TC-Helicon VoiceLive 2 vocal processor User's manual

USER’S MANUAL
WARNING
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this appliance
to rain or moisture.
CAUTION
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
The lightning symbol within a triangle means, “Electrical
caution!” It indicates the presence of information about
operating voltage and potential risks of electrical shock.
The exclamation point within a triangle means, “Caution!”
Please read the information next to all caution signs.
Table of Contents: Basics Section
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using The Effect On/Off Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
The SHORTCUT Footswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The STEP Footswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Programming Your Own Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Tone, Pitch And Guitar FX Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Step 1: Pre-Flight Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Activating Bypass + Tuner Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Step 2: Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Changing The Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Step 3: Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Basic Editing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Step 4: Set Mic Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
VoiceLive 2 for the Guitarist/Singer . . . . . . . . . .24
Step 5: Quick Start Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
First Impressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Acoustic Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
How To Audition Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Electric Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Finding Presets With The Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Tuning Your Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Using Harmony Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Guitar Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
TC Helicon Vocal Technologies Ltd.
[email protected]
Manual revision: 1.1
Prod. No: E60509411
English Version
Table of Contents: Basics Section
VoiceLive 2 for the MIDI keyboardist/Singer . . . .26
Connecting VoiceLive 2 To A Computer . . . . . . .32
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
The USB Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
MIDI Hookup And Channel Selection . . . . . . . . . . .26
The VoiceSupport Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
MIDI IN And USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
VoiceLive 2 And Digital Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
MIDI Controlled Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
USB Audio And ASIO Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
MIDI Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Selecting The Audio Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Alternate Harmony Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
USB and MIDI Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
FAQ and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Using A Fixed Key (aka “Scale”) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Singing To Music Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
“Borrowing” From Another Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
General Usage Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
4
Table of Contents: Details Section
The Tone Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
The EQ Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
The Tone Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
The Compress Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
The Adaptive Check Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
The Edit Menu Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
The Shape Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
The μMod Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
The Compress Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
The Delay Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
The De-Ess Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
The Reverb Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
The Gate Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
The Harmony Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
The EQ Tab With Adaptive On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
The Double Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
The EQ Tab With Adaptive Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
The FX Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
The Compress Tab With Adaptive On . . . . . . . . . . .47
The Preset Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
The Compress Tab With Adaptive Off . . . . . . . . . . .47
The Setup Menu
The Gate Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
I/O Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
The Pitch Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
The MIDI Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
The Guitar FX Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
The System Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
The Guitar FX Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
5
Table of Contents: Details Section
The Store Menu Manage Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
MIDI Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
6
Introduction
Welcome to VoiceLive 2
Features:
Thank you for stepping into the evolution of what it
means to be a singer. VoiceLive 2 was conceived and
engineered during a time in history when singers took
control of their vocal sound with the advent of vocal
effects pedals and rack mount units. The significance for
you, the singer using VoiceLive 2, is being able to benefit
from a wave of innovation that makes production of
your vocal sound effortless and creative.
o
Stompbox access to six effect blocks
o
Easy editing of all parameters
o
Simple effect chaining with Step feature
o
Control harmonies with guitar, MIDI or MP3 input
o
Up to 8 voices of new NaturalPlay harmonies
o
New reverb, delay,
o
FX block for HardTune, megaphone, distortion
We encourage you to give a quick scan of the Quick
Start and First Impressions section.You likely don't need
much help getting started with VoiceLive 2, but these
sections can help you get the most from VoiceLive 2 and
your voice. Also, please install the VoiceSupport application from the CD in your product’s packaging.This webenabled application connects you to the latest updates,
tips and tricks for your VoiceLive 2. In addition, the complete online version of the manual including detailed
parameter descriptions is included with the application.
o
Global tone, correction, and guitar effects
o
Digital mic-gain control is engaged by your feet
o
USB for updates, back-ups and audio streaming
Mod, and double
7
Introduction
About TC-Helicon
About This Manual
At TC-Helicon we truly believe that the voice is the
world's most beautiful instrument. We don't mean to
degrade other beautiful instruments, but the singing
voice is the anthropological source for all things melodic.
You’ve no doubt noticed that the Table of Contents has
two sections: the Basics section and the Details section.
This manual is divided into sections so that users who
prefer to get right into using the product can do so
quickly with a minimum of detailed text. Users who want
to learn the detailed operation of every parameter can
use the Details section.
You should know there is a dedicated group of
engineers, researchers and product specialists based in
Victoria BC, Canada, who spend every waking moment
of their working lives listening, talking, singing, and
interacting with singers and those who have passion for
the singing voice.
All this knowledge and experience is used to design
products respecting and empowering the modern
vocalist. Our products focus on removing barriers and
inspiring creativity in performance. That's why our
products range from near-field personal vocal monitors
to floor-based vocal multi-effects pedals.
Enjoy!
The TC-Helicon Team
8
Front Panel
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5
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10
9
Front Panel
1. GLOBAL GROUP - When activated, these three
effects stay on independent of preset changes. Press any
to activate or hold to enter a specific edit menu. TONE
applies EQ, compression and more to improve the core
sound of your voice. PITCH adds subtle, chromatic pitch
correction to help you sing more in tune. Press GUITAR
FX to add modulation and reverb effects to the guitar
connected to the GUITAR IN jack. The GUITAR THRU
jack must be empty for GUITAR FX to be heard.
2. HOME - Press this to return to the main performing
mode from SETUP, WIZARD, STORE or EDIT modes.
3. MAIN DISPLAY - All text and graphics feedback is
shown here.The Contrast adjustment is in the SYSTEM
tab of the SETUP menu.
4. SETUP - Press this to access the I/O, MIDI, SYSTEM
and EXPRESSION pedal edit tabs.
5. WIZARD - This helps you find presets on the basis of
factory-assigned tags or to sort alphabetically by name.
6. STORE - Press to enter a menu to name, assign a
10
destination and commit edited presets to memory. To
cancel and exit, press HOME.
7. EDIT - Press to enter EDIT menu and make changes
to the MOD, DELAY etc effects parameters via their
tabbed menus. HOME exits EDIT mode.
8. MIX / EDIT - When HOME is lit, turning any of these
will temporarily present the MIX screen allowing control
of the relative levels of the VOICES (harmony and
doubling), DELAY/REVERB, GUITAR and OUTPUT level.
In EDIT mode, these controls adjust the highlighted
parameters immediately above them.
9. NAVIGATE CONTROLS - The DATA WHEEL scrolls
through presets when HOME is lit or through editing
rows when EDIT is lit.
10. PRESET UP/DOWN - The UP arrow advances
through presets and the DOWN arrow reverses.
Holding either will accelerate in its direction.
11. SHORTCUT - Press to access the effect extension
that is listed in the MAIN DISPLAY under SHORTCUT.
Front Panel
This can include TEMPO,HARMONY HOLD and more.
μ
12. MOD ON/OFF - Press to enable or disable
modulation effects including chorus, flange, detune, tube
resonance and more.
13. DELAY ON/OFF - Press to enable or disable timed
echo, tempo-based echo, slapback effects and more.
18. FX ON/OFF- Press to add the serial effects of
Transducer (megaphones, distortion, hi-pass etc.) and /or
Hard Tune including scale-based Pitch Correction. Each
preset may be set to enable either or both effects.
Holding the FX footswitch enters BYPASS + TUNER
mode which mutes all effects except TONE and allows
silent guitar tuning.
14. REVERB ON/OFF - Press to enable or disable
reverberation effects such as Hall, Room, Plate and
Ambience.
15. STEP - When the COUNT legend in the MAIN
DISPLAY shows a number greater than one, tapping this
will advance to the next step in the chain. Holding STEP
enters the STEP programming menu.
16. HARMONY ON/OFF - Adds or mutes the
Harmony voices created by your voice and VoiceLive 2.
17. DOUBLE ON/OFF - Adds or mutes the Doubling
voices assigned to the current preset. The Doubling
voices are constrained to unison or octave intervals only.
11
Back Panel
2
1
3
4
5
1. MIC and LINE inputs - Connect your microphone or
line level audio device’s output here. Only one should be
connected at a time. Hold the REVERB footswitch to set
gain when changing back and forth between MIC and
LINE ins.
2. GUITAR IN and THRU - Connect a guitar to the
GUITAR IN to guide harmony and mix the guitar signal
into the main output. Connect the THRU to your guitar
amp and remove the guitar from the main mix output.
3. AUX In - An audio signal received here can be mixed
into the main output or used to control harmony.
12
6
7
8
9
10
11
4. HEADPHONE Out - The main output is mirrored
here to drive headphones. Adjust the headphone and
main output volume with the OUTPUT setting
controlled by turning the MIX knobs.
5. OUTPUTS - The XLR and TRS (1/4”) produce the
same balanced audio output. Both can be used
simultaneously if required. Mono/Stereo configuration is
found in the I/O tab of the SETUP menu.
6. DIGITAL IN/OUT - The S/PDIF-formatted DIGITAL
OUT is always active. Selecting this DIGITAL IN instead
Back Panel
of the USB digital input is done in the I/O tab of the
SETUP menu.
7. PEDAL Input - A standard expression pedal can be
connected here to control the level of the Harmony and
Doubling voices. Calibration is done in the SYSTEM tab
of the SETUP menu.
10. POWER In - Connect only the supplied adaptor or
one with the exact specifications shown on the back of
VoiceLive 2.
11. POWER Switch - Press to turn VoiceLive 2 on and
off.
8. MIDI Connectors - A computer or controller
keyboard connected to the MIDI IN offers preset
control, realtime parameter control, and guidance of the
harmony voices. MIDI IN and OUT can also be used as
an alternative to the USB connection for backup and
restore operations.
9. USB I/O - USB is a standard computer connection
allowing transfer of digital audio to and from VoiceLive 2
as well as for MIDI control and MIDI preset backup.
Configuration of the digital audio and MIDI settings is
done in the SETUP menu.
13
Quick Start
Overview:
Step 1: Pre-Flight Check
This chapter will help you get set up in the typical live
performance setting with a microphone. You will learn
how to connect external devices and how to set the
microphone gain properly. At the end you will be ready
to move on to experimenting with the vocal effects in
the First Impressions chapter.
Assemble the gear you need to get started. For now,
leave your VoiceLive 2 and PA system turned off.
In this section we cover:
1. Initial connections
2. Setting microphone gain
See the section on Basic Editing Concepts for more
information on VoiceLive 2’s tabbed, style-based edit
menus. Detailed information is located in the online
manual which is also included with the VoiceSupport
application CD.
14
1. Vocal microphone
2. PA system or headphones
3. Harmony control instrument.This can be a Guitar,
MIDI keyboard, external audio source such as an
MP3 player or none if you plan to enter Key and
Scale with the footswitches.
4. You will need a selection of cables listed below
depending on your harmony control instrument
and monitoring.
o
XLR cable for your microphone
o
1/4” cable from your guitar
o
MIDI cable from your keyboard
o
1/8” mini from an MP3 player
o
XLR or 1/4” cables to feed your PA system
Quick Start
Step 2: Inputs
First, connect the XLR cable from your microphone to
the MIC input jack on VoiceLive 2.
Next, connect the instrument or device you will use to
control harmony. On power-up, VoiceLive 2 will
automatically configure all harmony presets to recognize
which instrument is connected. Only one of the
following should be connected for this Quick Start.
o
o
o
MP3 player (AUX Input). Connect the output of an
MP3 player or another music source to the AUX
input using a stereo 1/8” connector.
If you do not connect an instrument to the GUITAR IN,
MIDI IN or AUX input, most of the harmony presets in
VoiceLive 2 will default to global Scale mode in the Key
of A Major (for this, see the section entitled VoiceLive 2
for the Lead Singer)
Guitar. Connect the 1/4” cable directly from your
guitar (no pedals between the guitar and VoiceLive
2) to the input jack labelled GUITAR IN. If you
want your guitar to go through pedals and an amp,
connect another 1/4” cable from the GUITAR
THRU to either your first effect pedal or your
amplifier.
MIDI keyboard. Connect a MIDI cable to VoiceLive
2’s MIDI IN from your keyboard’s MIDI OUT. Set
your keyboard’s MIDI OUT channel to channel #1
if it is not already.
15
Quick Start
Step 3: Outputs
The typical setup for monitoring the output of VoiceLive
2 is to connect two 1/4” cables to a stereo channel in a
PA mixer. VoiceLive 2 can be set to output in mono if
preferred in the I/O tab of the SETUP menu.
If you are using a snake to connect to an offstage mixer,
then the XLR outputs can be connected without the
need for DI boxes. The output of the XLR jacks is the
same as the 1/4” jacks: line level (maximum +16 dBu).
Both the XLR and TRS output jacks can be used at the
same time when required.
If you prefer to monitor with headphones, the output
labelled with the headphones graphic will drive most
headphone types that are equipped with an 1/8” jack.
Now you can connect the power adaptor and press the
POWER switch to turn on the unit. NOTE: keep your PA
level off until you set the mic gain level in Step 4.
16
Quick Start
Step 4: Set Mic Level
Step 5: Quick Start Settings
This step informs VoiceLive 2 how loud you plan to sing
with your particular mic. We’ll use VoiceLive 2’s
automatic MIC GAIN feature to quickly set the optimum
level.
Ensure that the HOME and TONE buttons on the front
panel are lit. Load preset #1 with the PRESET up or
down footswitches. Ensure that the FX footswitch is not
flashing. Tap it once if it is flashing to exit Bypass/Tuner
mode.
1. Press and hold the REVERB footswitch
2. If you need to activate phantom power for your
condenser mic, adjust the onscreen PHANTOM
parameter which will restart the level test
2. Sing for five seconds with peaks that are as loud as
you plan to sing
3. Follow the prompts in the display to finalize mic
level setting, cancel or redo the procedure
During performance, if you see the CLIP indicator light
in the HOME screen, you can return to the automatic
MIC GAIN feature to adjust the input level.
Sing as you carefully raise your PA level or put on your
headphones. You should now hear your voice clearly
with Preset #1’s effects added. If you would like to adjust
the headphones level, turn the furthest right Mix/Edit
knob to adjust the OUTPUT level.
Now you’re ready for the next chapter : First
Impressions. There you’ll learn how to explore the
presets in VoiceLive 2.
17
First Impressions
How To Audition Presets
Using Harmony Presets
The best way to sample VoiceLive 2’s effects is to start
with preset #1, sing, and then tap the PRESET up
footswitch to audition the next preset. These factory
presets contain collections of settings that affect your
voice in different ways.
Most presets that have the HARMONY footswitch lit
require that you play your guitar, keyboard or music
source (AUX input) to arrange the harmony intervals
musically around your voice.There are, however, presets
where the HARMONY footswitch can be lit but that do
not require musical input from you such as when the
harmony intervals are unisons, octaves or fixed shifts
used to create doubling and special effects.
Holding PRESET up or down will automatically cycle in
that direction. When working close to the unit, you can
also use the DATA WHEEL to cycle through presets.
Finding Presets With The Wizard
Press the WIZARD button to search for presets by
“Tags” which are preset attributes. Choosing a single tag
will result in a broad search; adding successive tags (up
to 3 total) will narrow your search. When you edit and
store presets, you can assign tags yourself to assist in
searching later.
The Wizard can also list the presets in alphabetical order
when you change the Sort setting.
18
If you want to audition presets without a music source,
simply press the HARMONY footswitch to mute this
effect each time you load a new preset.
You can read more about using harmony in the following
sections:
o
VoiceLive 2 for the Guitarist/Singer
VoiceLive 2 for the MIDI Keyboardist/Singer
o
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer
o
First Impressions
Using The Effect On/Off Switches
The SHORTCUT Footswitch
The Effect On/Off footswitches give you the option to
modify the sound without changing to another preset.
You can do so by tapping any of the 6 effects
footswitches which include
MOD (pronounced
“micromod”), DELAY, REVERB, HARMONY, DOUBLE
AND FX.
This footswitch extends the capabilities of the current
preset. Depending on the preset, it could allow you to
engage Harmony Hold, set the tempo for the Delay or
turn on the Choir effect.The shortcut assignment for the
current preset is clearly shown in the HOME screen.
Tapping an effect that’s off will add it to the effects mix
and vice versa. All effects have default settings so you can
merely press their associated footswitches to add them
to your preset without editing.When you advance to the
next preset, your on/off settings will be lost unless
stored.
Some shortcuts require holding the footswitch (e.g.
Harmony Hold) and some require tapping it (e.g. Delay
tempo). Every preset has a shortcut, so be sure to
familiarize yourself with them all while exploring the
product.
19
First Impressions
The STEP Footswitch
Programming Your Own Steps
The Step feature allows you to create a series of up to
10 linked effect changes associated with a preset. In a
preset that has steps, for example, tapping STEP could
toggle to another preset’s effects, turn on all of the
effects at once, increase the Delay level by 6 dB or all of
the above.
1. Select a preset as the starting effect in your chain.
Some factory presets have been programmed with
examples of steps. You can see that a preset has steps
when the COUNT (graphic) item in the HOME screen
is a number greater than 1. When you see this, you can
press the STEP footswitch to cycle through the preprogrammed effect changes.
The STEP footswitch cycles forward through any steps
present. The PRESET (down arrow) cycles backwards
towards step 1 after which it will cycle backwards
through presets again. When the Step count is 2, the
STEP footswitch can be used toggle between the two
settings.
2. Hold STEP for a moment to enter Step
programming mode. Segments of the main display
will change color.
3. To insert another preset’s effect as the next step,
use the PRESET footswitches to locate the desired
preset.
4. If you want to change which effect blocks are on
press the desired effect footswitches.
5. If you want to make an edit, press the EDIT button
and make your changes. Edits made in Step insert
mode before accepting are stored automatically to
the new step.
6. Tap STEP to accept your new step and exit Step
programming mode.The COUNT legend in the
main display will increment by one and the STEP
footswitch will light.
To cancel and exit Step programming mode, hold STEP.
20
First Impressions
To delete any single step, locate the step you want to
remove then enter Step programming mode. Tap
SHORTCUT to delete the current step.
To speed Step programming, all insertions and deletions
are automatically stored when you exit Step mode. If
you want to experiment without affecting an important
Step chain, you can either store the preset to another
location first (Steps are stored with presets) and work
there or perform a backup before experimenting and
restore when done.
pitch correction which helps you sing more in tune.
If you have a guitar connected to the GUITAR IN jack,
pressing the GUITAR FX button will apply effects to your
guitar sound that will be heard through VoiceLive 2’s
main outputs. The guitar effects and dry signal will be
muted if a jack is connected to the GUITAR THRU jack.
Press and hold any of these buttons to access their
menus and make global changes.
The Tone, Pitch and Guitar FX Buttons
These three buttons apply live engineer features that are
“global” in that they affect all presets.
The TONE button makes your voice sound smoother
and brighter by applying studio-grade adaptive
compression, EQ, de-ess and gating.We recommend that
the TONE button be turned on and left active to
improve your overall vocal tone.
Press the PITCH button to add subtle Auto Chromatic
21
First Impressions
Activating BYPASS + TUNER Mode
Press and hold the FX footswitch to remove all effects
from your voice except TONE (when active). The Tone
feature remains active in BYPASS + TUNER (Bypass) so
your voice does not sound darker when switching to
Bypass for speaking or singing with no effects.
If you have a guitar connected to the GUITAR IN, its
output will be muted in Bypass and the Tuner display will
become active so you can tune silently.
Tap the FX or any other footswitch to exit Bypass mode
and return to the previous display screen.
Changing The Mix
The effects balance in VoiceLive 2 is adjusted at the
factory to suit many situations. The Mix/Edit knobs
change the levels of :
o
the combined Harmony and Doubling voices,
o
the combined Delay and Reverb effects
22
o
your guitar and its Guitar FX (as long as GUITAR
THRU jack is unused)
o
the overall output level
NOTE: These adjustments are “global” meaning they
affect all presets by the same amount.
With the HOME button lit, turn any of the 4 MIX knobs.
This will present the MIX screen where you can see and
adjust these levels. After approximately 3 seconds the
display will revert back to the HOME screen. Your new
balance will remain in effect each time you power up the
unit until they are changed again.
If you want to adjust the level of a music source
connected to the AUX IN, you can do so with the AUX
LEVEL setting in the SETUP menu under the I/O tab.
First Impressions
Basic Editing Concepts
When you want to go beyond turning effects on and off
to make changes in your preset, press the Edit button to
explore VoiceLive 2’s editing tabs. Each of the effect
footswitches has a related tab you can access with the
NAVIGATE left and right arrow buttons. If you make
changes you want to keep, presets can be edited and
stored in place or to an empty location. The original
factory presets can be restored at any time from the
STORE menu.
Once in the Edit screens, you can cycle up and down to
browse the rows of parameters by turning the DATA
WHEEL. The settings are arranged left to right so that
they can be accessed by the Mix/Edit knob immediately
below each parameter.Turn the knobs to make changes.
example, changing the Reverb style is the quickest way
to accomplish this.
You can also vary the level of each effect in the edit tabs.
All effect blocks except for FX (Transducer and Hard
Correct are always100% wet) can be adjusted.
To store your edits press the STORE button. This will
show the preset naming and destination preset number
display. Press STORE again to save. If you want to cancel,
press the HOME button and then load any other preset.
To store from a standing position, hold PRESET down
arrow and STEP together. The LCD will show
“STORING” briefly and your edit is stored.
The first row of each tab contains the Style for that
effect. Styles speed editing by collecting a group of
parameter values together. If you like the sound of a
particular preset but you want a shorter reverb, for
23
VoiceLive 2 for the Guitarist/Singer
Overview
Guitarists have bonus features in VoiceLive 2. In addition
to sensing the guitar chords to guide harmony,VoiceLive
2 offers the guitarist:
o
Effects, including compression, EQ, modulation and
reverb dedicated to the guitar
o
Guitar mix to main outputs
o
Chromatic Tuner
By this section we assume you have completed the
Quick Start and have your voice set to a comfortable
level in your PA or headphones.
Acoustic Guitar
If you haven’t by now, connect a cable from your pickupequipped acoustic guitar to the GUITAR IN as described
in the Quick Start. You should now hear your guitar
sound mixed with your voice.
To adjust the balance of guitar and voice, ensure the
HOME button is lit then turn the third Mix/Edit knob.
24
This will present the MIX screen so you can adjust the
level of your guitar.
Press the GUITAR FX button if it is not already lit. This
will add the default effects to your guitar.The Guitar FX
on/off status and style is static through preset changes.
Now you can sample the harmony-based presets with
harmonies closely related to your guitar playing. You
should now hear nicely produced lead vocal, harmony
vocals and guitar from your PA system or headphones.
Electric Guitar
Connect a cable from your electric guitar to the
GUITAR IN. Connect another cable from the GUITAR
THRU to your first guitar effects pedal or to your amp.
Set your guitar amp volume to a level compatible with
your vocals.
By connecting a jack to the GUITAR THRU, the guitar
signal is removed from the internal mixer and effects
paths in VoiceLive 2.
VoiceLive 2 for the Guitarist/Singer
If you hear a buzz from either your guitar amplifier or the
PA VoiceLive 2 is connected to, press the GND LIFT
(ground lift) button to silence it.
least two notes. If you want to sing right at the start of a
song, it’s important to briefly play a chord first. A
recognized chord will show “NP” in the LCD display.
Now you can sample the harmony-based presets with
the harmonies musically related to your guitar playing.
Your guitar should be well-tuned to the onboard tuner.
Tuning Your Guitar
The Bypass + Tuner function works for both acoustic
and electric guitars.The tuner is a chromatic type so you
can use alternate tunings as well as standard tuning.
To activate the tuner, hold the FX button.This will:
o
Change the main display to show the tuning meter
o
Mute the guitar in both the OUTPUTs and THRU
o
Remove all effects on the voice except TONE.
Tap the FX footswitch to exit Bypass + Tuner mode.
Guitar Performance Tips
To ensure that the harmony voices follow your guitar
closely, it’s best to play cleanly with chords containing at
If the song section you want vocal harmony on has fast
chord changes, single note runs or very slow arpeggios,
you can use presets based on a fixed Key to produce
harmony.To find out more about this see Using A Fixed
Key (aka “Scale”) section in the chapter entitled
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer.
Setting Fixed Key and Scale With Guitar
If you wish to try using this type of harmony it’s easy. Find
a preset with the SHORTCUT set to SET KEY. Tap the
SHORTCUT button when the root of the chord you’re
playing is the Key you want. You can change the Scale
type with the STEP footswitch if you like. To accept this
Key and Scale, just keep playing - the menu will time out
automatically. If the preset SHORTCUT is not assigned
to SET KEY, you can hold the HARMONY footswitch in
any preset to enter the same menu.
25
VoiceLive 2 for the MIDI Keyboardist/Singer
Overview
Using MIDI opens up a wide range of harmony and
parameter control options. This section will discuss the
basics of setting MIDI channel and performing with a
MIDI keyboard/synth to control harmony.
By this section we assume you have completed the
Quick Start and have your voice set to a comfortable
level in your PA or headphones.
MIDI Hookup and Channel Selection
If you haven’t already, connect a MIDI cable between
your keyboard’s MIDI out and VoiceLive 2’s MIDI IN. Play
a note on your keyboard and check VoiceLive 2’s display
to see if the MIDI indicator lights. If it doesn’t, set the
MIDI transmit channel of your keyboard to 1 (VoiceLive
2’s default) or perform the following quick MIDI receive
channel procedure.
Hold the PRESET up and SHORTCUT footswitches
briefly to enter MIDI Setup. Press any note on your
keyboard. This will automatically configure VoiceLive 2’s
26
MIDI receive channel to match your keyboard’s. Tap the
SHORTCUT footswitch to exit.You should now see the
word MIDI flash in the main display when you play your
keyboard.You can also set MIDI channel manually in the
MIDI tab of the SETUP menu.
MIDI IN and USB
To use the MIDI IN while you have a USB cable
connected, press the SETUP button, locate the SYSTEM
tab and turn the USB CONTROL setting to OFF. This
will enable the MIDI IN. Alternatively, you may also
remove the USB cable to access MIDI IN.
When you want to restore computer control of
VoiceLive 2 over USB, or you want to access the
VoiceSupport application’s features, you can turn the
USB CONTROL parameter back to On.
MIDI Controlled Harmony
Now that you’ve followed the preceding section, you can
sample the many presets that feature the harmony
effect. Load a preset with the HARMONY footswitch lit
VoiceLive 2 for the MIDI Keyboardist/Singer
or tap it to engage harmony in any preset. Now you can
play a song on your keyboard while singing and hear
how the harmony voices adjust musically as you play the
different chords in your song. As each chord is
recognized, the LCD display will briefly show “NP”
meaning NaturalPlay.
The factory presets that have the word “Notes” in their
names use another form of harmony control called
“MIDI Notes”.These presets allow you to tie the pitch of
the harmony voices to the exact notes you play. The
maximum number of notes can be 4 or 8 depending on
whether Harmony Doubling is activated in the
HARMONY tab of the EDIT menu.
MIDI Performance Tips
If you sing while playing a chord and then press the
sustain pedal, you’re able to add a keyboard
embellishment that doesn’t affect the harmony.
By default, program change messages from your
keyboard are ignored so you can change your keyboard
sound without changing VoiceLive 2’s preset.
Your mod wheel can be used to add or remove vibrato
in harmony presets.
Alternate Harmony Method
For some songs, fixed scale harmony (not controlled by
an instrument) works well. To find out more about this
see Using A Fixed Key (aka “Scale”) section in the
chapter entitled VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer.
In chords without a clear third,VoiceLive 2 will assume a
major chord, so when you play in a minor key, and as a
general rule, you should always include a third when
changing chords.
If you want to sing right at the beginning of your song, it’s
important to play a chord just before you sing
27
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer
Overview
Using A Fixed Key (aka “Scale”)
This section is for those who do not play an instrument
such as a MIDI keyboard or guitar. You are still able to
experience VoiceLive 2’s vocal harmony effects with
these methods:
This is the main method for creating harmony used
successfully in the original VoiceLive processor. Briefly, all
of the chords in an entire song and your melody can
belong to a single “Key”. You can input this key in any
harmony preset by holding the HARMONY footswitch
or using the SET KEY shortcut if it’s assigned in the
current harmony preset.
o
Using fixed Key and Scale
o
Singing to music-only playback
o
“Borrowing” from another player’s instrument
By this section we assume you have completed the
Quick Start and have your voice set to a comfortable
level in your PA or headphones.
When the match of Key and song is correct, a fixed Key
is nearly indistinguishable from recorded harmony.There
are limitations however:
o
Fixed Key works for many, but not all songs.
o
Fixed Key works best with 3rd harmony intervals;
adding the 5th (interval: Higher) reduces the
number of compatible songs.
You should be singing with musical backing and stay true
to a A=440Hz reference. This could be a CD or other
musicians. Choose a simple song to star t with.
Determine the Key of your song; this is often the first or
last chord in a song without extensions. For example G
28
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer
Major is a valid Key, Gm7b5 is not.
Singing To Music Playback
Hold the HARMONY footswitch to enter Key Set mode
then use the PRESET up and down footswitches to
enter the Key.The STEP footswitch will cycle through the
3 Major and 3 Minor alternate scales that can be chosen
if your harmony intervals sound incorrect at certain
chord/melody combinations.
VoiceLive 2 can derive musical information from fully
mixed music tracks. For this alternative you’ll need:
Note that the Key you set is global so you can try other
presets with your song without entering Key again.
If you’re lucky the first time, you’ll be rewarded with
soaring harmony over your whole chorus or song. If not,
you can try the following:
o
Try a different Key, perhaps a 5th away from your
first choice.
o
Choose a different Major or Minor alternate Scale.
o
Choose a preset with only the 3rd (High) interval.
o
Create a Step to change Key at the right moments.
o
Move on to the next options listed.
o
Music source device.This could be an MP3 player,
computer, CD player etc.
o
Recorded music without vocals.This could be your
latest CD tracks minus your vocals or Karaoke
tracks available on the web
Connect as described for MP3 Player (AUX input) in the
Quick Start section. When you power up VoiceLive 2, it
will auto-recognize the AUX input as the harmony music
source. Choose a harmony preset and play your music
source. You should hear your music, voice and the
harmonies in your PA system or headphones.
Use the volume control on your music source device to
adjust the balance of music to vocals.You can also adjust
the AUX level in the SETUP menu, in the I/O tab.
29
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer
“Borrowing” From Another Player
If you play with a guitarist or MIDI keyboard player, you
can use their playing to guide the harmony voices in your
VoiceLive 2.
Your guitarist can connect to the GUITAR IN and THRU
then to their pedalboard or amp.Their guitar sound will
remain the same and you can turn the harmonies on and
off when you need them.The only limitation is the length
of cable because high impedance signals lose signal over
long cable runs. If this is an issue, you could use a preamp
out or effects loop output from the amp.
Alternatively, you can run a MIDI cable from your
keyboardist’s controller to your VoiceLive 2. This has no
effect on the keyboard sound and cable runs are not a
problem.
With either solution, you can co-ordinate with the player
to make sure they are playing complete chords where
you plan to use harmony.
30
General Usage Tips
Monitor Placement
Singing Tips For Harmony
Try to ensure that your keyboard amp or monitor is not
facing directly into your mic as this can confuse VoiceLive
2’s pitch detection and result in poor sounding harmony
voices as well as bring on feedback.
The more in-tune you sing, the better the harmonies will
sound. Most harmony presets have a slight amount of
pitch correction (known as Smoothing) on the
harmonies but your pitch is still very important.
Foot Control
When changing presets or toggling effects with the
footswitches, be sure to tap and not hold them. Many of
the footswitches have alternate functions that are
accessed by holding which could cause confusion in your
performance.
Harmony Contrast
Your performance will be more interesting to your
audience when you use Harmony and Doubling to
highlight song sections as opposed to using them
throughout a whole song or set of songs.
31
Connecting VoiceLive 2 To A Computer
The USB Connection
Connecting the supplied USB cable between VoiceLive 2
and your Mac or PC computer offers the following
benefits:
o
Audio input and output for recording and
monitoring without a separate I/O box
o
Easy backup and restore of preset and system
settings
o
Simplified system updates
o
Information and tutorial videos
The VoiceSupport Application
This is a web-enabled application intended to enhance
your experience with VoiceLive 2. As well as keeping you
up-to-date with the latest TC-Helicon news items and
support materials, VoiceSupport is also a streamlined
system update and backup application. Finally, there is a
link to register your product with.
VoiceLive 2 does not need to be USB-connected in
32
order to access the tutorials, news and other downloads.
Also, you may view videos and other media from the
included CD without connecting to the internet.
PC Installation
1. Place the supplied VoiceSupport application CD in
your computer CD drive. If the install wizard does
not start automatically double click the setup.exe
file on the CD.
2. Follow the instructions on the installation wizard.
3. Connect VoiceLive 2 when prompted.
VoiceSupport will run automatically when the install is
complete.
Mac Installation
1. Place the supplied VoiceSupport application CD in
your computer CD drive.
2. Open the VoiceSupport.pkg icon on the CD to
start the installation.
3. Follow the prompts on the installation wizard.
After the wizard finishes, connect your VoiceLive 2 and
Connecting VoiceLive 2 To A Computer
start VoiceSupport, located in the Applications folder.
The first time you open VoiceSupport it may take a while
to load as it must download all of the newest content.
When the application finishes loading it should display
“VoiceLive 2” in the top right corner, indicating that it has
connected to your device. If it says “Not Connected”,
check that the USB cable is properly attached and then
click the blue connection button.
VoiceLive 2 and Digital Audio
There are two methods for digital audio communication
between VoiceLive 2 and a computer:
1. S/PDIF connection to a computer or standalone
audio device
2. USB connection between the computer and
VoiceLive 2
The DIGITAL IN parameter in the I/O tab (SETUP
menu) selects between the USB and S/PDIF digital audio
inputs. S/PDIF digital output is always available but the
USB audio output only functions when one of the USB
options listed below is chosen with the DIGITAL IN
parameter.
When DIGITAL IN is set to USB STEREO (default) or
SPDIF STEREO, VoiceLive 2 acts as a mic preamp,
harmony/effects processor and A to D converter
sending to your workstation application while allowing
you to monitor your workstation’s output through
VoiceLive 2’s headphones or analog outs.
A useful benefit of this configuration is that in any presets
where NATURALPLAY in the HARMONY edit tab is
set to AUX INPUT, the harmonies will follow the stereo
audio coming from the selected digital in.
When set to USB VOX L / INST(rument)R or S/PDIF
VOX L / INST R,VoiceLive 2 acts as an external harmony
and effects processor fed by digital aux sends from your
workstation. Send your vocal track via the left output
and an instrument for harmony control via the right
output. Monitoring is the same as above. In this mode,
the MIC and GUITAR IN are disabled.
33
Connecting VoiceLive 2 To A Computer
USB Audio and ASIO Applications
PC-based DAW applications such as Cubase use a
different type of driver to access USB hardware called
“ASIO”. If you will be using one of these apps, you will
need to install a WDM to ASIO “wrapper” such as
ASIO4ALL which is available at www.asio4all.com in
order for VoiceLive 2 to be recognized as an audio
device.
Selecting The Audio Device
In the Mac and Vista operating systems, you can select
VoiceLive 2’s audio device in your workstation program
by name. In Windows XP, however, the name of the
audio device is “USB Audio Device”.
USB and MIDI Control
When you need MIDI control via VoiceLive 2’s MIDI IN
with simultaneous USB audio streaming, enter the I/O
tab in the SETUP menu and set USB CONTROL to Off.
Note that this will disable VoiceSupport backup features.
34
FAQ and Troubleshooting
My guitar doesn't change the harmonies.
Turn up the volume control on your guitar.
My DELAY/REVERB MIX level is up but the
sound is still dry
Confirm your guitar cable is good by connecting your
guitar directly to your amp.
Turn on the Reverb and/or Delay effects with their
respective footswitches.
Remove any guitar effect pedals between your guitar and
VoiceLive 2's input.
If the effects are on, but you still don't hear the effect,
make sure the sends are turned up for the effects.These
parameters are located on the Reverb and Delay Edit
menus.
Ensure that you are playing guitar chords made up of at
least a root note and a major or minor third.
Ensure the NaturalPlay parameter in the HARMONY
Edit menu is set to Auto or Guitar.
My guitar is connected to my amp but I can't
hear it.
You may be in Tuner mode. Press the FX footswitch to
hear your guitar.
Is your Shortcut assigned to Guitar Mute? If so press the
SHORTCUT footswitch to hear your guitar.
How do I talk to my audience with no FX on?
Hold FX footswitch to enter Bypass + Tuner mode.
I'm using the Line input and the sound is
distorted or I can't hear anything.
The LINE input shares the same input gain as the MIC
input. You can use the automatic MIC GAIN setup
procedure you used to set your Mic gain (ensure only
the LINE input is connected) or you can set the gain
manually in the I/O tab of the System menu.
35
FAQ and Troubleshooting
When I switch Phantom on and off the level
changes.Why?
Because condenser microphones tend to have much
higher output levels than a dynamic microphone,
VoiceLive 2 stores different mic gain levels for when
phantom power is on and off.The gain you set for your
condenser mic is recalled when you turn Phantom on
and an alternate gain is recalled for your dynamic mic.
Can I Use Alternate Tunings On My Guitar?
Alternate tunings e.g. drop D, DADGAD, etc. are okay.
The most important notes of your chord, as far as
VoiceLive 2 is concerned, are the chord root and the
third, so make sure these notes are clearly voiced. Your
guitar can be tuned to alternate tunings as long as you
are in tune with the onboard tuner.
Check that the USB CONTROL parameter in the MIDI
tab of the SETUP menu is OFF and remove the USB
cable.
If the MIDI light does flash, make sure no jack is
connected to the GUITAR IN.
I don't hear my voice, only harmony and effects.
Make sure LEAD MUTE in the SYSTEM menu is set to
“OFF". For any effect that is currently enabled, turn its
LEAD MUTE parameter to OFF to hear your lead voice
when the effect is on.
I'm not getting any sound out of VoiceLive 2
Confirm the power adapter is properly connected and
power switch is in the on position.
Why doesn’t my keyboard change the
harmonies?
Check the display meter when you sing to confirm the
microphone and cable are good and that the level is set
correctly.
If the MIDI light is not flashing when you play your MIDI
device, then follow the steps for setting MIDI channel.
Find out if your microphone needs phantom power and
enable it if needed.
36
FAQ and Troubleshooting
Make sure the Output level is turned up by turning one
of the Mix/Edit knobs on the top screen.
My corrected voice or harmony voice sounds
out of tune
It's possible that the tuning reference of the instruments
you are singing with are not tuned to the default setting
of A=440.You can change the default tuning reference in
the I/O tab of the SETUP menu.
My sound is distorted.
Press and hold the REVERB footswitch and follow the
instructions for setting your mic gain.
If mic gain is set properly and the CLIP indicator is not
blinking, turn down the OUTPUT setting on the mix
screen or reduce the input level on your mixer channels.
I can't hear any Reverb or Delay
1. Check the top level mix screen and make sure the
DELAY/REVERB level is turned up.
footswitch light.
3. Confirm that the send levels are up for the Reverb
and Delay block.To do this, press EDIT, navigate to
the REVERB or DELAY tab, and scroll down to the
Lead and Harmony send parameters and make
sure they are turned up.
4. If the send levels active are for the harmony voices,
make sure the Harmony effect is turned on.
I can't hear any Harmony voices
1. Confirm that the Harmony effect is on by checking
the HARMONY footswitch.
2. Check the top level mix by turning one of the
knobs while on the home screen. Make sure the
VOICES level is turned up.
3. If the name of the preset has NOTES in it, it's set
to MIDI NOTES or MIDI NOTES 4 CH and will
require you to play MIDI notes on the correct
MIDI channel to produce harmonies.
2. Confirm that the REVERB and/or DELAY
footswitch is turned on as indicated by its
37
FAQ and Troubleshooting
I don't hear any audio from VoiceLive 2 when
using MIC in
MIDI Input doesn’t work
1. Check that the DIGITAL IN parameter in the
Setup I/O tab is not set to USB VOX L / INST R or
DIGITAL VOX L / INST R.
My lead vocal is cutting out
2. Check to see if there is level in the INPUT meter
when singing. If not, check connection and run MIC
GAIN setting procedure.
See “I can’t update my software” above.
1. Is the FX button on? Adjust the Transducer GATE
THRESHOLD to a lower value in that preset.
3. It's possible LEAD MUTE is enabled globally in the
Setup I/O menu, set it to OFF to change.
2. Is the Tone button on? Check the GATE tab. See
the section following for more detail on adjusting
the GATE settings.
The edit asterisk is always on in preset names
4. Turn off all effects, one of the effects could have
LEAD MUTE enabled.
The LEAD MUTE parameter in the Setup I/O menu may
be set to ON.
I can't update my software
If USB is connected, check the USB CONTROL
parameter under the SETUP / SYSTEM page. If it's set to
OFF, you will not be able to upgrade software.When it's
set to ON, you will be able to upgrade software but not
be able to use a MIDI keyboard connected to the MIDI
IN to control harmony.
38
Where can I find support for this product?
There are three easy ways to get support:
1. Install the VoiceSupport application
2.
Visit www.tc-helicon.com/support
3. Email [email protected]
Details Section
In this part of the manual we shed light on the individual
editing parameters in VoiceLive 2.
This section discusses:
The Global controls:Tone, Pitch and Guitar FX
The Edit menu including all effect-specific tabs
The Setup menu and its 3 tabs
39
The Global Controls:Tone
The Tone Button
The Tone button activates what we call the “Live
Engineer Effects”.These are different from standard vocal
processing effects in that they adjust their settings to
your particular voice and the way you sing at different
times of your performance just like a professional audio
engineer will. All EQ and compression enhancements
applied here will affect the overall sound of VoiceLive 2
including Harmony, Doubling, Reverb etc.
The suite of effects that make up Tone are:
o
Adaptive Shape EQ
o
Adaptive Compression
o
De-Ess
o
Adaptive Gate
The TONE Tab
Press and hold the Tone button to enter this screen and
make adjustments or view settings. This will present the
40
TONE tab allowing convenient control of these four
processors in one screen. At any time you can exit the
tab menus by pressing the Home button.
The factory settings for the Tone button are:
o
SHAPE
ADAPTIVE=X(On), SHAPE=50%
o
COMPRESS
ADAPTIVE=X(On), COMPRESS=50%
o
DE-ESS
DE-ESS=50%
o
GATE
ADAPTIVE
These settings are intended to apply to a broad range of
singers’ tastes and PA equipment. Making adjustments
consists of turning the Mix/Edit knobs below the LCD
and listening to the results. You can also cycle the Tone
button on and off while editing to hear the difference
between your effected and non-effected voice.
The Global Controls:Tone
Note that there is a slight lag between adjusting the
Adaptive effects and hearing the effect as the algorithm
re-assesses your voice input.
The ADAPTIVE Check Boxes
These show whether the automatically-adjusting
Adaptive feature is enabled for the SHAPE or
COMPRESS controls.
NOTE: If either or both ADAPTIVE check boxes is
unchecked, the associated control is set to MANUAL.
Manual adjustment is possible by using the Navigate
buttons to go to the edit tab associated with it and
changing the controls on that tab.
The SHAPE Control
“Shape” is the name given to the automatically adjusting
EQ that is activated by the ADAPTIVE check box.When
the Adaptive feature is activated, Shape processing offers
an EQ curve that adds an airy brightness, or “sizzle” to
your voice while reducing “mud” due to the proximity
effect from singing closely into a cardioid microphone.
Adjusting the control from 0% to 50% reduces mud
while increasing brightness to a useful range for your
voice. Turning from 50% up to 100% adds more
brightness.
Reducing Mud
For singers who have a voice with less bass frequencies,
the “mud” reduction may be less and perhaps not
noticeable at all.This is a good thing - your voice is nicely
balanced regarding bass frequencies. For the average
male singer or women who sing closely on their mic, the
reduction in bass will be noticeable and beneficial.When
voices have too much bass, they tend to become lost in
the other instruments that occupy those frequencies
resulting in sonic clutter. Reducing bass has the natural
effect of emphasizing mid and upper frequencies which
allow the voice to cut through dense instrumentation.
Lastly, the term “proximity effect” and “cardioid” need to
be clarified as they can cause bass build up. The typical
microphone used by singers has a pickup pattern called
“cardioid” or heart-like, because it picks up less sound at
the rear than at the front. This intends to reduce other
41
The Global Controls:Tone
instruments or sounds from getting into the front of the
mic. A side effect of this that singing closely on a cardioid
mic adds more bass frequencies than your voice actually
has. This is called “proximity effect” because it is caused
by closeness to the mic. The adaptive Shape feature of
VoiceLive 2 listens continually to your voice through your
mic and adjusts to make your voice sound like it is
professionally produced and balanced.
Adding Highs
The other facet of the Shape feature is that it adds high
frequencies, also known as “air” or “presence” without
making your voice sound “tinny”. The vocal sounds we
hear on CDs and the radio are not typically what you
hear when you listen to a singer acoustically. Commercial
vocal sounds are more of a hyper-reality designed to
flatter the voice or voices and make them cut through a
group of instruments and thus make a larger impression
on the listener. The Shape feature, used at moderate
settings, emulates this sound through the average
microphone and PA system.
When making Shape adjustments, it’s important to sing
42
while listening to the PA system your audience will hear
rather than only judging by your monitor sound.
The COMPRESS Control
With the ADAPTIVE control activated, the COMPRESS
control reduces the amount of range between louder
and softer singing to produce more even-sounding
vocals. It does so by listening to your singing over time
(less than 30 seconds) and adjusting accordingly.
Typical compressors require multiple controls,
knowledge and experience, and time spent testing and
refining over a performance.With TC-Helicon’s Adaptive
Compress feature, these are not required.
The factory setting of 50% strikes a good balance
between moderating dynamics in your singing without
incurring feedback, a side effect of compression used in
a live mic setting. If you have a high quality monitoring/PA
setup with a flat frequency response and you want more
compression, by all means add more with the
COMPRESS control. Be aware though, that average
quality systems have frequency peaks that may cause
The Global Controls:Tone
feedback with lots of compression combined with
Adaptive Shape EQ.
o
Note that, in order for the Adaptive Compression
feature to work properly. you must have your mic
gain set properly either with by using auto MIC
GAIN or by setting it manually.
following to your dynamics:
“I LOVE to watch you WALK down the STREET”
Applied appropriately, the difference between loud and
soft is reduced without killing the interesting dynamics in
your performance.
Compression: A Primer
The DE-ESS Control
You may not notice this effect as easily as with Shape. It
can be quite subtle until you educate your ears to
compression. Following is a very brief description.
There is a side effect that comes from adding high
frequencies and compression to your voice, and that’s
excessive sibilance. Sibilance can be described as the
brief whistle that accompanies “S”, “T” and “D” syllables
in your vocal performance. Again, when singing
acoustically, there is no issue with these sounds. It’s when
you amplify and combine with boosted highs and
compression that they can become piercing.
We typically sing dynamically, like this (capitals are used
to show louder dynamics):
“I
LOVE
to watch you WALK down the STREET”
At acoustic singing levels with no, or very quiet
instrumentation, this would sound fine. When amplified
however, the loud words become strident and even
worse, quiet words can be lost in the instrument sounds.
The louder the PA and band the more pronounced the
loud parts become. Compression seeks to do the
VoiceLive 2’s DE-ESS control monitors the level of
sibilance and, when it is detected, will quickly and
transparently reduce it. Typically, it’s only briefly required
and it then gets out of the way allowing the silky
43
The Global Controls:Tone
brightness to remain on the voiced portion of your
singing.
aren’t singing, the gate will close and block sounds
around you.
There is only the single DE-ESS control; no other manual
adjustment settings are required. The factory setting of
50% gently reduces sibilance without becoming obvious.
Higher settings of compression and Shape or a bright,
sibilant voice may require a higher setting.
The Adaptive Gate in VoiceLive 2 works automatically
with your singing style to provide the optimum balance
between how loud you have to sing to open the gate
and how much other noises are reduced.
The GATE Control
When set to the factory default of ADAPTIVE, the
GATE control on the Tone Edit screen helps in two very
important ways by:
1. Minimizing feedback
2. Reducing the amount of audible effects processing
on sounds entering the mic other than your voice.
A typical, fixed gate works by shutting off, or reducing the
level of any signal below a threshold that you set. When
you sing louder than that threshold, the gate will open
and your vocal will come through the PA. When you
44
For troublesome audio environments, or for those who
are familiar with setting manual gate parameters, there is
also a MANUAL setting on this page. Further controls
for the Gate are on the GATE Tab discussed on pg. 48.
The EQ Tab
From the TONE tab, you can access the EQ tab by
pressing the right Navigate button. The EQ tab will be
highlighted and you will see either the ADAPTIVE,
SHAPE, and WARMTH controls when ADAPTIVE is On
or parametric EQ controls when ADAPTIVE is Off.
EQ Tab With ADAPTIVE On
When the ADAPTIVE control is set to ON (the factory
The Global Controls:Tone
default), most of the adjustment is done automatically so
fewer controls are required.These are:
ADAPTIVE ON/OFF
SHAPE AMOUNT
WARMTH ON/OFF
ADAPTIVE ON/OFF
This activates the automatic EQ algorithm and changes
the control set for the EQ tab. When set to ON, this
places an X in the ADAPTIVE check box in the TONE
tab and allows editing of the SHAPE control in that tab.
When set to OFF, this presents the manual parametric
EQ controls, and removes the check in the ADAPTIVE
box on the TONE tab.
SHAPE AMOUNT
This is a duplicate of the SHAPE control found on the
TONE tab discussed previously.
WARMTH ON/OFF
This control returns a narrow band of low frequencies
for singers who prefer this sound. The majority of the
“mud“ frequencies are still reduced automatically when
using this control.
EQ Tab With ADAPTIVE Off
Turning ADAPTIVE off presents manual parametric EQ
controls for users who understand this type of
equalization.There are 3 bands of control:
Low band shelving
All band fully parametric peak/dip control
High band shelving
The 2 “Shelving” EQs boost or cut all frequencies below
or above the the frequencies set by the LOW FREQ and
HIGH FREQ controls respectively. These are most like
the common Bass and Treble controls on a stereo
system.
The “Parametric” EQ boosts or cuts the frequencies
within a selected band that is defined by a center
frequency (PARA FREQ) and a width control (PARA
45
The Global Controls:Tone
WIDTH). For vocals, the gain of a narrow parametric
band is typically reduced to overcome room or voice
resonances and smooth the sound although
experienced users may boost a band felt to be missing
in a particular voice as well.
The 3 GAIN controls allow +/- 12 dB of adjustment.The
3 FREQ controls range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
LOW GAIN
Boosts or cuts the range of frequencies below the
frequency set by the LOW FREQ control.
LOW FREQ
Allows you to define the frequency range for the low
shelf by choosing the highest frequency below which
boosting or cutting is possible.
HIGH GAIN
Boosts or cuts the range of frequencies above the
frequency set by the LOW FREQ control.
HIGH FREQ
Defines the frequency range for the high shelf with the
46
selection of the lowest frequency above which boosting
or cutting is possible.
PARA GAIN
Boosts or cuts the band of frequencies centered at the
setting of the PARA FREQ control and its associated
WIDTH.
PARA FREQ
Defines the center of the parametric band.
PARA WIDTH
Defines how narrow or wide the parametric band is to
be. The ends of the control range are labelled
“NARROW” and “WIDE” to add meaning to the
numbers in the middle of the control range.
The COMPRESS Tab
The controls on this tab change depending on the status
of the ADAPTIVE setting in the same way as the EQ tab.
Compression concepts are discussed earlier.
The Global Controls:Tone
The ADAPTIVE Compression algorithm performs
automatic processing which reduces the amount of
adjustable parameters. As such, once ADAPTIVE is
enabled, the only control is COMPRESS.
dB: 0 dB being the loudest input signal VoiceLive 2 can
accept without distortion and -30 dB being a very quiet
signal. If you sing consistently more quietly than the
THRESHOLD, you will not hear any compression. You
can see your input level on the IN meter on the Home
screen. A good setting for experimentation is -10 dB.
COMPRESS
RATIO
COMPRESS Tab With ADAPTIVE ON
This allows you to vary the amount of peak reduction by
the ADAPTIVE compression algorithm.The factory value
is 50% but you can increase or decrease as you require.
COMPRESS Tab With ADAPTIVE OFF
This sets how much gain reduction you prefer when
your voice level goes above the threshold. The range is
from 1:1 (no gain reduction) to 4:1 (maximum vocal gain
reduction ).The default setting for RATIO is 4:1.
THRESHOLD
The number on the left side of the : (colon) symbol is
how loud the peaks in your singing have to be in order
to achieve a 1 dB gain increase. A brief example of how
adjusting the ratio of compressor works is this: say a
word you sang went 4 dB over the threshold when the
Ratio was set to 4:1.The compressor would only allow it
to go 1 dB louder.
This sets the singing level at and above which the
amount of gain reduction (compression) specified by
the RATIO control will occur. The range is 0 dB to -30
Note that the RATIO control has to be set above 1.0
(1.0:1) to apply any compression regardless of the
Turning off ADAPTIVE compression switches
compression to manual control. Be sure to reduce the
level of your PA or switch to headphones when adjusting
the manual compressor because high settings can cause
more gain and thus feedback.
47
The Global Controls:Tone
setting of the THRESHOLD.
LEAD ATTEN
Also note that automatic makeup gain occurs depending
on your combination of THRESHOLD and RATIO. A
side effect of compression is that it can reduce apparent
level until makeup gain is applied to raise the overall
level.
This controls how much your lead voice level is reduced
(attenuated) when your voice falls below the Gate
threshold and the Gate closes. This setting applies
whether the GATE is set to ADAPTIVE or MANUAL.
The factory default setting of -3 dB (a reduction of 3 dB)
is gentle enough that if your voice strays below the
threshold, it is not cut off completely. If you are in a
feedback-prone environment (loud monitors plus Shape
and Compress on) you can increase this to reduce
more. A setting of 0 dB offers no gain reduction on your
lead voice at all. Settings of -30 to OFF effectively mute
your voice when the Gate is on.
The GATE Tab
If your musical accompaniment is loud or you hear
feedback, the GATE tab will enable you to make
adjustments.
GATE
This sets the Gate type. The factory default is
ADAPTIVE, which performs automatic level assessment
for the average musical setting.You can also turn the gate
to OFF with good results if you are in a quiet, low
volume musical environment. This can be set to
MANUAL if you have more challenging requirements.
When the GATE is set to MANUAL, an additional
parameter,THRESHOLD, is displayed.
48
HARM ATTEN
This sets the amount of attenuation for the Harmony
and Doubling voices when the Gate closes.They have a
separate attenuation setting to reduce chatter caused by
instrument sounds entering the mic and being
harmonized when you aren’t singing .The factory default
attenuation amount of -10 dB should work well in many
situations, but you can further reduce the level if you still
The Global Controls:Tone
hear harmonized instrumental chattering when you stop
singing.
THRESHOLD (MANUAL Gate Only)
This parameter becomes visible when the GATE has
been switched to MANUAL. The THRESHOLD defines
the minimum singing level you need to reach in order for
the Gate to open and let your voice sound.The factory
default setting of -40 dB is very sensitive to allow a wide
range of singing levels but it may also allow more nearby
instrumental sounds through when you are not singing.
In this case, further adjustment from -39 dB and upward
may be needed.
49
The Global Controls: Pitch
The Pitch Button
Pressing the Pitch button activates auto chromatic pitch
correction. For most applications, this is all that is
required to set this feature.There is no need to set Key
or Scale; all notes that you sing in the 12 tone western
chromatic scale are corrected to the nearest scale tone.
This type of vocal pitch correction is quite subtle at its
factory setting of 50% but even the most highly skilled
and on-pitch singers will hear a slight chorusing from the
PA or monitors with it engaged.
Press and hold the Pitch button to access the PITCH tab
and adjust the single parameter for this feature. Once
you see this tab, the Pitch button can be cycled on and
off to allow you to hear the difference. Press the Home
button to exit the Pitch edit tab.
AUTO-CHROMATIC AMOUNT
The factory default value of 50% is active when you
enter the PITCH edit tab. Turning the control towards
0% reduces the correction effect and turning towards
50
100% increases. Above 50% the effect becomes more
noticeable when you slide from note to note.This is the
effect of faster transition speed between your input note
and the closest scale tone as well as the fact that the
algorithm is trying to pull you closer to the target.
For those singers who want to use or experiment with
scale-based pitch correction and perhaps even the
jagged, modern HardTune effects, there are presets set
up specifically for this that can be found by pressing the
Wizard button and choosing CORRECT or
HARDTUNE as the Tag.
The Global Controls: Guitar FX
The Guitar FX Button
GUITAR Tab
For those guitar players who mix their guitar through
VoiceLive 2’s outputs by not connecting to an external
mixer or amp via the GUITAR THRU jack, the effect
processors enabled with the Guitar FX button yield
added sonic depth and clarity.
This tab allows you to control the guitar mix level and
the style and mix settings for the Reverb and Mod
effects.
Pressing the Guitar FX button will apply default settings
for the Reverb, Mod, EQ and Compress processors to
your guitar. Press and hold the Guitar FX button to see
the edit tabs for these processors. Any time these menus
are displayed, you can cycle the GUITAR FX button to
compare your effect edits with dry guitar sound.
The Guitar FX do not change with VoiceLive 2 preset
selection. The choices you make for effect styles should
be useful across all of your repertoire.You can, however,
use MIDI CC messages from a MIDI sequencer or MIDI
pedalboard to make changes during your performance.
See the MIDI Implementation chart for the CC
numbers.
GUITAR
This is the same Guitar mix control as the one that is
activated when you twist the 3rd knob and access the
main Mix screen.You can adjust the level of the guitar in
VoiceLive 2’s overall mix in either menu.The range of this
control is -30 dB to +24 dB in order to adapt to a wide
range of guitar output levels.
Note that this is not effect guitar input sensitivity when
a jack is connected to the GUITAR THRU connector and
the guitar signal is passed on to an external amplifier.
REVERB STYLE
The Reverb processor accurately simulates acoustic
spaces around your guitar. This is an entirely separate
processor from the one used for the vocal processing. It
51
The Global Controls: Guitar FX
does, however, offer the same style selection but with no
Style editing.
Use the Data Wheel to scroll down to this row and turn
the Mix/Edit control beneath the parameter to audition
the Reverb styles. There are 30 styles to choose from
covering everything from tight ambience to giant arenas.
The factory default style is called SMOOTH PLATE.
REVERB LEVEL
UMOD LEVEL
Turn the Mix/Edit knob below this parameter to raise or
lower the amount of Mod effect on your guitar. The
factory default mix level is -12 dB.
The EQ Tab
Use the Navigate arrows to tab over to the EQ tab from
the GUITAR tab. Here you will find a 3 band EQ
featuring:
Turn the Mix/Edit knob below this parameter to raise
and lower the amount of Reverb on your guitar from the
factory default of -30 dB.
Low band shelving
UMOD STYLE
High band shelving
Scroll down to this row and use the Mix/Edit knob to
change Mod (Micromod) style for the guitar. As with
Reverb, this effect processor is entirely separate from the
vocal Mod processor while offering the same style
selection. No Mod style editing is possible for guitar.
The factory default style, MICROMOD CLONE offers a
gentle stereo detune effect.
52
All band fully parametric peak/dip control
The 2 “Shelving” EQs boost or cut all frequencies below
or above the the frequencies set by the LOW FREQ and
HIGH FREQ controls respectively. These are most like
the common Bass and Treble controls on a stereo
system.
The “Parametric” EQ boosts or cuts the frequencies
within a selected band that is defined by a center
The Global Controls: Guitar FX
frequency (PARA FREQ) and a width control (PARA
WIDTH). Usually, the gain of a narrow parametric band
is typically reduced to overcome room or undesirable
guitar resonances.This smoothes the sound and can help
overcome guitar feedback.
The 3 GAIN controls allow +/- 12 dB of adjustment.The
3 FREQ controls range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
LOW GAIN
Boosts or cuts the range of frequencies below the
frequency set by the LOW FREQ control.
LOW FREQ(uency)
Allows you to define the frequency range for the low
shelf by choosing the highest frequency below which
boosting or cutting is possible.
HIGH GAIN
Boosts or cuts the range of frequencies above the
frequency set by the LOW FREQ control.
HIGH FREQ
selection of the lowest frequency above which boosting
or cutting is possible.
PARA GAIN
Boosts or cuts the band of frequencies centered at the
setting of the PARA FREQ control and its associated
WIDTH.
PARA FREQ
Defines the center of the parametric band.
PARA WIDTH
Defines how narrow or wide the parametric band is to
be. The ends of the control range are labelled
“NARROW” and “WIDE” to add meaning to the
numbers in the middle of the control range.
The COMPRESS Tab
Use the Navigate arrows to tab over to the COMPRESS
tab from the EQ tab. Here you will find controls for the
guitar compressor. The default settings offer very gentle
compression of peaks.
Defines the frequency range for the high shelf with the
53
The Global Controls: Guitar FX
THRESHOLD
This sets the level at and above which the amount of
gain reduction (compression) specified by the RATIO
control will occur. The range is 0 dB (not compressing
any peaks) to -60 dB (compressing everything you play)
with the default being -6 dB.
RATIO
This sets how much gain reduction you want when your
guitar level goes above the threshold. The range is from
1:1 (no gain reduction) to 64:1 (complete flattening of
peaks - also known as limiting). The number on the left
side of the : (colon) symbol is how loud your guitar has
to be in order to achieve a 1 dB gain increase. The
default setting is 1.8:1.
Note that the RATIO control has to be set above 1.0
(1.0:1) to apply any compression regardless of the
setting of the THRESHOLD.
54
Also note that automatic makeup gain occurs depending
on your combination of THRESHOLD and RATIO. A
side effect of compression is that it can reduce apparent
level until makeup gain is applied to raise the overall
level.
The Edit Menu
Overview
To exit the Edit menu, press Home.
Basic editing, menu navigation and concepts are briefly
discussed on page 23. This Edit Menu section discusses
the actual parameters in detail for those that want to go
beyond merely loading a new style in order to make
changes to their sound.
Saving Changes
Navigation
Press the Edit button to access the editing menus and
make changes to the current preset.This will present the
7 edit tabs. Press the right and left Navigate arrow
buttons to cycle right and left through the tabs shown at
the top of the screen. Each tab represents an effect
footswitch with an additional tab for overall preset
settings.
You can quickly store at the current preset location from
within the Edit menu by pressing the Store button twice.
If you’re finished editing, press Home to exit the Edit
menu.
You can rename the preset and store to another
location by pressing Store once and changing the values
at the bottom of the Store menu. When you’ve edited
the name and found a new place to store your edited
preset, press Store again.
To cancel a Store operation from within the Store tab,
press Home or Edit.
Turn the Mix/Edit knobs to change the setting of the
parameter directly above that is within the highlighted
row. Up to 3 rows are visible per screen with additional
rows accessible by turning the Data Wheel. A vertical
scroll bar at the right of the screen shows where you
currently are in the menu.
55
The Edit Menu:
MOD Tab
DETUNE LEFT / DETUNE RIGHT
Overview
Mod is short for micro-modulation (" " is the scientific
symbol for micro).The Mod effect is capable of creating
many different sounds that range from subtle but lush
thickening to creatively destructive. It uses a combination
of stereo pitch shifting (Detune), small amounts of
stereo delay (Delay), and then a complex path of
filtering, feedback, and modulation. Mod does a faithful
job of emulating classic detune, chorus, flange and
thickening sounds.
STYLE
Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter to choose
a pre-programmed Mod style you like.
LEVEL
Sets the mix level for the
Mod effect.
WIDTH
Normally, the output of the Mod effect is panned hard
left and right. This parameter sets the stereo imaging of
the Mod effect to mono (0%) and stereo (100%).
56
Applies a small amount of pitch shift to the left or right
sides independently. This setting is shown in cents and
the maximum is +/- 25 cents.
SPEED
This setting sets how fast the delay time modulation
occurs. In order for this to be audible, the depth amount
parameter has to be nonzero.The setting range is 10.00
Hz (very fast) to .05 Hz (very slow).
DEPTH-L / DEPTH-R
These set the amount of modulation of the delay time
for the left and right delays. If one delay is set to 10mS,
for example, a setting of 50% will vary the delay time
between 15mS and 5mS at the rate set by the SPEED
parameter.
OUT PHASE
The OUT PHASE setting puts the output of the left and
right sides of the Mod effect out of phase to create
more 3D sound space around the effect. Note that this
may potentially limit the effect's ability to collapse to
The Edit Menu:
MOD Tab
mono. LEFT puts the left side out of phase with the right
which is normal phase and vice versa for the RIGHT
value. BOTH puts both sides out of phase with their
respective sides’ correct phase while remaining in phase
with each other.
WAVE
DLY L / DLY R
These send feedback from the left or right delay to the
opposite side delay line. Cross feedback returns the
delayed audio to the opposite side's delay line. This can
produce interesting stereo effects.
Sets the left and right delay times. Up to 50 ms of delay
is available on the left and right delay lines to create
effects from flange to slapback.
FEEDBACK L / FEEDBACK R
Re-introduces a portion of the audio output signal of the
Mod block back to the input to create flanges, tube and
chorus effects.Values above 90 add a high amount of
gain and cause distortion and higher audio levels.
PHASE
This defines the modulation phase which is the phase
relationship between the left and right modulation LFOs
(oscillators). In a flange style, for example, setting this to
0 degrees puts all of the effect in the center while setting
it to 180 degrees pulls the effect far into the stereo field.
This lets you choose the modulation waveform from
Square,Triangle or Sine to vary the periodic nature of
the modulation effect.
XFL L / XFL R
LOWCUT L / LOWCUT R
HICUT L / HICUT R
These steep highpass (LOWCUT) and low pass
(HIGHCUT) filters control the bandwidth of the Mod
feedback paths.These are very useful for tailoring Flange
effects.
LEAD TO UMOD
Sets the amount of lead voice sent into the
Mod block.
HARM TO UMOD
57
The Edit Menu:
MOD Tab
Sets the amount of harmony level sent into the Mod
block. The HARMONY footswitch must be on to feed
this send.
LEAD MUTE
When set to ON, your lead voice will be muted when
the Mod effect is turned on. This allows for 100% wet
Mod effects. Any active effect that has LEAD MUTE set
to ON will mute the lead voice in the entire effect chain,
even if the other effects have it set to OFF.
Note that the LEAD EFFECT SENDS parameter on the
PRESET tab must be set to PRE in order for any signal
to get to the Mod block when LEAD MUTE is set to
ON.
58
The Edit Menu: DELAY Tab
Overview
The delay effect is a configurable echo. You can control
how far apart the echoes occur (Delay Time), and
whether the echoes fade out quickly or slowly or build
on themselves. In addition, there are filtering and stereo
controls that allow you to create many popular delay
sounds. Delays can be typically be categorized into the
two listed categories below:
STYLE
Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter to choose
a pre-programmed delay style you like.
LEVEL
Sets the mix level for the delay effect.
WIDTH
Short Delays:
The 2 delay lines are panned hard left and right. This
allows you to determine the stereo imaging of the delay
effect. 0% is mono, 100% is fully stereo.
o
Initial reflections
SOURCE
o
Slaps
Determines which of the three methods you want to
use to set delay times.These include:
Long Delays (max stereo delay is 2500 ms or 2.5 sec.)
o
Mono taps
o
Stereo taps
o
Syncopated taps
o
Ping-pongs (delays travelling from left to right)
TIME:This allows you to set the exact delay time for the
left and right delay lines manually with the TIME L and
TIME R controls.
TAP:This allows you to tap the SHORTCUT footswitch
when it is assigned to TEMPO in the PRESET tab.
59
The Edit Menu: DELAY Tab
MIDI: The unit can be set to derive its delay times from
incoming MIDI clock signal.
quarter notes) or syncopated sub-beats (e.g. 1/4 triplets,
1/4 dotted notes) for the left and right delays.
TEMPO
TIME L / TIME R
This is where you can manually set the tempo in beats
per minute (bpm) that is used to derive delay times for
both the left and right delay lines. The bpm value of the
TEMPO parameter is only applied to the delay times
when TAP or MIDI is set as the source.
These parameters are used to display the exact delay
time and to allow editing with all SOURCE settings.You
may set from 0 to 2500ms (2.5 seconds) of delay for the
left and right delay lines.
DUCKING
Re-introduces a portion of the audio output signal of the
Delay block back to the input to add echo repeats.
When DUCKING is set to ON, the delay output will be
reduced while you are singing. At the end of a sung
phrase, the delay effects return to the level you set.This
can increase the clarity of your vocals while still sounding
very “wet”. The amount of attenuation and attack time
for the ducking to engage are set with the DUCKING
AMOUNT and DUCKING TIME parameters further
down in this menu.
FEEDBACK L / FEEDBACK R
XFL R TO L / XFL L TO R
These send cross feedback from the left and right delay
lines (XFL L) and from right to left (XFR L). Cross
feedback returns the delayed audio to the opposite
side's delay line for ping pong type effects.
DIV L / DIV R
LOCUT L / LOCUT R
HICUT L / HICUT R
When the source is set to TAP or MIDI, these
parameters divide the tempo into even (e.g. 1/4 or
These steep highpass (LOWCUT) and low pass
(HIGHCUT) filters control the bandwidth of the delays.
60
The Edit Menu: DELAY Tab
Applying these filters to the delays can create the feeling
of space while not obscuring the main vocal signal.
output of the Mod block. The
be on to feed this send.
DUCKING AMOUNT
LEAD MUTE
This sets how much attenuation (gain reduction) is
applied to the delayed signal when a vocal is present. For
ducking to not be too obvious, a slight reduction of -6
dB is best.The DUCKING parameter must be set to ON
for this to have any effect.
When set to ON, your lead voice will be muted when
the Delay effect is turned on. This allows for 100% wet
delay effects. Any active effect that has LEAD MUTE set
to ON will mute the lead voice in the entire effect chain,
even if the other effects have it set to OFF.
DUCKING TIME
Note that the LEAD EFFECT SENDS parameter on the
PRESET tab must be set to PRE in order for any signal
to get to the Delay block when LEAD MUTE is set to
ON.
Ducking time sets how long it takes to ramp up the delay
level at the end of vocal phrases.
LEAD TO DLY
Mod footswitch must
Sets the amount of lead voice sent into the Delay block.
HARM TO DLY
Sets the amount of harmony level sent into the Delay
block. The HARMONY footswitch must be on to feed
this send.
UMOD TO DLY
This allows you to feed the delay block with the effected
61
The Edit Menu: REVERB Tab
Overview
Reverb is the arguably the most common vocal effect. It
can add a spaciousness that softens the abrupt
beginnings and endings of lyric phrases. Many reverb
types are meant to imitate the natural sound of spaces
like churches, clubs and halls but not all. Some reverb
effects are recreations of electro-mechanical effects
meant to imitate real spaces like plates and springs.
Reverbs are made up of early reflections and the longer
reverberant sounds known as the tails.There are usually
controls to control the balance of room level and tail.
Additionally, a small delay can be added between the dry
voice and the reverb signal that adds clarity by briefly
separating the dry voice from its reverb. By far the most
important control for reverb is the level. A single reverb
patch can have a different result for the audience
whether it is mixed quietly or boldly in the mix.
STYLE
Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter to choose
a pre-programmed reverb style you like.
62
LEVEL
Sets the mix level for the Reverb effect.
WIDTH
Sets the stereo imaging of the Reverb effect. 0% is mono,
100% is fully stereo.
DECAY
Sets the length of the reverb tail from 10mS to 20
seconds. Note that, due to the complex nature of
Reverb algorithms, a decay time of 4 seconds may sound
quiet different from one style to the next, even when the
rest of the settings are identical.
LO COLOR / HI COLOR
These are preset-frequency filters inserted into the
Reverb feedback path that tailor the low and high
frequency response and decay of the tails.Values toward
-50 will cut response in its respective band and a values
toward 50 increase response.
The Edit Menu: REVERB Tab
HI FACTOR
DIFFUSE
This allows you to raise or lower the level of the high
band of the Reverb tail independently.
Also known as Diffusion, this is a very subtle parameter
used to simulate and control the density of the
reflections inherent in real acoustic spaces. Low DIFFUSE
values (-25 to 0) are intended to introduce more
discrete echo-like motion to the tail where high values
(0 to 25) make the tail smoother-sounding.
EARLY REFLECTIONS / TAIL LEVEL
These parameters allow you to attain the right balance
between reflections you would hear from close surfaces
(EARLY REFLECTIONS) with those from surfaces
further away (TAIL LEVEL). The settings for the early
reflections in each style are slightly different but noneditable.
DUCKING
When DUCKING is set to ON, the Reverb block’s
output will be reduced while you are singing. At the end
of a sung phrase, the effects return to the level you set,
increasing the clarity of your vocals while still sounding
very “wet”. The amount of attenuation and attack time
for ducking are set with the DUCKING AMOUNT and
DUCKING TIME parameters further down in this menu.
PRE DLY
Pre Delay introduces a short (up to 100 ms) delay
between the dry audio signal and the onset of reverb to
help simulate larger spaces and to provide audio
separation between the dry signal and the reverb effect.
SPEED
This controls the rate of pitch modulation set by the
DEPTH parameter.This modulation adds complexity and
slight chorusing between the reverb tail and the input
voice.The values range from -25 to 25.
DEPTH
This controls the amount of pitch modulation applied to
the reverb tail.The values range from -25 to 25.
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The Edit Menu: REVERB Tab
DUCKING AMOUNT
LEAD MUTE
This sets how much attenuation (gain reduction) is
applied to the reverb signal when a vocal is present. For
ducking to not be too obvious, a slight reduction of -6
is best.The DUCKING parameter must be set to ON for
this to have any effect.
When set to ON, your lead voice will be muted when
the Reverb effect is turned on.This allows for 100% wet
reverb effects. Any active effect that has LEAD MUTE set
to ON will mute the lead voice in the entire effect chain,
even if the other effects have it set to OFF.
DUCKING TIME
Note that the LEAD EFFECT SENDS parameter on the
PRESET tab must be set to PRE in order for any signal
to get to the Reverb block when LEAD MUTE is set to
ON.
Ducking time sets how long it takes to ramp up the
reverb level at the end of vocal phrases.
LEAD to REV
Sets the amount of lead level sent into the Reverb block.
HARM to REV
Sets the amount of harmony level sent into the Reverb
block. Harmonies must be on to feed this send.
DEL to REV
This allows you to feed the reverb block with the
effected output of the delay block. The DELAY
footswitch must be on to feed this send.
64
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
Overview
The Harmony block in VoiceLive 2 produces up to 8
harmony voices and is the home of the Choir effect.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The parameters available on the
HARMONY Tab and their organization differs depending
on the value of the NATURALPLAY parameter at the
bottom of the tab. This section begins by describing the
most common NATURALPLAY harmony mode: AUTO
INPUT SENSE. Following the parameter descriptions for
AUTO INPUT SENSE, exceptions and differences for
the other NATURALPLAY modes are listed.
STYLE
Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter to choose
a Harmony style you like. Styles configure useful settings
to pre-programmed values to allow you to make
changes quickly. The selection of styles will change
depending on the setting of the NATURALPLAY
parameter.
LEVEL
Sets the level for the overall Harmony effect in the
current preset.
V1 to V4 VOICING
Here you set the pitch shift intervals of voices 1 through
4 relative to your input pitch. The names of the intervals
change depending on NATURALPLAY mode. In the two
MIDI NOTES modes, the VOICING parameters
disappear entirely. The options start at the lowest
harmony interval and go the highest.
V1 to V4 LEVEL
The four knobs control the relative volume of each
voice.This is also where voices are turned on an off.The
range of values goes from Off to 0 dB (Full).Typically all
voices are set at the same level unless you want to
highlight or minimize a particular voicing interval.
V1 to V4 GENDER
Each voice has its own timbre adjustment in the form of
the GENDER control. Values below 0 lend each voice a
65
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
more masculine and deeper effect and values above 0
lend a more feminine or thinner effect.
V1 to V4 PAN
Each voice may have a unique pan position. There are
100 possible steps in each of the left and right pan
positions. Note that the Setup parameter: OUTPUT
must be set to STEREO in order to hear the panning
effect.
DOUBLING and DBL LEVEL
This can thicken the sound of your harmony voices by
engaging a doubled version of each voice. The doubled
voices are lightly humanized with modifications of the
current HUMANIZE STYLE values in order to produce
a doubled voice effect rather than simply adding level.
When the value of either the HUMANIZE STYLE or
AMOUNT is Off or 0 respectively, the doubled harmony
voices are still slightly humanized. The level of the
doubling voice is dependent on the level of each
harmony voice, then by the overall doubling level
parameter; DBL LEVEL.
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CHOIR, CHOIR LEV and CHOIR STYLE
The Choir effect strives to emulate the detuning, timing
and chorusing that occurs when human voices sing
together in choral performances and recordings. The
Choir effect is applied to the Harmony voices and the
Harmony Doubling and Double voices if they are active.
CHOIR ON/OFF activates the style and level set by the
CHOIR STYLE and CHOIR LEV parameters
respectively.To create a convincing choir performance, it
helps to sing legato (sustained) phrases as opposed to
staccato or melismatic riffs.
HUMANIZE STYLE
The term "humanize" simply means the application of
processes designed to increase realism. All harmony
modes usually benefit from careful application of
humanization styles that make each harmony voice
respond with small pitch and timing variations different
from your voice. Each Humanize Style configures each of
the four voices differently; Voice 1 has slightly different
parameter values than say Voice 4 in the same style but
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
all four voices will work together to produce a useful
overall effect.
The various Humanization styles consist of various
amounts of the following modifiers:
random waveform that simulates the way different
singers change note volumes as they sing.
HUMANIZE AMOUNT
o
Onset pitch events - This is also known as
"scooping" which adds a generated pitch trajectory
for each new note that is different than the sung
note.
You can vary the amount of humanization for the
harmony voices. All the styles except for the last one:
TIME & PITCH were designed at middle values to allow
you to add or remove effects as you see fit. TIME &
PITCH was designed so you can create wild special
effects as you experiment with high values.
o
Pitch modulation - a random wave generator
wobbles the pitch in non-periodic ways to simulate
even the finest singers' pitch variation.
VIBRATO STYLE
o
Timing delay and modulation - Singers are unable
to start notes at the same time with the exactness
of a machine so this algorithm applies slight delays
to the onset of notes and then adds modulated
time variation to sustained portions of notes.
o
Level (volume) modulation - This effect is like a
subtle tremolo with a non-periodic or semi
Vibrato assists in providing separation between your dry
singing voice and the harmonies as well as to add some
movement to the rigid pitch contour in MIDI NOTES
mode harmony. Even the smallest amount of vibrato
applied to your harmony voices can achieve this. Like the
HUMANIZE effects, each voice is treated slightly
differently by the VIBRATO algorithm so the voices don’t
all sound exactly the same.There are 7 styles available in
progressively more intensity as you browse down the
list.
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The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
VIBRATO AMOUNT
You can vary the amount of vibrato intensity for the
overall style with this parameter. All the styles were
designed to be useful at middle values but you can add
or remove vibrato as you like.
V1 to V4 PORTA
Each voice has its own Portamento time. Portamento is
a delayed response to the pitch movement of your
singing voice. It is also referred to as "Glide" in
synthesizers. The range of values equals approximately
how long the upwards or downwards slide will take to
reach each new note. Setting each voice to different
values greatly assists the illusion of other singers singing
with you.
V1 to V4 SMOOTHING
At low values, Smoothing acts like pitch correction for
the harmony voices. With the voices corrected like this,
some Portamento is usually required to help soften note
to note transitions unless a robot-like effect is desired.
Higher values offer progressively less correction. Like
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Portamento, setting each voice with a unique value of
the Smoothing parameter helps the harmonies sound
more natural. When NATURALPLAY is set to MIDI
NOTES, high values of smoothing will sound out of tune.
GUITAR CHORDS
This parameter changes the harmony note response to
DOM7 guitar chords only. At the default setting;
ACCEPT DOM7, whenever you play a dominant 7th
chord and the combination of your singing note and
harmony voicing is set to produce a 7th harmony, you’ll
hear the 7th.
In a song composed largely of DOM7 chords, it’s not
that easy to sing a melody composed of all of the 7ths
and thus, many harmony singers move to the chord root
instead. Broadly speaking, this is also a difference
between a “Pop” sounding harmony and a more “Bluesy”
harmony sound.This is what the IGNORE DOM7 setting
does. A good song to play and sing to check out the
difference is “Michelle” by the Beatles.
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
HOLD REL
Hold Rel (Hold Release) varies the amount of time it
takes for any notes held with the Hold feature to decay.
This makes for a more natural release. Note that no new
harmony notes will sound until the time you set with this
parameter has elapsed.
TUNING
The Tuning parameter allows you to affect tiny pitch
adjustments to your harmony intervals to achieve Equal,
Just or Barbershop tuning. Each preset can have a
different value for TUNING.
Equal tuning is the “compromised” tuning standard that
instruments such as guitar and keyboards are designed
to produce.This tuning mode allows you to play and sing
in any key without completely retuning your instrument
for every chord. When your harmonies are set to this
mode, the harmony notes produced by VoiceLive 2 will
sound exactly in tune with the Equal-tuned instruments
you use for accompaniment.
Just tuning is what is known as "perfect" intonation
between your lead voice and harmony intervals. This is
the tuning that occurs when singers sing a cappella, or
without instruments. The pitches of major and minor
thirds, fifth intervals and others are brought into exact
mathematical symmetry with your lead voice by
introducing very small pitch shifts to the harmonies
which overcomes the slight "beating" of harmonics that
occurs with Equal tuning mode. Because of this, however,
the harmony intervals may sound infinitesimally out of
tune with your instrument.
Barbershop has the same tuning offsets as Just tuning
mode with one difference. Barbershop tuning uses your
singing voice as the pitch reference where Just intonation
uses the root of the current chord played via MIDI.
HARMONY EQ
The Harmony EQ settings are separate from the Global
TONE control.This allows customizing of the EQ of the
Harmony and Double voices separately from the lead.
For a description of the EQ controls, see the Global
TONE parameter description when MANUAL is ON.
69
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
only to the GUITAR IN for musical input. In the
case where you have a MIDI sequencer and guitar
into VoiceLive 2, this will cause it to ignore the
MIDI input for harmony control.
LEAD MUTE
When set to ON, your lead voice will be muted when
the HARMONY effect is turned on.This allows for 100%
wet HARMONY effects.
NATURALPLAY
o
This parameter defines how VoiceLive 2 derives the
musical information that makes the harmony voices
follow your song. The most common value for this is
AUTO INPUT SENSE which automatically decides
which of the GUITAR IN, MIDI IN and AUX IN you are
currently playing into so it can derive musically correct
harmonies. Changing the value of this parameter changes
the number and organization of settings in the
HARMONY tab.The values are described below:
MIDI - This forces the current preset to look only
to the MIDI IN for musical input. In the case where
you have a MIDI sequencer and guitar into
VoiceLive 2, this will cause it to ignore the guitar
input.
o
AUX INPUT - Harmonies will ignore all but this
input if the other inputs are used simultaneously.
o
SCALE - Changes the preset to scale mode which
will ignore ongoing musical input from an
instrument in favour of the Key and Scale setting
you need to input. Scale harmonies are a great
alternative to instrument-controlled harmony for
certain songs.
o
SHIFT - Many doubling presets that also use the
Harmony block are based on this mode. SHIFT
allows you to pick pitch shift intervals that fall
o
o
AUTO INPUT SENSE - Most harmony presets are
based on this mode.This mode automatically
decides which of the GUITAR IN, MIDI IN and
AUX IN you are currently playing so it can derive
musically correct harmonies from that input.
GUITAR - This forces the current preset to look
70
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
outside of the standard “musical harmony”
definition and as such, require no musical input
from you.
o
o
MIDI NOTES - Allows you to specify exact
melodies and chords as harmony pitches from a
MIDI keyboard or sequencer. A MIDI note held
during a sung arpeggio will not move until the note
is changed. As well, a single, sustained input note
from you can have a moving harmony arpeggio by
playing it on a keyboard.This mode is for people
who want to arrange their harmony vocals exactly
and have keyboard playing skills. When set to
NOTES, the Harmony DOUBLING parameter
determines interesting layering of the 8 available
harmony voices.
MIDI NOTES 4 CHAN - This is the same as MIDI
NOTES mode with the difference that each of the
four harmony voices has its own MIDI channel.This
is best when you want the harmony voices to have
fixed pan positions and MIDI pitch bend
movement.
Non-NATURALPLAY Parameter
Changes
Below are descriptions of parameters that are different
when set to the NATURALPLAY modes other than
AUTO INPUT SENSE, GUITAR, MIDI and AUX INPUT
which are identical except for the input device. The
parameters that disappear are not listed. Note that each
of the following modes has it’s own unique Style
selection.
NATURALPLAY = SCALE Mode
KEY & SCALE
This parameter and the SET KEY shortcut (if assigned as
such) set a fixed key and scale that fits your music. A
custom scale can also be selected where the relationship
of each harmony voice to a given input note can be
defined by you. In the majority of presets, the default
custom scale is defined to give drone notes based on the
selected key.
71
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
V1 to V4 VOICING
The voicing alternatives change in SCALE mode and
they are displayed in scale degree terminology.They are
organized lowest to highest, relative to the input note.
MAP IN SOURCE / MAP IN NOTE
These allow to customize individual harmony note
intervals relative to your input note and create a custom
scale. A custom scale is not share-able with other presets
until the preset is copied to another location.
To customize a scale, pick a key and scale closest to what
you want for your song. Sing the note you upon which
you want the harmony interval to change (MAP IN
SOURCE set to SUNG) or select it with the MAP IN
NOTE parameter (MAP IN SOURCE set to MANUAL).
Now you can change the harmony interval with the
MAP IN NOTE parameter described below.
V1 to V4 MAP OUT
Sets the interval relationship between each of the four
harmony voices for the current input note and key and
scale settings.Typically, incrementing or decrementing any
72
active harmony voices can make a scale work over your
combination of melody and chord change.
NATURALPLAY = SHIFT Mode
V1 to V4 VOICING
The voicings for Shift mode have no musical intelligence
and as such will produce harmony a fixed, unmoving
interval away from your lead voice. You can select any
semitone interval from -24 semitones to +24 semitones.
They are organized lowest to highest, relative to the
input note.
NATURALPLAY = MIDI NOTES, MIDI
NOTES 4 CHAN Modes
DOUBLING
This changes from an ON/OFF parameter to a selection
of the number of voices you can control via MIDI.
o
OFF - No harmony voice doubling is possible but
you have access to 8 unique MIDI note intervals
upon which to build harmonies.
The Edit Menu: HARMONY Tab
o
ON (4 VOICES X2) - With this you can play up to
4 voices at once, but each voice can be doubled
for extra thickness.
o
UNISON - All 8 voices are triggered from a single
MIDI note.This is similar to a synthesizer mode of
the same name where you can layer all voices on
one note.
ATTACK / RELEASE
These settings are designed to introduce fade ins and
fade outs to the harmony voices. The Attack parameter
provides a gentle volume fade-in when you strike a MIDI
note during a sustained sung note. The Release
parameter adds a smooth fade-out if you release your
MIDI note as you continue to sing.The values range from
0 to 1000 milliseconds for the Attack and 0 to 2000 ms
for the Release.
harmony cut off where the singer might prefer to hold
the notes longer and this makes for a more singeroriented MIDI performance. The Notes Extension
setting allows a harmony voice that has been triggered in
Notes mode to continue sounding while the singer sings
a sustained note after the MIDI note has ceased.
NATURALPLAY = MIDI NOTES Mode
only
GENDER, PAN, PORTA, SMOOTH, and Voice
LEVEL
The ability to control voices individually is removed in
MIDI NOTES mode to simplify and reduce the number
of parameters required when 8 voices are active. In their
place are macro-type settings for the features listed
above. For individual control of 4 MIDI voices, you can
use MIDI 4 CHAN mode.
NOTES EXT
This feature is most useful when singing to a commercial
MIDI file that is controlling the harmony voices in
VoiceLive 2. Often the MIDI notes used to control
73
The Edit Menu: DOUBLE Tab
Overview
The Double effect uses the same type of Humanization
technology as in the Harmony effect to create up to four
overdubbed versions of your voice. The four voices are
set to unison intervals as opposed to the move-able
intervals available for the harmony voices. Unlike simple
detune or micro-shift techniques available with the
Mod effect, Double simulates the sound of a vocalist
overdubbing their vocal part multiple times. Many of the
edit parameters for the Doubling tab are the same as for
Harmony tab.
STYLE
Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter to choose
a pre-programmed Double style you like.This allows you
to quickly choose an effect close to what you want
instead of having to go directly into the individual
parameters each time.
LEVEL
Sets the level for the overall Double effect in the current
preset.
74
HUMANIZE STYLE
These apply small pitch and time variations to simulate
natural variation in human singing. For more information
see HUMANIZE STYLE in the HARMONY Tab section
preceeding.
HUMANIZE AMOUNT
Increases or decreases the amount of Humanize
variations to the Double voices only.
V1 to V4 PAN
Each voice may have a unique pan position. There are
100 possible steps in each of the left and right pan
positions.
V1 to V4 LEVEL
These settings control the volume of each of the voices
and are used to set the number of voices active for
Doubling. The range of values goes from Off to 0 dB
(Full).
The Edit Menu: DOUBLE Tab
V1 to V4 PORTA
LEAD MUTE
Each voice has its own Portamento time. Portamento is
a delayed response to the pitch movement of your
singing voice. It is also referred to as "Glide" in
synthesizers. The range of values equals approximately
how long the upwards or downwards slide will take to
reach each new note. Setting each voice to different
values greatly assists the illusion of other singers singing
with you.
When set to ON, the lead will be muted when the
DOUBLE effect is turned on. This allows for 100% wet
DOUBLE effects.
V1 to V4 SMOOTHING
At low values, Smoothing acts like pitch correction for
the harmony voices. With the voices corrected like this,
some Portamento is usually required to help soften note
to note transitions unless a robot-like effect is desired.
Higher values offer progressively less correction. Like
Portamento, setting each voice with a unique value of
the Smoothing parameter helps the harmonies sound
more natural.
75
The Edit Menu: FX Tab
Overview
o
OFF - No routing.
The FX tab contains the edit settings for a combination
of two effects:
o
LEAD - Transducer is inserted on the Lead voice
only. Harmonies and Doubling are unaffected.
o
o
HARMONY - Transducer is inserted on the
Harmony path only.
o
VOICES - Transducer is inserted on both the Lead,
Harmony and Doubling voices.
o
LEAD FX - Transducer is inserted on the Lead
send to the Mod, Delay and Reverb effect sends.
Lead voice will be clean and the effects will be
affected by the Transducer style.
o
HARM FX - transducer is inserted on the
HARMONY send to the effects. Lead and
Harmony voices will be clean but the effects driven
by only the Harmonies will be affected by the
Transducer style.
o
Transducer, which uses distortion and steep filters
to emulate the sound of radios, phones and devices
that generally degrade the audio signal.
HardTune, which is a pitch corrector that has been
optimized to produce corrective pitch correction
as well as obvious effects made popular by a
number of artists.
Both effects
independently.
can
be
used
simultaneously
or
TRANSDUCER
This parameter turns the Transducer effect on or off for
the current preset.
ROUTING:
Selects where the Transducer effect is inserted into the
signal path for maximum flexibility.The options are:
76
TRANSDUCER STYLE
Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter to choose
a Transducer style you like. The Routing and Gate
Threshold parameters are not part of the style.
The Edit Menu: FX Tab
LOW CUT and HIGH CUT
CUT, and PRESENCE to customize them.
Sets the cut-off frequency for these very steep low and
high shelving filters. TIP: these and the PRESENCE filters
can be used without Distortion effects to apply more
radical EQ to your presets.
The AMOUNT parameter adjusts the amount of
distortion for the current distortion style.This is not the
same as the IN and OUT GAIN controls which work on
level adjustjment.The Distortion Amount control adjusts
the algorithmic distortion curve that you can further
trim with the TRANSDUCER IN GAIN and
TRANSDUCER OUT GAIN controls.
GATE THRESHOLD
A gate, separate from the main Gate under the Tone
button is used to help prevent feedback when using the
Transducer with heavy distortion or presence filtering
that can introduce feedback in a live environment. This
parameter sets how loud you must sing in order to open
the gate.
DISTORTION TYPE and DISTORTION
AMOUNT
These are pre-configured distortion styles that range
from Overdrive through Saturation and Distortion and
finally, Fuzz. Each has a unique character. Though these
styles have no detailed controls like the Delay or Reverb
tabs for example, you can add or reduce the distortion
component and apply filtering with LOW CUT, HIGH
Note that your IN GAIN in the Setup menu must be
sufficient in order to hear the correct amount of
distortion present in distorted styles.
TRANSDUCER IN GAIN and TRANSDUCER
OUT GAIN
These act similarly to a guitar distortion pedal or an
amplifier with input gain and master level controls. IN
GAIN boosts or attenuates the amount of distortion for
the distortion type selected.
When you adjust the IN GAIN parameter, just like a
guitar amplifier, the overall level of the effect goes up and
77
The Edit Menu: FX Tab
down. Use th OUT GAIN control to adjust the output
level of the Transducer block to properly balance the
current preset with the others.
PRESENCE GAIN, PRES FREQ and PRES
WIDTH
The parametric EQ allows a peak/dip filter to be added
to help emulate the sonic characteristic of various
speakers such as a megaphone which has a very narrow
mid peak. GAIN adjusts the amount of boost or
attenuation while FREQ sets the center frequency of the
filter. WIDTH sets how narrow or wide the filter will be
set. Note that excessive boost of certain narrow
frequencies can induce feedback with even the best
monitor equipment and placement.
HARDTUNE
Turns the HARDTUNE pitch correction effect or or off.
HARDTUNE RATE
RATE determines how fast the algorithm pulls you
toward scale tones. A value of 0 is off and a value of 100
is instant resulting in something like the infamous "Cher"
78
effect where the pitch correction effect is stair-stepped
and obvious when using non-chromatic scales (those
with at least a wholetone jump between most of the
scale tones). Usually, values around 20 yield acceptable
results for smooth, corrective pitch correction.
HARDTUNE KEY
Sets HardTune’s source for musical information. Most
pitch correction products require either scale
information, offline editing or MIDI performance to yield
correction.VoiceLive 2 goes one further and allows you
to play your guitar or MIDI keyboard normally and get
the result.
When set to FOLLOW HARMONY the HardTune
effect will follow the same source as the harmony voices.
For example, if a guitar is controlling your harmony
voices, it would also control your HardTune effect.When
the parameter is set to MANUAL/CUSTOM the Key
and Scale are set with the KEY and SCALE parameters
lower down in the FX tab.
When FOLLOW HARMONY is set for HARDTUNE
The Edit Menu: FX Tab
and the Harmony NATURALPLAY mode is set to
SCALE, then only the key is passed on to the
HARDTUNE effect. This allows a different scale to be
used for the HardTune effect independent of the
Harmony effect. When Harmony is set to SHIFT, MIDI
NOTES, or MIDI NOTES 4 CHAN, HardTune will use its
own key and scale parameters.
example, a value of 80 cents means that only when you
are singing within +/- 40 cents away from the target
scale note will you be corrected. The maximum value is
200 cents which, in a Major scale having no more than
100 cents on either side of any scale tone, would result
in fulltime correction activity. A setting of +/-600c is best
for the HardTune sound.
HARDTUNE SHIFT
KEY / SCALE
Sets the a relative shift in semi-tones above or below the
input vocal. This is useful for transposing or creating
character voices while simultaneously pitch correcting.
These set the musical map that the HardTune effect will
correct to. They are applied when HARDTUNE KEY is
set to MANUAL/CUSTOM. When the current preset is
based on Scale Harmony and HARDTUNE KEY is set to
FOLLOW HARMONY these will display the key set in
the HARMONY tab. The manual scale selection is
different from the ones available for Harmony.They are:
HARDTUNE AMOUNT
Allows you to soften the correction effect. A value of
50% for example will only pull you halfway toward a
correction scale target at the speed set by the
HARDTUNE RATE parameter. For a true HardTune
sound, set it to 100%
HARDTUNE WINDOW
Allows you to determine how close to a valid scale note
you have to be before the algorithm corrects you. For
o Major
o Minor-Har (harmonic minor)
o Minor-Nat (natural minor)
79
The Edit Menu: FX Tab
o Minor-Asc (ascending melodic minor)
o Chromatic (no key or scale required)
NOTE / ENABLED
These are applicable when you wish to edit a custom
scale for HARDTUNE. A custom scale is indicated by a
series of dashes and circles: "-" and "o". Each of these
symbols represents where a note is in the correction
scale or not.You can change the custom map by selecting
a note you want to be corrected to or to jump over
with the NOTE parameter and setting its ON or OFF
status with the ENABLE parameter. You'll see an
indication of your custom scale with "o" representing
notes that are enabled, and "-" showing notes that are
disabled. For example "o-o-oo-o-o-o" would represent a
major scale in any key (the octave up note is implied by
the root note).
80
The Edit Menu: PRESET Tab
Overview
This tab contains parameters that don’t pertain to
individual tabs.
SHORTCUT
Each preset in VoiceLive 2 can have a unique Shortcut
which can extend your control of effect features. Choose
from the selections and save to your current preset.
Note that not all may apply e.g. Harmony Hold may not
work unless you have Harmony turned on.
LEAD EFFECT SENDS
This works hand-in-hand with the LEAD MUTE setting
in each of the effects. If any active effect has LEAD
MUTE enabled, this must be set to PRE in order for your
Lead voice to be heard.
LEAD PAN
Sets where your lead voice appears in the stereo field
for the current preset. This can be useful when panning
a Harmony voice to one side and your Lead voice to the
other.
81
The Setup Menu: I/O Tab
IN GAIN
OUTPUT
Sets and displays the MIC / LINE input level. Both inputs
share the same gain settings and are not meant to be
used simultaneously; switching from a Mic to a Line level
signal will likely require resetting IN GAIN. To set input
level automatically, use the AUTO MIC-GAIN function
by pushing and holding the REVERB footswitch and
following the prompts.When any digital input is selected
(USB or SPDIF) the IN GAIN does not control the
digital input level. Use your transmitting device to adjust
level.
The configures the outputs to be STEREO (default) or
MONO. In MONO mode, the left output is the summed
mono mix of VoiceLive 2 including effects. The right
output is dry with only Tone applied to the MIC or LINE
input signal. This is useful when a live sound engineer
wants to control the balance of wet/dry mix at the mix
position. In this case, set LEAD MUTE to ON.
PHANTOM
Turns 48V phantom power on and off for use with
condenser microphones. Note that VoiceLive 2 stores a
different IN GAIN for PHANTOM ON and OFF states.
This is ideal as it unlikely a condenser and dynamic
microphone will ever require the same IN GAIN for a
single singer.
AUX LEVEL
Set the input level of for the Aux input.
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LEAD MUTE
Turns the lead voice off in all presets.This is useful in the
live sound engineer setting described above or when
VoiceLive 2 or is being fed by an aux send from a mixer
channel where the lead level is mixed in at the mixing
console.
LEAD DLY
When set to NONE (default), the lead voice is sent
through VoiceLive 2 with the shortest possible latency
inherent to the system. When set to VOICE SYNC, the
lead voice is delayed slightly to synchronize with the
processing latency of the harmony voices.
The Setup Menu: I/O Tab
DIGITAL IN
PAN
Selects between SPDIF and USB physical inputs as the
input. It also specifies how the incoming digital signal is
routed. By default the routing is STEREO, where the
digital input is routed to the same path as the AUX
input, but is not passed on to the digital output. When
set to either USB: VOX L / INST R, or S/PDIF:VOX L /
INST R the digital in replaces the analog MIC/LINE and
GUITAR inputs.
Sets the stereo position of the guitar signal
OUTPUT LEVEL RANGE
Configures the stereo outputs (XLR or ¼") to be LINE
level, max +16 dBu (default), or MIC level, max 0 dBu.
Note that while the VoiceLive 2 is connected via USB to
your computer, other applications such as your browser
may not make sound through your regular sound card.
In this case, disconnect VoiceLive 2’s USB cable.
GUITAR MUTE
The Guitar Mute parameter mutes the guitar signal in
the main outputs when no jack is connected to the
GUITAR THRU jack. This allows the guitar dry signal to
be mixed externally. The guitar signal still feeds the
NATURALPLAY harmonies and tuner.
83
The Setup Menu: MIDI Tab
CHANNEL
Sets the MIDI channel that VoiceLive 2 uses for presets
and MIDI harmony control. When a NATURALPLAY
preset is set to MIDI NOTES 4 CH, the channel
selected is the channel used for VOICE 1. The MIDI
channel for VOICE 2 is the selected MIDI channel + 1,
VOICE 3 is +2,VOICE 3 is plus 3.
FILTER
Allows MIDI Program Change or System Exclusive
messages to be ignored for convenience.
CC CHAN
Sets a separate MIDI channel for CC control if desired.
TRANSPOSE
This transposes the harmony voices in MIDI NOTES
mode to allow it to be controlled by upper or lower
sections of a MIDI keyboard if required. The value
corresponds to octaves.
SPLITDIR
(Split Direction) Sets whether MIDI notes ABOVE or
84
BELOW the split point are used to control MIDI NOTES
presets only.
SPLITNOTE
Sets the MIDI note above or below which the keyboard
split will be active.
SYSEXID
(MIDI System Exclusive ID number) When addressing
multiple VoiceLive 2 units on the same MIDI In/Thru
chain with a Sysex editor, each one should have its own
ID or they all will be edited in the same way.
VIBBOOST
Specifies how the Mod Wheel message affects vibrato if
it is enabled in a preset. The Boost setting (default) will
add more vibrato once the part of the wheel movement
reaches the corresponding amount of vibrato and then
returns to the original amount at rest position. The
Manual setting allows full range control of vibrato once
the wheel is moved. To restore the factory vibrato
amount, recall the preset.
The Setup Menu: MIDI Tab
PBRANGE
(Pitchbend Range) Sets the range in semitones that MIDI
pitch bend information will alter voice pitch shifts.
85
The Setup Menu: SYSTEM Tab
LCD CONTRAST
Sets the contrast level of the LCD display. Useful for
better viewing at different angles and light conditions.
USB CONTROL
Setting this parameter ON should only be done when
USB is connected.When this is ON, the MIDI in and out
connectors are disabled and instead, MIDI is routed in
and out via the USB connector only. When USB
CONTROL is set to OFF, MIDI is disabled over USB and
instead, the MIDI in and out connectors function for
MIDI.
GLOBAL NATURALPLAY
When this parameter is enabled it forces all harmony to
a predefined NATURALPLAY mode for all presets. This
is for use when multiple inputs are used simultaneously
yet only one is to be accepted for harmony control.The
default for this parameter is OFF.
GLOBAL KEY/SCALE
When this parameter is ON (default), the Key and Scale
set for a NATURALPLAY SCALE preset affects all
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presets. This allows you to browse SCALE presets
without having to change Key every time. In this mode,
Key and Scale settings are not saved with a STORE
action. When set to OFF, key and scale is configurable
per preset.
GLOBAL SHORTCUT
When enable, GLOBAL SHORTCUT assigns the same
shortcut to all presets. Note that setting all to one
depends on whether certain conditions are met e.g.
HARMONY HOLD won’t work unless Harmony is on.
GLOBAL TAP TEMPO
When set to ON, all presets with Delay SOURCE set to
TAP will share the same tempo. When set to OFF
(default), the preset's tempo is recalled with a preset but
can be changed via TAP.
TUNEREF
This sets the overall tuning reference with respect to A440.
Store Menu: MANAGE Tab
Overview
The main Store screen for preset naming and destination
is discussed in the Basics and Edit menu sections. Here
we discuss the MANAGE tab of the Store menu.
performance, scroll to this item and press STORE to run
the optimization routine. It takes approximately 2
minutes.
SEND PRESET TO MIDI SYSEX
Use this function to send an individual preset via MIDI
for backup. Select the preset using any Mix/Edit knob.
Push STORE to transmit.
ERASE USER PRESET
Use this function to erase an individual preset. If the
preset is in a factory slot (1 to 205), this action will
restore the factory preset. Select the preset then set
CONFIRM to YES using the 4th Mix/Edit knob, then push
STORE.
CLEAN PRESET BANK (UP TO 2 MINUTES)
This function will run automatically on VoiceLive 2 when
a large number of preset stores have been executed.To
avoid this optimization sequence happening during
87
MIDI Implementation
Parameter
Footswitch On/Off
CC#
Range
Harmony
Double
Reverb
HardTune
Step
μMod
Delay
Trans
FX
110
111
112
113
115
116
117
118
104
0-63 off 64-127 on
“
“
“
“
“
“
0 to the # of steps in preset
0-63 off 64-127 on
“
“
“
“
“
“
Style
Level
Style
Level
Style
Level
Style
Level
Style
Out Gain
Style
Level
Harmony Key
Harmony Scale
Voicing Voice1
Voicing Voice2
Voicing Voice3
Voicing Voice4
Level Voice1
50
90
51
62
52
91
53
15
55
105
56
12
30
31
89
61
88
3
46
0-24
0-127
0-12
0-127
0-30
0-127
0-5
0-127
0-15
0-127
0 to the # of styles available
0-127
0-11
0-6
0 to the # of voicings in mode
“
“
“
“
“
“
maps to 127 values
Comments
FX button must be active first
0=Step 1, 1=Step 2 etc.
FX button must be active first
On sets HardTune and Transducer to preset on/off status
Block Edits
μMod
Delay
Reverb
Double
Transducer
Harmony
88
Only for NaturalPlay, Scale and Shift modes. N/A for Notes, Notes 4Chan.
0=C, 1=C#, 2=D, 3=Eb, 4=E, 5=F, 6=F#, 7=G, 8=G#, 9=A, 10=Bb, 11=B
0=Maj1, 1=Maj2, 2=Maj3, 3=Min1, 4=Min2, 5=Min3, 6=Custom Scale
N/A for Notes and Notes 4 Chan modes
“
“
“
“
“
“
MIDI Implementation
HardTune
Parameter
CC#
Range
Level Voice2
Level Voice3
Level Voice4
Gender Voice1
Gender Voice2
Gender Voice3
Gender Voice4
Human Style
Human Lvl
Vib Style
Vib Amt
Doubling Lvl
Choir Lvl
Choir Style
Key
Scale
Rate
Amount
Window
17
21
25
29
19
23
27
16
20
24
1
35
72
73
47
48
54
57
49
“
“
maps to
“
“
“
“
0-6
maps to
0-7
maps to
“
“
0-14
0-11
0-5
0-127
maps to
“
Comments
Tone
Pitch
Guitar
Guitar
Guitar
Guitar
Guitar
Guitar
106
107
108
109
9
22
26
28
0-63 off 64-127 on
maps to 127
0-63 off 64-127 on
maps to 127
0 to the # of styles available
maps to 127
0 to the # of styles available
maps to 127
On/Off only
0=off
On/Off only
13
85
0-1
maps to 127
0=off, 1=on
“
“
127
“
“
“
“
127
127
“
“
Vib Style must not be 0
0=Doubling off, 1-127 mapped to parameter values
0=Choir off, 1-127 mapped to parameter values
0=C, 1=C# etc. Sending any value de-activates Follow Harmony
0=Major, 1=Minor-Har, 2=Minor-Nat, 3=Minor-Asc, 4=Chromatic, 5=Custom
127
“
Globals
FX
Level
Rev Style
Rev Lvl
Mod Style
Mod Lvl
System
Lead Mute
Voices Level
89
MIDI Implementation
Parameter
CC#
Range
Delay/Reverb Lvl
Dry Pan
Output Level
Bypass
Harmony Hold
Sustain
Aux Level
All Notes Off
86
10
7
114
119
64
58
123
“
“
“
“
“
“
0-63 off 64-127 on
“
“
“
“
Maps to 127
“
“
32
0-3
0-127
Comments
127 MIDI values map to 201 pan values, Center = 64
Bypass only, no tuner mode. FX button is not lit in this Bypass
Active in MIDI Naturalplay and MIDI Notes, MIDI Notes 4 Chan modes.
Non-CC messages
Pitch Bend
MIDI Clock
Bank select
Preset select
MIDI Notes
90
Active when Delay tempo set to MIDI
Presets 1-128=Bank 0, 129-256=Bank 1, 257-384=Bank 2, 384-400=Bank 3
0=preset #1, 1=preset #2 etc.
Warranty
All products manufactured by TC-Helicon are warranted
against failure arising through faulty workmanship and
materials for a period of one year from date of purchase.
All claims under this warranty must be made to the
distributor in the buyer’s country (in many cases the
distributor is TC-Helicon’s parent company TC Group),
by returning the unit, securely packed, postage prepaid
and insured, with an enclosed note, describing the
symptoms. Within the warranty period, the unit will be
repaired at no charge for parts and labor.
Liability is expressly excluded in respect of any third
party or consequential loss or damage (direct or
indirect) however or whenever arising. This warranty
gives you specific legal rights. You may also have others,
which vary from country to country.
This warranty remains valid only if the serial number on
the unit has not been defaced or removed, and if repairs
are performed only by the distributor or TC Group
company. It does not cover damage due to misuse,
accident or neglect. Distributor and TC-Helicon retains
the exclusive right to make such determinations on the
basis of inspection.
91
Specifications
Analog Inputs
Connectors, balanced
Input Impedance: Bal./Unbal.
Mic Input Level @ 0 dBFS
Line Input Level @ 0 dBFS
EIN @ Max Mic Gain Rg = 150 Ohm
Mic/Line Input SNR
Guitar Input impedance
Guitar Input Level @ 0 dBFS
Guitar Input SNR
Aux Input Level @ 0dBu
A to D Conversion
EMC
Mic.: XLR, Line: 1/4" phone jack,
Guitar: 1/4" phone jack, Aux: 1/8"
stereo mini jack
Mic.: 2.14/1.07 kOhm,
Line: 13/6.5 kOhm
-49dBu to +10dBu
-37 dBu to +22 dBu
-126 dBu
> 107 dB
1 MOhm
14 dBu to -4 dBu
>104dB
+2dBu
24 bit, 128 x oversampling bit
stream, 110dB SNR A-weighted
Analog Outputs
D to A Conversion
Connectors, balanced
Output Impedance Bal./ Unbal.
Output Range (Line/Mic Level)
Dynamic Range
Frequency Response
Headphone Out
24 bit, 128 x oversampling bit
stream, 115dB SNR A-weighted
XLR and 1/4" phone jack
100/50 Ohm
16 dBu / 0dBu
> 109 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
+0/-0.3 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
1/8" Mini stereo jack, 32 Ohm,
+16dBu max (180mW max)
Complies with
EN 55103-1 and EN 55103-2
FCC part 15, Class B, CISPR 22,
Class B
Safety
Certified to
IEC 65, EN 60065, UL6500
and CSA
Environment
Operating Temperature
Storage Temperature
Humidity
32° F to 122° F (0° C to 50° C)
-22° F to 167° F (-30° C to 70° C)
Max. 90 % non-condensing
Control Interface
USB
MIDI
Pedal
USB-B
In/Out/Thru: 5 Pin DIN
1/4" TRS phone jack
Supplementary
Display
Dimensions
Weight
External Power Supply Mains Voltage
Power Consumption
192 x 64 Blue STN LCD, White
Back light
13.8" x 3" x 8.5" (350 x 76 x 216)
5 lb. (2.3 kg)
100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz
(auto-select)
<14 W
Digital Inputs and Outputs
Connectors
Formats
Sample Rates
92
RCA Phono (S/PDIF)
S/PDIF (24 bit), EIAJ CP-340,
IEC 958
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz,88.2kHz, 96kHz
Technical specifications are subject to change without notice