A common effect for both guitar and voice is compression. Compressors are used to produce constant dynamics by boosting any low-volume sounds and limiting those that are louder than the threshold. Although guitar compressor pedals can be used for voices, since they are made primarily for the voltage and signal intensity of guitars, there may be an impedance mismatch.
Table of Contents
Can you use a guitar compressor for vocals?
Although guitar compressor pedals can be used for voices, since they are made primarily for the voltage and signal intensity of guitars, there may be an impedance mismatch. This, however, can produce some intriguing outcomes.
Using a guitar pedal is generally not the best choice if you want to add clean compression to your vocals. Inputs on a guitar compressor are made exclusively for line-level instruments, whereas balanced signals are used by the majority of vocal microphones. However, the compressor will still affect voices; it will only make certain tone and coloring changes that are likely to give them a lo-fi feel.
How To Use A Guitar Compressor For Vocals?
Although it is conceivable to utilize a guitar compressor for vocals, there are a number of things to take into account. We must first talk about the connectivity problems you’re likely to experience. 6.35mm jack inputs are typically seen on guitar pedals, specifically for line-level instrument connections. A balanced mic-level signal is typically 1,000 times weaker than a line-level signal.
One more volt would be added to this measurement. When addressing the use of guitar pedals for vocal applications, this power difference is important because, clearly, you will need to attach a microphone to the input that is only intended for line-level instruments.
Despite the fact that it is not advisable, it is extremely unlikely to harm either the compressor pedal or the microphone if unwanted gadgets and cables are connected to guitar pedals. Because of this, you can experiment without worrying that any power spikes or irregularities will cause damage to your equipment.
Three conductors are used by the great majority of vocal microphones to transmit a balanced audio signal. The signal carried by line-level instruments, such as guitars, basses, and synthesizers, is considerably stronger than the signal carried by the instrument in question. While guitar pedals do not support balanced signals, vocal effects pedals do.
The good news is that there is no risk in experimenting with vocal compression when using a guitar. You’ll need a specific kind of cable to accomplish this correctly. On one end of the cable, there must be a female 3-pin XLR connector, and on the other, a 6.35mm jack connector.
These cables are accessible and reasonably priced. They are frequently used to link the outputs of a mixer, preamp, or audio interface to studio monitors. In order to extract the signal from the interface, preamp, or mixer for this connection, a balanced cable and frequently a 6.35mm jack connector are required.