just picked this little darlin' up today ($50, it even includes the box and manual!), along with a Big Muff ($16 -- i think they call this one the 'Pi'?). awesome effects here! well, really i'm mainly referring to the VHM5. i've never actually owned a standalone harmonizer and i'm now wondering how i ever got along without it!...

Digitech created an innovative product when they designed the Vocalist VHM5 and it was, not surprisingly, voted Product Of The Year. Now that it's available in rackmount form, it will probably be even more popular. The Digitech Vocalist is a unique product — it's simply magic. Further Information.

The Live Harmony instantly adds up to two separate vocal harmonies to your vocals transforming your performances into harmony-filled masterpieces.
Compatible With: DigiTech Vocalist Live 4 / vocalist Live 5 / vocalist Live VHM5 Guitar multi effects pedals. Please pay attention that the adapter has AC (alternating current) output.
View and Download DigiTech VHM5 manual online. Vocal Harmony Processor. VHM5 computer hardware pdf manual download. Also for: The vocalist.

okay, i can't really sing very well, so i'm mostly limited to monotone drone-type vocals, as well as vocoder and whispered/raspy noises. even so, this thing opens up a lot of new areas for exploration and warping. there are a few presets (actually several) that are fantastic. what a fun device. what's extra cool is that there's an inbuilt keyboard on the unit that allows you to just tap the key you want to sing in on the fly, as you go. it also accepts midi for note and chord changes, but i haven't learned all that (i will, though). what i'm most pleased with is how straight-forward this thing is to use, and how quickly you can flick around amongst the different sound choices (each offering 4 'quick settings' from the front panel). Vhm5

i'm currently (as in right now) using it to thicken my usual vocals, and i'm screwin' around with the vocoder settings. the vocoders are okay, but they don't come close to the others i already own... at least they don't right now. i'll have to see how much i can tweak them to taste. what's really exciting is just how much this beefs up one's voice -- it takes my normally somewhat thin voice and really 'rounds it out'. for a real/professional singer it might be awful, but for my purposes, it's fanastic!
anyone used one of these before? why didn't anyone tell me about these things?!

Digitech Vhm5 Vocal Harmony Processor

as for the Big Muff, it's my first. i've never tried one before, so i was just taking a chance on it, but for the price, i couldn't pass it up. it's cool. as far as standalone fuzz/OD/distort. boxes, this makes my third, alongside a MT-2 and a DS-1. i'd say it sort of falls between the two to my untrained ear; it's certainly smoother and chunkier than the MT-2 (what isn't?) but it sounds more capable of harder, more aggressive distortion than the DS-1. i'm not much of a fuzz fancier, but it seems to do the job. i plan to stick it after my ER-1 and other drum boxes and see what comes out.

Vhm5 Digitech Studio

oh, and the obligatory pic:

Digitech Vhm5 Vocal Harmony Processor

Vhm5 Digitech Studio

Vhm5 Digitech Band