When recording vocals (or even performing live) – what is the best kind of pedal to use?
Pedal? I assume you mean FX unit. You physically can’t plug a stage mike into a guitar pedal, it’ll have an XLR output not a jack plug. If your mike has a jack output then you need a better mike.
Recording: Compressor, Aural exciter, delay, harmoniser, good EQ. If you want to use a guitar pedal put in on a mixer FX send, don’t just plug the mike into it (assuming you can, as I just said).
You can of course use phasing/flanging or something really odd like an envelope filter or auto-panner but that sort of thing gets old quickly.
Live: Skip the compressor, otherwise pretty much the same.
If you use any FX with gain live you’ll probably just get squealing from the monitors and the sound guy will want to kill you.
It’s largely a matter of personal preference. Check out some of the messageboards at these sites. They argue about stuff like this all the time:
I suppose I could give some of my preferences. . .
Live – when I mix live sound, on vocals I generally use a tap delay set to the tempo of the song. A little chorus on the guitars, and maybe a little room reverb on the drums.
In the studio – anything goes, really.
Either way we’re using Lexicon effects units. It’s the owner’s preference. I don’t get too hung up on brand names and specs, personally.
I generally stay away from reverbs as they tend to muddy things up.
Remember, a little goes a long way. The pros use their effects sparingly and tastefully.