Vocal and acoustic guitar effects processor
• Two-voiced harmonies controlled by the chords your guitar plays
• Microphone stand mounted

Pros:

• Extra-easy-to-use
• Mounted on a mic stand for use while playing
• The smallest device on this list

Cons:

• Doesn’t have presets like other products

Factors to Consider When Choosing an All-in-One Processor

1. Ease of use

Every musician wants to have a processor that is easy to use, especially if you are new to this concept, or are just starting out as a solo performer. But still, not all products are easy to use because of their complex possibilities.

If you are familiar with programming complex effects chains and signal routings go for the top models. But if you are new to the whole thing an easy-to-use unit with simple effects is probably the best choice.

2. Sound quality

Most processors for guitar and vocals are made by the latest standards in sound processing and offer a high-resolution audio signal. Signal loss, anti-feedback, and coloration of tone all contribute to the sound quality of processors.

3. Flexibility

What features do you need for your performances? Are you only looking for a convenient way to run effects for your guitar and voice without presets or are you planning on playing with backing tracks and multiple looping channels?

Consider what you need before buying because you could wind up using a device with 80 percent of effects and features you will never use.

4. Durability

You need a processor that can withstand the rigors of everyday gigging. Having that in mind, you should look for processors that are made from high-quality long-lasting materials. The most road-worthy multi-effects pedals have a metal chassis. This is a bit less important factor if you use a processor that is mounted on your mic stand or somewhere else than on the floor.

Before choosing a multi-effects processor for your guitar and vocals consider these factors in order to find one that will meet your needs and preferences best.

Features to Look for in an All-in-One Processor

1. Effects

Musicians, especially guitarists, can talk about effects for hours and hours, and it never stops. Effects are the cream on top of your sound, they carve the sound of your instrument or voice in beautiful ways.

Obviously, we want as many effects in one processor as possible. But the number of effects is not what makes a device better than the other. The quality of the effects is what makes them stand out. Also, the possibility of sculpturing effects to your taste is of the essence. How many simultaneous effects do you need?

Most multi-effects have reverbs, delays, compressors, modulation, and dynamic effects to make your guitar shine. For vocals, you should look for effects that are specific for singing such as: pitch correction, harmonies

2. Ease of use-Interface

A device’s interface is the layout of screens, buttons, and knobs. The way they are laid out and how they work is what defines the ease of use for users. Beginners should look for simple and clear interfaces.

Many multi-effects have screens where you can choose effects, their signal order, and how they are routed. This should all be made easy with an intuitive layout.

3. Presets

The number of presets and banks is not a concern, since modern multi-effects have plenty of space for saving all your favorite settings. More important is the way you can save them, and later recall them when needed. This is especially important when performing live.

4. Looper

This is a great tool to boost your performance. Adding layers to the guitar and vocals will give your audience the wow effect. It is also great for practicing at home. Better multi-effects processors have more than one channel for looping which is great for complex arrangements.

Look for available looping time and how the looper is controlled.

5. Amp modeling

With amp modeling, you are bringing dozens of your favorite legendary amps to your gig. Having them all at once in front of you is an amazing option.

6. Connectivity

Most units have multiple types of inputs and outputs:

•  1 / 4 inch, XLR, 3.5mm for guitars, vocals, MP3 players, …
• Midi for controlling the unit and other connected gear via a MIDI controller
• USB for connecting with PCs, firmware updates, and recording

7. Power

If you are a busker, playing in the streets, look for models that have the option to be operated by batteries.

Comparing the Cost-Effectiveness of All-in-One Processors vs. Individual Pedals and Processors

The cost of an all-in-one multi-effects processor for guitar and vocals may seem higher than buying several separate pedals. Well, relatively. Yes, there are budget-friendly pedals that can do the work but a couple of top-quality individual pedals can cost more than the multi-effects processor.

Furthermore, connecting all those individual pedals together with cables and powering them with power banks is not cheap. Then you end up buying a pedalboard and a flight case to knock all that money out of your wallet for something that’s too heavy for everyday gigging.

Convenience is the game changer. An all-in-one multi-effects for your guitar and vocals needs less time to set up than using multiple pedals. There is no need for a pedal switcher since it is an integrated part of a multi-effects unit. All this adds up to less space needed during transport.

Are multi-effects good for beginners?

As with every piece of musical equipment, if you don’t try out a multi-effects unit, you won’t know what you like or dislike about it. You don’t have to invest a lot of money to try the basics out. Reverb and eBay are good places to start with.

Trying out your new piece of gear is only one step, the other one is playing them live. Only after many gigs will you figure out what are your needs. The best thing about all of this is that it’s all about having fun and doing something you love.  

Cons

There are no cons. Just one. Maybe. With all these multi effects for guitar and vocals, you get what you get, at least in terms of modularity. If you are for some reason thrilled with some device’s vocal effects but not with the guitar effects you’re stuck with them. You can’t just interchange them, they are not modular. For that, you would have to buy two separate units, one only for vocals and one only for guitar. 

Conclusion

Incorporating the best all-in-one processor for guitar and vocals into your musical gear arsenal will streamline your setup and teardown and make your performances easier than you could have ever imagined. Goodbye to individual pedals, multi-effects that have only so many different effects, numerous cables, power supplies, and bags that house all that equipment.

Consider all the main features that suit your needs like size, number of needed effects, versatility, roadworthiness, looper or no looper, ease of use, programmability, and so on. Only after you’ve explored all the possibilities that these unique pieces of gear can do, will you have a clearer idea of what to potentially purchase for leveling up your professional or amateur career as a solo or band performer.

If you spend a decent time exploring all the products that are out there, evaluating their pros and cons for you, you should after buying one, at least spend the same time learning all about how to set them up and customize them to your taste. Thanks to YouTube and other online sources, there are endless videos and articles that can teach you how to use these devices like a pro in no time. Don’t forget that every piece of equipment mentioned in this article has high-grade sound quality.

The missing link that will connect your guitar and voice is out there waiting for you to embrace it for your easy gigs in the future.