Need help with harmonizer feature

    I am struggling to figure out how to replicate solos from the band Boston. I play the lower of two lines and have tried to find the right settings on my Kemper to have it play a second line a major 3rd above. I feel like I have tried every setting but failed so far. Any advice would be appreciated.

    You have to know a bit of theory or be willing to take guess shots in the dark for quite a bit. Knowing what key the part is in and if it's major or minor will get you there for straight thirds. Often (I do the same when writing) a harmonized solo won't follow straight thirds and some notes may be a different interval. That's where the user scales come in. Much of the time for rock I end up finding what I am looking for with minor keys. Sometimes I'll find it sounds better if I play the upper part and let the harmony take the lower or vice versa. If you're already playing the third or sixth, it can be a bit tricky.

    The harmonizer does exactly what you configure it do. The issue is do you know what you want it to do? Find the correct key and map out the notes on paper if you need to. Are all the notes in a single key considering you want thirds? Many harmonies shift to fourths and others actually require a key change. Some harmony lines require several types of harmonies that need to be switched in the middle of the line. User scales can sometimes work but other times not. Each case is different. What song are you struggling with? Perhaps we can help you get it sorted.

    Thanks for your replies. I am working on “peace of mind.” Specifically the part at about 4:00. I believe it is in E major. I saw a guy nail this with a pedal (the harmonist, I believe). He said it was major 3rds, dialed it in and it sounded perfect. I’m s pretty new to the Kemper world and can’t quite break through. Thanks again

    This is the video I mentioned. He plays the part at about 22:58. Sounds great to me. He describes it as simply stacking a maj 3rd on the lower line

    I am guessing you are referring to the melodic figure that starts on C#(5th string 4th fret)? It is indeed in the key of Emajor. The figure is harmonized an octave above and then with a 3rd above that.


    One way is harmonic pitch set to Emajor with interval 1 set at 1+Oct and interval 2 at +10. Set the balance and the mix for what sounds best to you. I find the tracking is best picked closer to the neck than the bridge.


    The final result will be a compromise because the highest line(+10) is articulated with bends while the lowest line is not. In theory it will work, in practice the result is less than stellar and I would not perform it this way. It sounds very mechanical and hokey. I would probably just play the key parts of the lines without the harmonizer because of this.

    Hopefully this will work. Thanks again to everyone for their responses


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    Not sure I agree with what is presented in the video, but... I listened to the original recording again and found what I think is the way that I would approach this riff. I hear the body of the riff as three parts.


    First part, play it starting C#3(5th string 4th fret) with no harmony. You could use a doubler, but I wouldn't as I don't like it. That's just my opinion

    Second part, play it starting on C#4(3rd string 4th fret) with the low harmony enabled only. This allows you to do the string bends and the lower harmony sounds better to my ear.

    Third part, play it starting on C#4 with low harmony plus a third above


    I attached the settings I would use below. I would setup the second part with interval 2 off - balance all the way counterclockwise. Then the third part would be as shown in the attached image. I would set this up in performance mode with adjacent slots, but there are other ways. You have to play it clean to avoid artifacts related to the harmonies. It needs clean notes to work accurately or you get glitchy garbage.

    I applaud you for taking the time to reply in this detail to help someone. Very interesting. I went back and listened to the track and for me it would take a bit to sort it out. I think it could be done pretty well with 3 parts although you can hear the main part is quingetripletracked. Without someone doing the work for you, it would take a bit of experimenting to hear if it sounds best to jump to the next harmony and let the FX fill in the rest or let the FX fill around what you play. From my experience with harmonizers (using them since early eventide and pre DHP 33 units) Even though you have the theory nailed, it still comes down to perception and what sounds best, choosing what you play and what you want the machine to play. I think this solo could be 3 separate slots to be as good as Boston themselves ever played it.

    Quote from Dynochrome

    I applaud you for taking the time to reply in this detail to help someone. Very interesting. I went back and listened to the track and for me it would take a bit to sort it out. I think it could be done pretty well with 3 parts although you can hear the main part is quingetripletracked. Without someone doing the work for you, it would take a bit of experimenting to hear if it sounds best to jump to the next harmony and let the FX fill in the rest or let the FX fill around what you play. From my experience with harmonizers (using them since early eventide and pre DHP 33 units) Even though you have the theory nailed, it still comes down to perception and what sounds best, choosing what you play and what you want the machine to play. I think this solo could be 3 separate slots to be as good as Boston themselves ever played it.

    I only took a quick listen and made one proposal that I think would work. There could be quite a few ways to solve this.


    The biggest part of this, even more than the harmony, would be a killer mid forward Marshall tone.

    Quote from lbieber

    I only took a quick listen and made one proposal that I think would work. There could be quite a few ways to solve this.


    The biggest part of this, even more than the harmony, would be a killer mid forward Marshall tone.

    I always liked Boston lead tones like on songs "Don't be afraid of love" Which you can get with a fixed wah set just right. I think Tom used either a fixed wah a lot or an EQ filter that he could sweep like a fixed wah. It would be fun to find that out, I was always curious.