Guide

How to use guitar pedals on vocals (live and in the studio)

Short answer: To run vocals through guitar pedals you need a mic preamp that lifts the microphone up to the instrument level pedals expect — and, for condenser mics, supplies 48V phantom power. The Franklin Audio MP-10 does both on standard 9V pedalboard power, and gives you a separate, always-clean copy of the vocal (a "mic-thru"), so you can drench your voice in effects while still handing front-of-house — or your DAW — a dry, untouched signal.

Putting pedals on your voice — delay, reverb, chorus, fuzz, whatever's on your board — is one of the most fun things you can do with a microphone. Here's how to do it so it sounds glorious instead of thin and noisy.

Why you can't just plug a mic into a pedal

A microphone puts out a very weak, low-impedance signal. Guitar pedals expect a much hotter instrument-level signal — the kind a guitar or bass sends. Plug a mic straight in and you get something quiet, noisy, and lifeless. And a condenser mic won't make a sound at all, because pedals don't provide the 48V phantom power it needs to work.

A mic preamp bridges that gap: it adds clean gain to bring the mic up to instrument level, matches the impedance so your pedals behave, and — on the MP-10 — powers your condenser.

What you need

A microphone. A dynamic mic (an SM58, an SM7B) is the easiest place to start: rugged, no phantom needed. Condensers and ribbons work beautifully too.
A mic preamp built for this — the MP-10. It's the box that makes everything else possible.
Your pedals. Reverb, delay, and chorus are classic on vocals; fuzz if you're feeling brave.
A way out. The pedal output goes into a Hi-Z (instrument) input on your interface, or a DI on stage.

The setup, step by step

Plug your mic into the MP-10's XLR input.
If it's a condenser, switch on 48V phantom. (Dynamics and ribbons: leave it off.)
Run the MP-10's ¼" output into your pedal chain, exactly as you would a guitar.
Take the pedal output into your interface's instrument input — or a DI on stage.
Set the gain so the loudest parts of your performance push the level nicely. If it's too hot, engage the pad.
(Optional, but do it) Send the MP-10's mic-thru — an exact, clean copy of your voice — to its own channel.

That's the whole thing. Sing, and your voice is running through your pedals in real time.

Live vs studio

Live is where the clean mic-thru really earns its place. You run your vocal through pedals on stage, and the mic-thru hands the front-of-house engineer a dry, untouched vocal. They keep control of the mix and feedback; you keep your sound. You add one line and change nothing in their setup — no more "oh, it's the singer with the pedals" from the booth.

Studio: Record the effected vocal and the clean mic-thru at the same time. Now you can blend wet and dry to taste in the mix, or fall back to the clean take if a print gets a little too adventurous. Commit to effects on the way in, with a safety net.

Tips

Start with a dynamic mic — simplest, and very forgiving of loud sources and stage spill.
Use the mic-thru for a wet/dry blend — a little clean vocal under the effected one keeps the words intelligible.
Condensers need phantom — the MP-10 supplies 48V even on 9V pedalboard power, so they work anywhere your board goes.
Treat gain as a creative control — driving the MP-10's input harder pushes your pedals in lovely ways; it's not just a level knob.

Which pedals sound good on vocals?

Reverb and delay are the gateway — instant atmosphere and space. Chorus and modulation thicken a voice. Fuzz and distortion take you into lo-fi, aggressive, or pure-texture territory. Because the MP-10 is transparent, what you hear is your pedals on your voice — not the preamp adding a flavour of its own.

How the MP-10 compares for vocals

A handful of pedals can take a mic into effects, but for vocals the MP-10's edge is the always-clean mic-thru (so FOH and your mix always have a dry vocal), 60 dB of clean gain for any mic, and phantom power on 9V pedalboard supply. For the full head-to-head against the Radial Voco-Loco, Eventide MixingLink, Grace Design ROXi and others, see the full comparison.

See the MP-10 →

Frequently asked

Can you put guitar pedals on vocals?

Yes. You just need a mic preamp between the microphone and the pedals to bring the vocal up to instrument level (and to power a condenser mic). The Franklin MP-10 is built for exactly this, and it keeps a clean copy of your vocal so you can use effects freely without losing a dry signal.

Do I need a special preamp to run vocals through pedals?

You need a preamp with an instrument-level output, which most studio preamps don't have. Inline boosters like a Cloudlifter won't do it either — they only add gain and can't feed a pedal chain. A purpose-built unit like the MP-10 gives you the clean gain, the correct level and impedance, phantom power, and a clean mic-thru.

Can I use pedals on vocals live without upsetting the sound engineer?

Yes — that's what the MP-10's clean mic-thru is for. You run your vocal through pedals on stage, and the mic-thru hands front-of-house an untouched, dry vocal. The engineer keeps full control of the mix; you add one line and nothing in their setup changes.

Will it work with a condenser mic?

Yes. The MP-10 supplies switchable 48V phantom power — even running on a 9V pedalboard supply — so condensers, dynamics, and ribbons all work.