There are plenty of Engadget staffers who have been forced to suffer through karaoke nights with me. And they can attest to the fact that I have the singing voice of a chain smoking diner waitress and the vocal range of a mid’80s speech synthesizer. And yet, I just cant help myself. I have zero shame. There’s nothing out there that will magically make me a good singer, but a healthy dose of effects and some pitch correction courtesy of a Boss VE-22 Vocal Performer, which is making its debut at NAMM 2024, might make listening to me croon bearable.
The VE-22 is the latest in Boss’ long line of vocal effect units and pedals. There’s an XLR input on the back with a preamp and phantom power, in case you want to use it with a condenser mic. Two XLR outputs allow you to run audio out in stereo, dual mono or wet/dry. There’s also an aux input for singing along to backing tracks. There’s a reasonably large color screen for navigating the UI and a trio of pedals that seem like they’d be equally comfortable under you hand as your foot.
Effects range from basic things like EQ and compression to pitch correction and auto harmonization. The VE-22 can do subtle vocal enhancement, and add essential effects like reverb, or do crazy lo-fi and Autotune-like glitches. In total there are 39 effects, 50 factory presets, plus room for 99 user presets. If you need more control you can also connect an expression pedal for on the fly tweaking of parameters. And lastly, there’s a 37 second looper with overdubbing for building up compositions and practicing harmonies.
There’s no MIDI support, but there is a USB-C port for recording and playing back audio from a computer or smartphone. While there is an AC adapter, it’s unfortunately sold separately. It can also be powered by four AA batteries if you don’t feel like springing for the adapter, just know you’re only going to get between six and nine hours before they’ll need to be replaced. The VE-22 Vocal Performer is available now for $350 and an optional carrying case with room for a mic and cable will cost $70.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/boss-ve-22-vocal-performer-is-the-latest-high-powered-effects-pedal-for-singers-100024692.html?src=rss