My TC Helicon Mic Mechanic review

OGG

OGG

Master of the Meh
Ok, so I have now had a chance to use this thing a couple of times at rehearsal and I think I have explored all it can do.

First of all, it does exactly what it says on the tin. But...

Plastic housing? For $150, this is disappointing. It isn't exactly "rugged". Time will tell how it endures being lugged around and stomped on.

The "adaptive compression and EQ" is very, very subtle. If you think it can take the place of a dedicated compressor,well, it can't. Also, the EQ is a bit of a tone suck. Not a lot, but enough to have to readjust the EQ at the board for it when it is on. There is no option to adjust the parameters of that feature, it is off or on.

The effects. The reverb and delay are quite good. There are several usable combinations and you can adjust delay time and number of repeats individually with relative ease. Very intuitive.

Pitch correction: Not a fan, it works, but it is more useful for folks who are pitchy. If you are a decent singer, all it really does is impart artifacts that aren't very pleasant. I ended up turning that feature completely off.

Overall, it is good unit that would be particularly useful for small venue or acoustic gigs. Worth the price for sure, but a metal case would really increase the perceived value.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
 
I have one, and use it when I am singing backing harmony while playing the drums. Using it, I don't think about my vocals nearly as much.
 
Mine never leaves the rehearsal room. I use it there all the time, but the shows we play have so far been with pretty high end sound reinforcement and pro sound guys which render it redundant. It's a great little device, and the deal I got at the time (Thanks @Gary Blanchard ) that let me send in my UPC to get the free matching mic with the control switch made it a real bargain. The mic actually sounds very good. Not as sensitive or "hot" as a 58, but very clear and focused.

I still wonder about the longevity of a plastic case stomp box. That just seems somehow below the TC standards. So far so good, but it never moves from its spot, and I use the switch on the mic instead of the foot switch so...
 
The obsession with pitch correction outside of a studio environment is just going to make vocals even more sloppy. I am not a fan of that feature.
 
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