Tascam MPVT1 Portable MP3 Vocal Trainer Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had been searched something like this for while but did not find anything I liked till I saw this, MPVT1, on Amazon. I am using it to slow down guitar lessons so I can play/learn every note. For beginner, it can slow down tempo without changing pitch and you cannot tell the difference. However, my teacher is able to notice change in pitch. I also bought an AC adapter because it does not play while charging via USB connector.

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Designed specifically for musicians, the Tascam MP-VT1 MP3 player is a vocal and instrument trainer includes enough memory to store up to 240 songs. Parts can be slowed down, looped and even eliminated to help you to learn new riffs. Play back MP3s using Variable Speed Audition, which slows down the speed without changing the pitch, and sections can be seamlessly looped while practicing tricky passages. Songs can even be pitched up or down to match the tuning of your instrument or vocal range, so you can play in any key.
The mic input lets you to play along with multi-effects, including a vocal canceller so you can sing along with your favorite bands. A tuner, metronome, and built-in rechargeable battery are also built- in. All of this is packed into an MP3 player smaller than a stomp box, so stuff it in your backpack, gig bag or back pocket and hit the road.
Zip through your MP3 collection using a data wheel, dedicated buttons and a graphical LCD display. A rechargeable 9-hour lithium ion battery is built into the unit, and an optional power supply is also available.
Key Features
240-song memory capacity (based on average 4-minute MP3 encoded at 128kbps)
Variable Speed Audition changes the speed of the MP3 playback without changing the pitch
Microphone input
Built-in reverb and echo on input
Input volume for microphone
Balance control keys between mic input and playback
Voice canceller with selectable pan point and selectable frequency band range
Metronome key on the front panel
Seamless IN-OUT Loop
1/8-inch Headphone output
Built-in rechargeable battery with 9-hour reserve
128 x 64 graphic LCD display
USB jack
Auto Power Off and Hold function
Dimensions: 3.1 x 4.3 x 1 inches (WxHxD) excluding protrusions
Weight: 7.8 ounces including lithium-ion battery

Specifications
Memory: 1 GB
File system: FAT16 (recognizes a maximum combined total of 550 files and folders)
Bit rate support: 32 - 320 kbps
Sampling frequency: 44.1 kHz
Guitar input: Standard phone jack (mono, unbalanced)
Headphone/line-out jack: 3.5mm
Signal to noise ratio: >90 dB
Minimum PC requirements: Windows XP; Mac OS 10.2

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Tascam MPGT1 Portable MP3 Guitar Trainer Review

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(More customer reviews)Ok, I will do my best to answer everyone's questions that aren't asked here yet, in which I also had before I purchased this item. This trainer is just amazing. It helps you out in so many ways. First off, this CAN be used simply as a portable amp, exactly as the "Dean Stack in the Box". I know I'm not reviewing that item, but I would like to give some information about it. The Dean stack in the box is a great portable headphone amp. It has great volume, great distortion, and most of all (in which no one else covers) it carries through great pinch harmonics great. Unlike the portable pignose amp, where it does not carry through pinch harmonics one bit. The Dean in a box though can be a pain changing the 9v battery, which can lead to the wires breaking, wich is what happened to me. It was still an amazing product though, with amazing sound, and amazing pinch harmonic carry through.
Now, with that said, it leads me to this. THIS guitar trainer, has GREAT sustain also, and carrys through pinch harmonics just like a normal amp, and jsut like dean in the box. They will not die out like the pignose amp. Also, it has a rechargeable battery in it, so there are no wires to rip off, like dean in the box while changing a battery. This is also built like a tank. Super tough and durable. Makes you want to take good care of it right away. The rechargable battery on it also lasts a long time. I would say well over many many hours.
I want to clarify what exactly the guitar cancelling feature does. It does not cancel the guitar out, so you can substitute your own. It instead pushes all other sound (vocals, drums, etc) into the background (which is dim but still heard) while the guitar in the track shines through so you can hear it clearly and study it more, note for note. Let me tell you, it works very very well. Like one reviewer said, you do hear wayyy more than you have heard before. And this is coming from me, a guitarist of many years, whom has an ear for music, and picks up on every single note and plays by ear. I was even very amazed.
I will now do the best I can to break everything down into all the positive parts of owning this trainer, as there are no disadvantages that I have found:
* This trainer CAN be used as a portable headphone amp, without any song playing in the background, and it does have many amp effects, from clean, to overdrive and distortion for metal (which I play). It has great affects like reverb, chorus, flanger, overdrive, etc.
* Is not cheap, like other portable devices, so no wires will break off changing batteries, since you simply dont have any batteries to change.
* Built very strong and durable.
* It DOES let you create sub-folders, so you can put entire folders into it and sort by artist or albums, instead of having one long list ot a thousand tracks.
* Guitar cancelling feature (as described above) works fantastic.
* While playing a track, you can adjust the volume of the track playback, and your guitar volume, so if the track volume, or guitar volume is higher than the other, you can equalize them at the same volume, or make your guitar volume louder, or the track volume louder.
* You can slow the track speed down 50%, which is amazing. You can also keep the pitch the same, so whether you speed the track up or slow it down, it wont sound like a chipmunk, or someone from a horror movie. It keeps the original tone. You can, however, turn this function off.
* You can turn the pitch up or down, so if it is in standard e tuning, you can chance the tuning of the song. Although it WILL NOT drop all the way down to drop d tuning or anything like that, it still works great.
* You can quickly pick a start and stop point for it to start looping, so if there is a solo, or any part like that, that you want to keep going over and over until you learn it, you can loop it.
* You can create a playlist, just like on an mp3 player.
* This can be used as an mp3 player (although I never would, since it's expensive, and I never want to break it.
* Has a ton of storage. About 900 MB worth (actually a hair more.
So all in all, this trainer is simply amazing! It does exactly what it says it does, and a whole lot more. Even if I didn't need it for a trainer, but was simply looking for a portable headphone amp for travelling, I would easily choose this over dean stack in the box or anything else. I was not disappointed one single bit. I love this thing.
Hope this helps! Enjoy!

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Designed specifically for musicians, the Tascam MPGT1 MP3 player/guitar trainer enables you to slow down, loop and even eliminate guitar parts to help you learn new riffs. This MP3 player can store up to 240 songs and includes a Variable Speed Audition playback feature, which slows down the speed without changing the pitch, and sections can be seamlessly looped while practicing tricky passages. Songs can even be pitched up or down to match the tuning of your guitar, so you don't have to re-tune for every song.

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Tascam CD-VT2 CD Vocal and Instrument Trainer Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Not everyone has a need for this but if you do, it works very well. It plays a CD well enough although if that's all you need then don't buy this. What it does well is it can either speed or slow the tempo of what is on the CD without changing the pitch, or it can change the pitch of what is on the CD without changing the tempo. It also acts as a tuner. And, it can remove center channel vocals if you want to just hear the music portion of what is on the CD.
Regarding the tempo and pitch change, it executes these tasks flawlessly.
Regarding the vocal elimination, it removes the vocals satisfactorily. I don't think any machine can do a perfect job because there's too many hitches inherent in the recording, but this one does a good enough job so that the vocals are faint enough for someone to sing over and not compete with them.
Build quality is good - it is part of the Teac company and they make quality stuff. I bought a separate power transformer for this unit so I didn't have to worry about batteries, so I have no comments regarding how long the batteries last.
The controls and functions are neatly laid out on the panel and are easy to use. The instruction book is easy to follow. This product does what I bought it for very well so I am happy with it.


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Featuring an improved compact design, the Tascam CD-VT2 CD vocal/music trainer allows artists, musicians, students, and music teachers to practice, learn and teach vocal harmonies, fast rap passages and complex melodies from their favorite music. It offers comprehensive LCD display with graphical user interface, album title/track title indication by CD-Text, expanded effect banks for user preset, chromatic tuner.
Tascam's VSA feature (Variable Speed Audition, pitch control without affecting key) lets you learn a continuous mix of your favorite songs anywhere you go, while Flash Back, loop, and other play functions help review parts without having to constantly reach for the controls. The CD-VT2 also includes a vocal/instrument canceller, allowing you to play along to featured parts with your own vocal or instrument.

Key Features
Portable CD Music/Vocal trainer (More compact than previous CD-VT1MKII)
CD-DA/CD-R/CD-RW disc playback
10 second anti-shock memory
Comprehensive 128 x 64 dot matrix LCD display with graphical user interface
Album title/Track title indication by CD-Text
Elapsed Time/Remain Time display with bar meter
+16 to -50% pitch control in 1% steps
VSA (Variable Speed Audition, pitch control without affecting key)
Key control: +/-6 semi-tone, in semi-tone steps with +/-50 cents fine tune
Single play and continuous play
Single Loop, All Loop, and Seamless IN-OUT Loop
Flash Back function (Instant review up to 5 seconds prior playback)
Vocal/Instrument Canceller with selectable canceling pan point and selectable frequency range
10 effect banks for user preset
Chromatic tuner with calibration (435 to 445Hz)
3 octaves tone oscillator
Metronome (BPM: 40 to 220, Beat: 2 to 6)
(2x) 1/4-inch Mic input
Mic input volume
Mic input level meter indicator on LCD display
CD level meter indicator
Foot switch connector
5 selectable functions by foot switch (Flash Back, Rewind, FF, Bank, Effect on/off)
1/8-inch stereo line output
1/8-inch stereo headphone output
Headphone volume
MONO monitor for CD (L+R, L, R)
Split monitor (Left ch: CD, Right ch: Input or vice versa)
Battery operation
Optional power supply PS-P520

Specifications
Disc Type: 8cm and 12cm CD
Line Output Connector: 1/8-inch Stereo mini connector
Nominal Stereo Output Level: -10dBV
Output Impedance: 600ohm (2V RMS)
Maximum Output Level (LINE OUT): +6dBV
Headphone Output Connector: 1/8-inch Stereo mini connector
Maximum Output Level (PHONES): 15mW (at 32ohm loaded)
Mic Input Connectors: 1/4-inch Phone Connector
Nominal Input Level, Mic Input: -40dBV
Maximum Input Level, Mic Input: -19dBV
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (-3/+1dB); (A weight filter + 20KHz LPF)
Signal to Noise Ratio: Better than 85 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: < 0.03% (200Hz HPF + 20KHzLPF)
Channel Separation: Better than 80dB (A weight filter + 20KHz LPF)
Power Requirements: DC 5V (Optional AC adapter PS-P520); AA batteries x 4
Power Consumption: 4W (with PS-P520)
Dimensions: 7.64 x 1.52 x 5.43 inches (WxHxD)
Weight (excluding batteries): 19.4 ounces

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Tascam CDGT2 Guitar Trainer Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I wish they made things like this when I was a kid, I wouldn't have worn so many records out playing the same passages over and over and over. Eight bars..move the needle back...... It got slightly better with cassettes, but not much. This Tascam Guitar trainer is fantastic, I can slow down fast passages and not only be sure I'm getting the notes right, but I can pick up the little nuances that are so often tips to fingerings, hammer ons, pull offs, etc... And, it stays in the same key! Not only that, if you want to learn it in a different key, you can just set the Guitar trainer to play the song in whatever key you want. You don't have to learn it in one key and then transpose in your head.

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Featuring an improved compact design, the Tascam CD-GT2 guitar trainer allows artists, musicians, students, and music teachers to practice, learn and teach fast licks, rhythm parts and solos from their favorite artists. It offers comprehensive LCD display with graphical user interface, album title/track title indication by CD-Text, expanded effect banks for user preset, chromatic tuner.
Tascam's VSA feature (Variable Speed Audition, pitch control without affecting key) lets you learn a continuous mix of your favorite songs anywhere you go, while Flash Back, loop, and other play functions help review parts without having to constantly reach for the controls. The CD-VT2 also includes a vocal/instrument canceller, allowing you to play along to featured parts with your own vocal or instrument.
Key Features
Portable CD guitar trainer (More compact than previous CD-GT1MKII)
CD-DA/CD-R/CD-RW disc playback
10 second anti-shock memory
Comprehensive 128 x 64 dot matrix LCD display with graphical user interface
Album title/Track title indication by CD-Text
Elapsed Time/Remain Time display with bar meter
+16 to -50% pitch control in 1% steps
VSA (Variable Speed Audition, pitch control without affecting key)
Key control: +/-6 semi-tone, in semi-tone steps with +/-50 cents fine tune
Single play and continuous play
Single Loop, All Loop, and Seamless IN-OUT Loop
Flash Back function (Instant review up to 5 seconds prior playback)
Guitar Canceller with selectable canceling pan point and selectable frequency range
10 effect banks for user preset
Chromatic tuner with calibration (435 to 445Hz)
3 octaves tone oscillator
Metronome (BPM: 40 to 220, Beat: 2 to 6)
1/4-inch Guitar input
Guitar/Mic input volume
Guitar/Mic input level meter indicator on LCD display
CD level meter indicator
Foot switch connector
5 selectable functions by foot switch (Flash Back, Rewind, FF, Bank, Effect on/off)
1/8-inch stereo line output
1/8-inch stereo headphone output
Headphone volume
MONO monitor for CD (L+R, L, R)
Split monitor (Left ch: CD, Right ch: Input or vice versa)
Battery operation
Optional power supply PS-P520

Specifications
Disc Type:8cm and 12cm CD
Line Output Connector:1/8-inch Stereo mini connector
Nominal Stereo Output Level: -10dBV
Output Impedance: 600ohm (2V RMS)
Maximum Output Level (LINE OUT): +6dBV
Headphone Output Connector: 1/8-inch Stereo mini connector
Maximum Output Level (PHONES): 15mW (at 32ohm loaded)
Guitar/Mic Input Connector: 1/4-inch Phone Connector
Nominal Input Level
Guitar Input: -15dBV
Mic Input: -40dBV

Maximum Input Level
Guitar Input: +6dBV
Mic Input: -19dBV

Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (-3/+1dB); (A weight filter + 20KHz LPF)
Signal to Noise Ratio: Better than 85 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: < 0.03% (200Hz HPF + 20KHzLPF)
Channel Separation: Better than 80dB (A weight filter + 20KHz LPF)
Power Requirements: DC 5V (Optional AC adapter PS-P520) AA batteries x 4
Power Consumption: 4W (with PS-P520)
Dimensions: 7.64 x 1.52 x 5.43 inches (WxHxD)
Weight (excluding batteries): 19.4 ounces

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