If you ask me, Auto-Tune has been overused and abused for years. But I do think it has a place in some instances, and the HeadRush VX5 now brings Auto-Tune to live performances at the tap of a toe. It’s been years since I’ve performed on stage, and to be honest, I haven’t been playing my guitar and singing as much as I would like to. That fact has really impacted my voice, and when I do sing, I notice my struggle. So when the HeadRush VX5 was announced, I knew I had to try it.
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
Before I jump in. The HeadRush VX5 is not a direct replacement for a good singer. At least I wouldn’t use it that way. Sure, you can sing into any Auto-Tune device and fix pitch issues, but if you’re just a bad singer, it will be noticed. I see Auto-Tune as a gentle way to help live performances in small pitch correction where it isn’t overbearing. But you can use this device in any way you see fit. I’m not the best singer in the world, but I can carry a tune, and it was interesting to have the VX5 make those small, fine corrections to my pitch. Let’s get into the full review.
The HeadRush VX5 offers up a huge number of benefits and features that I think are worth its reasonable price. While I did not test this live, I feel like this would be a fantastic tool for live performance. It smooths out the areas of your vocals that you might struggle with. I think this is an outstanding piece of kit and well worth it for gigging singers.
The bottom line is the HeadRush VX5 is a new tool for a musician’s kit that provides some of the best features a singer could want. My only con of this pedal is that it would be nice to have an AUX port for headphone use, and maybe the price might be a bit much for some users to justify. Here are my top features of the VX5:
Overall, I think the HeadRush VX5 works phenomenally well. It can be overused and tweaked to sound unnatural, but in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. It will be a great addition to someone’s kit.
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The HeadRush VX5 is a nicely designed foot pedal made from metal and plastics. It’s not super heavy, and it’s fairly compact. This makes it easy to move around and great for the road where space is a premium. It could easily be added to a guitar pedalboard as well.
Overall, this is a nice little pedal that doesn’t take up a lot of space and has plenty of features and functionality, including being able to add it to a pedalboard.
Setting up the HeadRush VX5 is simple. I would unpack and update the firmware before anything else. That is easily done by plugging into your computer and visiting the site for the download. Once you have the firmware updated, you can jump into using it.
The knobs and buttons are all simple and easy to use. There are two footswitches, one that controls your banks and the other for switching off the effect called, Talk. The HeadRush VX5 comes with a few simple setup tips to get you started.
Overall, setup of the HeadRush VX5 is simple, and it does take a bit of effort to get through all the features and learn new things. But it’s not hard.
I wish I was still playing live performances, if only to test the HeadRush VX5 in a live environment. For now, my testing was confined to my office and home areas. I used a standard vocal mic, nothing crazy expensive, just a basic Pyle mic.
I already listed all the performance chops the VX5 carries in the Score and Bottom Line section. So I won’t rehash all of those. What I will say in this section is this.
Auto-Tune is indeed very overused and abused by many, but there are many who use it as a tool and not a crutch. I love the feature set of this pedal, as it helps smooth out some of my more pitch-challenged vocals. I think it’s excellent for smaller artists who don’t have a sound guy who has Auto-Tune built into the board or for artists who want full control over its use.
An AUX port for headphones would have been nice, but not a dealbreaker. The overall versatility of this pedal is fantastic, and I love that you can use it alongside a pedalboard or another multi-effects processor without an issue.
Overall, the HeadRush VX5 is a fantastic little unit that will be super useful to performers who need just a little edge and help with their vocals. I know I can use the help, as I think I’ve lost some of my vocal abilities since not performing now for many years.
The HeadRush VX5 is priced at USD 299. This is one of those devices that will be more subjective than others. I think the price point is fair and reasonable, but some users may find it difficult to justify. I think the value is here. This is an excellent tool to add to your kit. Especially if you just need that slight little boost to help with your vocal pitch. I would use this more as a performance pedal than a studio pedal. But it can be used either way. The HeadRush VX5 is a great buy and well worth the money for the value it brings.
The bottom line is the HeadRush VX5 is a new tool for a musician’s kit that provides some of the best features a singer could want. My only con of this pedal is that it would be nice to have an AUX port for headphone use, and maybe the price might be a bit much for some users to justify. Here are my top features of the VX5:
Overall, I think the HeadRush VX5 works phenomenally well. It can be overused and tweaked to sound unnatural, but in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing. It will be a great addition to someone’s kit.
The HeadRush VX5 offers up a huge number of benefits and features that I think are worth its reasonable price. While I did not test this live, I feel like this would be a fantastic tool for live performance. It smooths out the areas of your vocals that you might struggle with. I think this is an outstanding piece of kit and well worth it for gigging singers.
