Not a fan of the VE-20. It just sounds so digital and cold. You can use a DI box reversed to use pedals to correct the impedence. In the past I used a Roland space echo with a mic just plugged straight in with no issues. It's not necessary but it's not a bad idea. I actually got a great deal on one of these and am going with this:
http://www.placidaudio.com/the-copperphone/
Too expensive normally but I'm getting itfor more than half off in a trade. Today I ran vocals through a '65 Reverbrocket (mic'd through the PA) and ran the guitar through a '62 Reverbrocket. They looked cool as shit sitting together so I think that's what I'm going with. Also thought about running vocals through my Selmer Treble N Bass or a Royal Guardsmen (which is what I did when we recorded- reverb + a bit of trem + some fuzz = TRASH and AMAZING!!). I was trying to go small with pedals but nothing's going to sound as good as running through an amp so to hell with it. And speaking as a sound guy, I'd rather mic an amp anyway. It's extra gear but the sound is what's most important anyway. I'm willing to suffer!