Shit or Hit? S1 E1 - TC Helicon Mic Mechanic Foot Pedal - Gear Review

Thanks for tuning in to episode 1 of 'Shit or Hit?', the six part series where average musicians review average gear......for the average musician.
In this episode we look at the TC Helicon Mic Mechanic (1st Gen)
Effects: Echo & Delay, Reverb, Tone (EQ, Compression, De-Essing & Gating) & Pitch Correction
Controls: 8 high Reverb and Echo pre-sets, Dry/Wet mix, Correction amount, Adaptive Tone on/off, Mic Control on/off, Mic input gain level & Footswitch on/off
If you like what you saw, please like/share/subscribe and hang tight, there's more on the way!
All music by We Are GIANTS
wearegiantsuk.com/
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[@zapantalambda]

Far out. This is a nice review man. Nice format. I like the calm evaluation of the pedal. Keep doing this and do more please.

[@someguy7680]

Best review I’ve found on it.

[@yolhanson]

Love it. You guys are great. More reviews, please.

[@claudiopenna9924]

Good review guys. Good fun to watch too. Greetings from Australiaaa

[@joedossantos5718]

Thank you for a MUCH NEEDED way of doing this : ) peace to you

[@matgregoski7540]

Thank you for actually showing a demo of the tone correction.

[@richkagel982]

You are two are super fun to watch! Total hit not shit. And I watch a lot of demos. Cheers!

[@denisfitzgibbon5978]

Best review I have seen in ages. Keep up the good work boys !

[@BullittMustang3121]

Your reversion to the mean, and your refusal to move beyond it, is impressive.

[@juliegunn7944]

Enjoyable review....

[@funnyassguitarguy69]

Great video, and very funny! 👍 Not enough farts in music 🤣

[@jimmyolsenband]

The best title ever for a gear review channel! And so few views! Shame.

[@HeidiJoubert]

Great review

[@marksc1929]

...great video..thx fellows

[@danmclellan1088]

I've been using this for a year now.You were spot on.Irun the wet at 12 o clock and the correction at 12-1:00 when and if it kicks in to correction and I sound digital it means I'm fucking up and I shouldn't quit my day job lol. I like the slap back the best.

[@maxcarter3413]

Love your intro! Really.

[@pamboscharalambous3770]

Proper review boys... Everything explained zero bullshit...

[@kainejoyes2981]

Best review on this pedal thx

[@ECS1978]

Good job chaps from Laredo, TX.

[@theplaguebearer666]

Had a good laugh and got a good review. Nice one!

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Thanks Andy! Make sure to keep an eye out for more episodes! All the best!

[@delphinoaleon6436]

At first I thought you guys were completely annoying though, I find that to be somewhat irritatingly entertaining. But then I powered through the review and I'm like, damn that was a sweet review best one I've seen. good day mates

[@jamz312]

Greetings from across the big pond ! You 2 are a hoot!! We love your wit and good humor!! Hit or shit?

[@dotsunmoon7122]

The Mic Mechanic 2 really improved this.

[@leemurray9330]

Best review of anything on KZbin

[@edruiz1202]

Really cool and funny video!!! Cool channel!!!

[@krissothegreat.3119]

awesome lads 😂😂😂

[@keithrichards4513]

Very Good!

[@ryanclark3608]

Hey guys, you made me laugh and I figured out why the fuck my pedal all the sudden had INFINITE delay through the "Secret Features" section. Cheers!

[@jackkrag]

Cool, thanks boys

[@MarkVanVasey]

good review. keep up the good work!

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

November Bees thank you! Make sure to check out our other episodes!

[@nwr613]

I thoroughly enjoyed your review (aside from the product!)...You kept to the topic in an informal, chummy way. Great job fellas. And your editing was great...no boring parts!! I was looking for a comparison review and demo of the Voice Mechanic vs the Voice Mechanic 2....ie whats the difference between the 2 pedals. I have 2 TC Helicon Harmony singers (one for home and one for the gig and rehearsal). Its a great little pedal. I was interested in the Voice Mechanic pitch correction (only the greats have perfect pitch). Do you think it would be a benefit to a three piece group hard into harmony vocals like Eagles, The Browns etc? One of us occasionally sings a wee bit flat. Thanks

[@shishuhua]

You Can Press Tone bottom and hit the Middle bottom when you use a condenser mic.It will give you a less EQ tuning.

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Kenny Shi thanks for the comment! Such a versatile pedal!

[@scotcruickshank7445]

Fantastic review, JEEPERS…!!!

[@friscolver]

If you're a singer, you need this box up high on your mic stand so you can make quick adjustments from song to song. Otherwise, you'll be bending down after each song with your flashlight trying to tweak it and you will look like a rank amateur. This box is better and more preferable than VoiceLive Touch 2 because of its simplicity. VoiceLive Touch 2 has 50 million adjustments which are way too overwhelming after a couple of beers.

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Richard M totally agree! It's simple and great quality. But as you say, if you want to change the fx mid set you don't want it on the floor!

[@theyoungupstarts1243]

Giants! You’re funny as fugg! I was looking for exactly the Secret Functions and glad i picked you blokes. Liked, subscribed, downloaded, deleted. Keep it up, yeah!?

[@theyoungupstarts1243]

Ratings are spot on. I can’t read, especially manuals, and the secret stuff definitely gets an 8. 👻

[@triskalrecords2863]

well done

[@NuEarth]

Your singing pitch is so good, there's barely room for correction lol

[@mimoochodom2684]

So what would you consider to be a 10/10 reverb-delay unit for vocals?

[@Mantazmagoracle]

good shit.

[@jamesparker1118]

Shit or a hit, love it!

[@Johan-og4ru]

Hi nice review, im looking for a good voice pedal to use in a post-punk band. What would you recommend with good reverbs and delays ?

[@JasonMatthewChampion]

...and a hundred percent

[@Charles64]

Can this also connected with iPad Pro for live Streaming? Or just computer. Ifound it nice review cool

[@robrudock3452]

Couldn't tell any difference in pitch correction settings. You must be too spot on.

[@barneycarparts]

yes pitch correct is the whole reason I watched this video I couldnt tell if it worked or not. Before (off pitch) and after (on pitch) would be good to see, but Noooooo nothing here to see.

[@JeremiahDaniel1995]

5:01 echo sounded just right on 25%

[@Beephouse]

Cool review!

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Beephouse thank you! Make sure to check out our other videos! We cover guitar and bass guitar too

[@childofg-dfromflorida9728]

So you can change the note on the correction?

[@gnarmyskateboardco]

fuckin love the head just pokin in the shot from right haha you guys are def a hit haha

[@TheBarnaway]

Hello: I am writing here to see if some kind soul can help me, since I am quite desperate with the subject: I have a TC Helicon mic mechanic, well, I go to their website, I download the firmware and it doesn't recognize it, it only recognizes an old update from 2014, there is no way to update it, (unless I'm doing something wrong, which I doubt) since in its day I updated it without problem, but now the echo selection only does 3 repetitions that are barely noticeable when there is music in between. Thank you very much in advance, greetings.

[@Joseph124269]

I see a lot of reviews about the noise coming from this pedal, is it true? Not sure who to believe.

[@piterfromwawa]

Does the effect immediately disappear when you press the switch again? I am a flute player and occasionally I want to give the tune a twist with the echo effect, then immidiately continue playing without the echo effect ON. In other words I want the echoed part to continue as I pick up without effect.

[@jjeoy]

This is how it works on the Mic Mechanic 1. I don't have version 2 so I'm not sure if they kept that.

[@crickit7]

Boxer Rebellion FTW

[@Jack-fs2im]

Good vid,just bought one ,thanx.IMO too much effects sounds unnatural but a small amount is essential,

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Jack thanks for the comment! Hope you’re enjoying your new purchase! I still use it every show!

[@Jack-fs2im]

We Are GIANTS yr welcome,I,m keyboard player,keyboard amps with reverb heavy/expensive,got a Joe Meek compressor IMO hand made can,t be beaten,but no reverb.if this is ok can buy smaller mono amp.happy days.thanx again

[@gregoryguzman8231]

That was really entertaining and useful. Thanks guys. Do you guys have a review for the Mic Mechanic 2?

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Not yet!

[@ayitsvee]

Is this okay to use for live performances?

[@ThatOneManDude]

Jeepers.

[@macknolan410]

have you tried the duplicator? same size and co. in a green box

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Not yet, will definitely try it out though!

[@seekandcrush]

Can it be used as an interface?

[@Hello-pl2qe]

Definitely shit with the pops. I hadto return my mechanic 2 immediately. Sounded great except for the unusable pops

[@estigia]

Please clear this for me. I'm a drummer who also does vocals on a few tracks as well as backing vocals. I just need the Echo basically for certain effect. Can this be the pedal I need for that? We play heavy music and I for one don't need much. Thanks guys

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Jaime RC this will probably be ideal. The effects quality is great. Griff uses it live - just make sure to let the sound engineer know! It has tap tempo so your echos can be in time with the songs, plus pitch correction, depending on your vocal style it can help a lot. It thickens the vocals too. You can also use it for recordings, although plugins will probably be better for that. My main advice as you’re a drummer, be careful with the ‘tone’ button, as activating the compressor may cause a lot of bleed from your snare and hats plus feedback issues (potentially)

[@BrettEvan]

So this will work with a rhode condenser for recording?

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Brett Evan it’s not full phantom power so just make sure your mic can handle 24v. Some do and some don’t But the rhode nt1a works well 👍 Hope this helps!

[@BrettEvan]

I was thinking about getting the neumen tlm 102. Hopefully itl work. Thanks for the help

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Brett Evan good choice! Although I believe it only handles 48v +/- 4v. If your recording interface has phantom power you’ll be fine though!

[@childofg-dfromflorida9728]

So you cant change the key on voice pitch correction

[@angelicupstart1977]

Does it come in cheese flavour ?

[@leejohnson3209]

I'm interested in buying this pedal but unsure of whether to go for this or the mechanic 2, it's successor. Or, put in extra shifts at work and save up for a more expensive bit of pro kit. This one, the original pedal in this review, has a single reverb and echo dial with a separate wet/dry dial. It has a gain control on the side. The sequel pedal has done away with the wet/dry dial but has two separate dials controling reverb and echo. Also the gain dial is gone in favour of auto gain... do I like that? Not sure. Good thing is the secret 'decay' function is carried over to the newer pedal and having a long tapped tempo echo with a big reverb that the singer can turn on/off (sometimes mid song) is all I'm looking for. The pitch correction facility doesn't interest me in the slightest. It's cheap, which is great... if it works. But £105 is a waste of £105 if it has big volume step up/down when on/off, it hisses, is susceptible to interference causes unpredictable feedback and is generally useless at gigs.

[@macheted01]

So, I have still been looking for an answer on these. I have both the original and Version 2. I don’t know all the different details, but what I do know, is I prefer the original over version 2. Both work great, and don’t really have to mess around too much with either, but prefer the original over version 2. I also see the used original fetches more on eBay, then version 2 new. But, sometimes having the battery for version 2 has been nice.

[@onefatstratcat]

Poop or Snoop.... Crap or Dap.... Turd or Word

[@russellcrea9701]

Does anyone know if the TC helicon can be used with a wireless mic?

[@notacommie5415]

My tc harmony singer just stopped working Been in a nice clean studio plugged into chain and never moved Just died Don’t think I’ll be buying another Tc product

[@tomschaffner9704]

Thanks.🎹🎹

[@paulaspden161]

Shame it only works with phantom power mcs

[@bmxmeadows]

like for the fart

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Man knows

[@kschantz]

Someone please tell me wtf the difference is between the mic mechanic and the mic mechanic 2. All my searches return products that look exactly the same. Why doesn't the ver 2 have a "2" on it anywhere?

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Live2Shred the main difference is the 2 has a 9v power supply. The 1 has a 12. They made this change to accommodate the standard pedal board voltage

[@markbiggs1961]

i liked the fart

[@jadestewart3519]

The reverb sounds cheep

[@rr88821]

Will it work with condenser mic?

[@WeAreGIANTSUK]

Yes. It has phantom power

[@bernardmartinand7506]

Yes but 24v if your micro accept

[@Ase_Music]

How do you update the pedal on your pc?

[@stevenmacdougall5292]

Go to the website, support, downloads pc

[@mightyquinn5135]

I run a karaoke system. Do you guys have a recommendation for a live effects processor that I can use with my system that will auto adjust based on a new singer and new sound everytime? Im trying to help my karaoke clients sound as good as possible but i cant make adjustments myself so I want something that will do it automatically. Im trying not to spend more than $300

[@JJohnston4Life]

I was using this at karaoke parties at my house. I just adjusted as needed be.

[@wms7004]

Great review, but you sing too good to for it to make u sound "better"

[@recoveringbaptist2023]

In my opinion, "sh*t." I hooked it up and the reverb was LOUSY. I hated it, and sent it back to the Ebay dealer, who NOW refuses to refund me my MONEY!!!

[@michelaser]

If you want to get more thumb ups… be brief, serious and demonstrate your product (e.g. sing and change the effects).

[@masonkanterbury3007]

The biggest shit about it is that it only provides 24v phantom power. Not good for condensor mics.

[@peacelovekillemall]

Shit

[@TheFriendlyPsychopath]

@4:48 This dude scream like he broke 2 ribs!