Akai 'Duo Buddy' Vocal Processor

The Akai DUO BUDDY is a real-time harmony generator that employs the same technology used in the powerful HV10 vocal processor but in a compact pedal format.

Overview:
The Akai Duo Buddy can take a monophonic audio signal input and automatically generate a single accompanying harmony. However, it does this without the usual 'chipmunk' effect found on other 'harmonisers'.
Intervals for the harmony can be pre-programmed and stored - on stage, all you need do is hit the footswitch when a harmony is required. To assist with this, a variety of preset scales are provided that include major, minor, etc..

Formant Control
The Akai 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 two 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.

Features 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 nine 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 two 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.