Akai HV1 Duobuddy Vocal Effect

Singers, are you happy with your guitarist, bassist, and drummer? Everyone plays exceptional, but they don't sing harmonies? Enter the HV1 - DuoBuddy by Akai Professional. Set up your own harmonies and you control when they start and stop. Similar to a stomp box effect for guitarists, this 2nd Vocal Generator adds one voice harmony to a melody to give depth to vocals in a live or studio performance. Many other vocal effects systems on the market require pre-programming, MIDI synchronization, connecting of footswitches, and are usually part of large, complicated set-ups, not to mention the results are usually mechanical and unnatural sounding. The HV1-DuoBuddy is a simple, stand-alone, all-in-one solution for today's vocalist.

Formant Control
The DuoBuddy's formant feature actually allows you to change the harmony character from a male voice to a female voice, female to male, or to change the characteristics of either to create the impression of 2 singers and not just a harmony of the primary voice.

Random Delay
A very cool feature has been implemented on the HV1 to further set it apart from other vocal effect systems on the market. The "random delay" feature allows the vocalist to determine a rate of delay between the primary vocal and the harmony vocal. This delay recreates a natural feel you would expect to hear from two singers during a duet or song chorus.

Simple to Use
Just connect the Duo Buddy between the microphone and mixer; no effect sends or additional inputs of the mixer are required. The operation is simplicity itself.

True Bypass
With the true bypass mode, when you turn off the effect there is no coloration of the sound from the input.

XLR Input/Output Connection
The XLR Input/Output connectors offer speedy setups in live use. Since the XLR output offers the signal at microphone level, no changes in mixer settings are required. The input signal is not colored, as it is being bypassed directly to the output by the true-bypass circuit design (XLR connections only) when the effect is turned off.

Tuning Function
The tuning adjust function enables the DuoBuddy to be tuned to other instruments. Generation of the reference tone makes it easier to adjust to the non-tuning instruments, such as Piano.

9 Factory Presets Plus 9 User Presets
The 9 Factory presets of harmony style offer the appropriate harmony for various song styles, in fact the Input mode automatically sets the style according to the pitch of input signal. With the 9 User presets, you can edit (style edit function) and create customized harmony styles as well.

18 Programs (9 Bank x 2 Program)
The programs can be memorized according to the song. The independent A/B program switches provide instant switching between programs for real time performance.

Sub Function to Compensate for Mismatching Harmony
Each program has 2 styles, one for normal play and the other for sub-style. When the harmony doesn't match to the song at particular points, you may select another harmony by simply pressing the program footswitch.

Technical Info

Front Input: Adjusts Input Level

Level Meter Output: Shows the Input Level

Output: Adjusts the Harmony Voice Level

Parameter: Selects the Parameter to edit in Edit mode.

Data: changes the parameter value selected in Edit mode. In Play mode, it changes either the program number or key by the setting of Footswitch Control switch.

Edit: turns Edit mode On/Off. The LED lights up when enabled. When Edit key is held longer than 2 seconds, Copy program function is enabled. When the Style is selected in Edit mode, Copying Style is enabled.

Footswitch Control: selects the function of Program A/B Footswitches being pressed at the same time. When Bank is selected, they work as bank up/down switches, while Key is changed up/down when Key is selected.

On: Turns the Effect On/Off

Program A: Select Program A

Program B: Select Program B

Rear Input
Mic: Microphone Input
Line: Line Signal Input

Output
Mic: Output at Microphone Level
Line: Output at Line Level
DC In: Connection of MP-9 AC Adapter

Audio Samples