Roland VT 12 Vocal Trainer Review – A Way to Improve Singing Pitch Problems
Product: Roland VT 12 Vocal Trainer
Price: $180.64 at the time of this post
The Cheapest Place to Buy: Amazon.com
Guarantee: 1 year (parts), 90 days (labor)
My Rating: 9 out of 10
The Roland VT 12 Vocal Trainer, Product Overview
In my last post, “How to Learn to Sing on Pitch”, I mentioned about a hardware tool that can help in correcting pitch problems, especially for people that are having difficulty in hearing and adjusting their voices to the intended notes or pitches in a song. I’d like to walk you through its pitch correction capabilities and some of its built-in features which are equally important for a student in singing.
The Idea Behind Using This Tool
The main feature on this device is its ability to tell you if you’re singing on pitch or not. There’s an illuminated pitch meter that lights up brightly when your voice is in the center of the correct pitch and fades as you move away from it. So, the idea is to keep the meter bright to keep your vocal tone on the pitch. The meter is a range of 24 semitones as the guide with markings of the musical alphabet.
You can train with single notes first, then move on to a series of notes in sequence (scale) or skips (arpeggio). The great thing is, ultimately, you’ll be able to sing the exercises with the backup accompaniment track that came with it, then play it back for self-evaluation.
Being objective of yourself rather than subjective is necessary. You need to be recording yourself constantly and listening back, a very important thing in your development You hear yourself differently than on a recording. Then, you can start adjusting and fixing the problem areas that need to be worked on which is the main feature of this device.
It’s Bundled with Other Equally Important Features
Aside from visually checking your pitch through the illuminated meter buttons, there are other features bundled in this device that are equally important and makes it a total vocal coach:
- This little thing can detect two singers’ pitches simultaneously, so you can practice along with another singer or a teacher if you have one.
- It also comes with audio exercises with vocal guides and accompaniment tracks in different musical styles obtained from the book, published by Berklee Press (a division of Berklee College of Music). For classical singing students, it also comes with fifty lessons from the Concone Op. 9 book.
- Like what I mentioned in this article, you can listen after recording yourself with the tracks by pressing the Review button. It can help when you want to know if your singing voice has the right qualities in it.
- In addition to the accompaniment tracks that came with it, you can add your own from external devices, like an MP3 or CD player by connecting to the REC IN jack and use it like in a Karaoke singing, but with the ability to record and playback.
- It also comes with a metronome for timing skill development by selecting a tempo manually or tapping the “tap” button.
- It has a built-in stand for desktop use
- It runs on two AA-size batteries, alkaline or Hi-MH rechargeable
Overall, It’s an Amazing Tool
I highly recommend this device if intonation (pitch) is a problem for you. I think this is the foremost reason for its design. On top of that, the other features I mentioned here makes it the ultimate travelling vocal coach because it’s pocket-sized.
I specifically like its ability to record your singing with the accompaniment tracks then play it back, because you’re able to hear what still needs to be worked on every time you listen to yourself. It can definitely help you learn how to sing good.
Being able to sing anywhere and anytime at your own pace is key. Sometimes both time and place are an issue to some if not most of us. It keeps you self-disciplined in your practice which is a major factor in any skill development. It’s also ideal for warming up your voice just before singing before an audience anywhere, without the availability of a practice room. Click here to learn more about he Roland VT -12 Vocal Trainer
Please let me know what you think of this device, especially if you had the chance to use it yourself.
This sounds like an awesome way to improve your voice. I too believe that you sound differently when you hear it on play back. This would be a great tool to use, and the cost is quite affordable isn’t it?
Yes, I love it’s multi-feature bundle because it can address multiple facets in singing; pitch, tempo, listening, tone development, discipline in practice, portability. I’m glad you dropped by and see the value of this device, Susan.
It does look like a decent piece of hardware, but I am wondering what it offers when compared to a program like Melodyne, that shows you where you are out of key…and even allows you to correct it through a manual drag and drop autotune function?
I know some people don’t like software, and prefer a hardware option, but other than this, what does the device offer that’s original?
Hello Chris,
I haven’t heard of Melodyne, but I did a quick google search and it looks to me that it edits and corrects digitally recorded sounds, like pitches, and rhythms. For instance, if you recorded your singing and you’re out of tune or you’re “pitchy” the software would be able to correct your off-key pitches. That is my understanding from first impression. I’d take a look at it a little bit more. Perhaps that’s something I can use in the future.
Whereas, the Roland VT 12 Vocal Trainer helps you train to sing on pitch so you don’t need a program like Melodyne to correct your recorded song because when you do a recording, there’s nothing to correct. The melody line is already in tune. In other words, the Roland VT 12 makes you a skilled and confident artist without the help of other tools, especially in the recording studio.
Check here if you need detailed information on this product and check the manufacturer’s site as well. I hope this answers some of your questions. Feel free to come back here again if you have additional questions and I’ll be glad to help you out.
For a professional or amateur singer, this would be really important and would be vital to training one’s voice especially for those that probably cannot afford a trainer. It really has some great features and I have been looking to develop my voice. This would be really good. Are those that are not singers able to make use of this? Maybe if I just want to develop my voice to sound better or is it strictly for singers?
Hello Jay,
The Roland VT 12 is for anyone that has difficulty in singing accurately on pitch, singers or non-singers alike. I’d even want to say that it is more for non-singers because they are the ones that need the help most. Well, of course, we’re all students of singing no matter what level we’re at, seasoned pro or just starting out. There’s always some level of inaccuracies in all of us, including pitch accuracy.
So, I believe that answers your question whether this device is strictly for singers. It’s for everyone.
Thank you for stopping by and would love for you to come and ask more questions and I’d be glad to help you out.
How to get an istruction manual in English?
Patricia,
You can go to the link here
I am not a singer but I have a group of friends who have been training to singers in choir and I would recommend to them they needed to have this vocal trainer for their music lessons and rehasals so that they can be better and improve theirs vocal chords .
Hi Charles,
Singing in the choir is definitely a good place to get a lot of exposure to training your overall musicality, which is a requirement for a singer. A lot of professional singers started with just being involved in a choir initially, then boom!! They discover that they love their voices, they went into bigger things. Whitney Houston or Katy Perry are only two examples. I sang a lot in the choir myself and eventually went to double major in classical singing and choral conducting.
The Roland VT 12 Vocal Trainer is a tool for singers who have issues with hitting the right notes. You hear the term, “pitchy” on TV, meaning the notes are not accurately in tune. Anyone can use it as well for ear training and improving overall musicality. Yes, you can use it too ;-).
Hey, thank you for passing it along to your friends. Feel free to ask questions and I’ll be more than happy to help out.
I’ve been singing in choirs for 5-7 years now, most recently with a 30-40 ensemble for the past two years. I’ve never had any formal choir training, and the VT-12 really did help me understand pitch, and also helped me understand how to read music better by following the exercise book. As a busy law student, the VT-12 really helped me self-analyze my singing and finally not just “wing it”. I’m looking forward to finishing the workbook and running the other choral books built-in as well.