Since the introduction of guitar effects pedals, many manufacturers have tried to be creative and have made effects pedals for other purposes as well, including for vocals. Today, using the mixer alone to control the vocal is sufficient to achieve an acceptable quality level. However, if you want to get the best audio quality and sound-shaping capabilities, you may need to use a vocal effects processor. Just like a guitar effects processor, a vocal effects processor can add various sound effects to the vocal sound. These effects have been tailored specifically for the frequency range of human voices.
Boss VE-20 has become quite a popular vocal effects processor due to the powerful features and excellent build quality. However, other manufacturers have tried to create vocal effects processors for singing guitarists. Such processor is able to take both inputs from the guitar and the vocal. Boss has tried to answer the challenge with Boss VE-2. So, how do Boss VE-20 and Boss VE-2 compare against each other? IS Boss VE-2 entirely better than Boss VE-20? See below.
Boss VE-20 vs. Boss VE-2: Design and Dimensions
In general, Boss VE-2 is a little bit more compact and quite more lightweight than Boss VE-20. The weight of Boss VE-2 is just 600 grams, as opposed to Boss VE-20’s 1.1 kg. The difference is quite considerable. In addition, Boss VE-20 has 173 mm width, 158 mm depth, and 57 mm height. On the other hand, Boss VE-2 has 156 mm width, 116 mm depth, and 64 mm height. If you prefer something that is compact and portable, you may opt for Boss VE-2 over Boss VE-20. (See also : Boss VE-20 Vs VE-5)
Both have solid, rugged metal housing. Both are red in color. Their interfaces differ quite significantly. Boss VE-20 may feel more convenient and precise due to featuring an alphanumeric display screen for control. There are several buttons and a knob. It allows you to instantly add lush vocal layers or harmonies, add real-time pitch correction, or apply special effects with a click of a footswitch. Meanwhile, Boss VE-2 seems to emphasize on simplicity. There is no display screen. Instead, there are several control knobs for quick and intuitive control and a large, wide footswitch that is hard to miss. The user interface is incredibly very intuitive and friendly that a user not familiar with such devices can run the device fairly easily.
Boss VE-20 vs. Boss VE-2: Features
The primary difference between these two models would be the capability to take and harmonize a guitar input with the vocal. This is a great feature for a singing guitarist, but not really necessary for a dedicated vocalist. Boss VE-20 does not have any guitar input, though the model has powerful Harmonies that you can use to select manually the chords being played in real time. But Boss VE-2 is special because, in addition to having a guitar input, it also has the Auto Harmonist feature to automatically detect the chords currently being played and generate the correct harmonies on the vocal. The Auto Harmonist feature is decent and accurate, and you can rely on it if you prefer to automate the harmonies when singing while playing the guitar.
Boss VE-20 has an XLR type mic input jack that can provide +48V phantom power. Meanwhile, there is a pair of XLR type output connectors. The L port also works as the Mono output port, and there is the R port for handling stereo. In addition, there is a phones/line output port that accepts stereo ¼” phone jacks. However, Boss VE-20 does not have any USB port. It runs on six AA carbon/alkaline batteries, but it can also operate using an AC adaptor.
On the other hand, Boss VE-2 also has an XLR type mic input jack with phantom power, but there is also a ¼” phone type guitar input jack. The outputs include an XLR output, a ¼” phone type guitar thru jack, a stereo phones/line output. There is also a ¼” TRS phone type jack for variation and memory inc. Finally, there is a USB type B for connecting the device to a personal computer for recording. Having the USB port is very handy and practical. Nevertheless, Boss VE-2 requires four AA batteries to run, which can be either Ni-MH batteries or alkaline batteries. It can also work using an AC adaptor that is sold separately.
Boss VE-20 vs. Boss VE-2: The Sound Effects
Even though Boss VE-2 is specialized in harmonies, it is quite limited in other aspects. Of course, it has such a rich collection of harmonies. There are 24 harmony types in total, consisting of one-voice and two-voice harmonies. And there is the Auto Harmony function that has been explained above. There are pitch correction, reverb, and delay effects, but that’s that.There is a loopback function, though, which you can use to mix an audio playback from your computer with the mic sound. The memory can only store up to 3 presets.
Though Boss VE-20 does not have the Auto Harmony feature, it comes with considerably richer and more powerful effects. There are Harmony, Dynamics, Reverb, Delay, and Double-Track, Distortion, Strobe, Radio, and Pitch Correction. Not to mention that it actually support three-layer harmonies. There is a built-in phrase looper that can record up to 38 seconds in mono. The memory contains 30 factory presets, and you can make up to 50 custom presets.
| Boss VE-20 | Boss VE-2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | BOSS Audio | BOSS Audio |
| Key features | - That's right — the insanely cool VE-20 puts vocal harmonies, double-tracking, and even pitch correction right at your feet. | - Real-time vocal harmonies and high-quality effects in an affordable, easy-to-operate pedal |
| Price | ||
| Customer Ratings* | 4.0 out of 5 stars | 4.5 out of 5 stars |
| Best Deal* | Save Money Please click here | Save Money Please click here |
NOTE : Product prices, availability, ratings and save money information are accurate as of the date/time indicated on post time (as seen right bellow the tittle) and are subject to change. Any price, ratings, availability and save money information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Decision
Boss VE-20 and Boss VE-2 are very different from each other. In general, Boss VE-2 is only feasible if you need the capability to automatically harmonize the vocal with the guitar, if you really need the USB interface, or if you simply prefer a simple, intuitive design. It is indeed more compact and lightweight.Keep in mind, however, that while it is quite powerful in Harmony, it lacks other sound effects. If you don’t need the automatic harmony and the USB interface, you should choose Boss VE-20, which has richer, more powerful sound effects and a larger memory with various built-in presets.