Tc-Helicon Voicelive 3 Reference Manual English
Tc-Helicon Voicelive 3 Reference Manual English
Tc-Helicon Voicelive 3 Reference Manual English
VoiceLive 3
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Introduction
Design concepts
Top panel overview
Footswitches overview
Back panel inputs and outputs
Diagram legend
Diagrams
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12
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VoiceLive3 overview
Getting started setting up
Quick troubleshooting tips
Getting to know VoiceLive3
Tips and tricks for working with
layers and effects
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The Looper
Basic Loop concepts and terms
Entering and exiting Loop mode
Your first loop
The Utility menu
Loop limits
78
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Setup
Input tab
Output tab
Guitar tab
MIDI tab
Tone tab
System tab
Buttonmap tab
Pedal Calibration tab
Product info tab
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Appendix
MIDI CC List
System Maintenance/Factory Reset
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Technical Specifications
Features
Design
Connections
Details
Included with VoiceLive 3
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Product
VoiceLive 3
1.0 R55
Document
Reference manual
Document version/date
2014-01-30
14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way,
such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects
have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture,
does not operate normally, or has been
dropped.
Caution
You are cautioned that any change or modifications not expressly approved in this manual
could void your authority to operate this equipment.
Service
All service must be performed by qualified
personnel.
There are no user-serviceable parts inside.
Warning
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do
not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture
and objects filled with liquids, such as vases,
should not be placed on this apparatus.
This apparatus must be earthed.
Use a three wire grounding type line cord like
the one supplied with the product.
Be advised that different operating voltages
require the use of different types of line cord
and attachment plugs.
Check the voltage in your area and use the
correct type.
Voltage
EMC/EMI
Electromagnetic compatibility/
Electromagnetic interference
Getting support
This reference manual will help you learn understanding and operating your VoiceLive 3.
If you still have questions about the product after reading this reference manual, please get in
touch with TC-Helicon Support:
tc-helicon.com/support/
To register your VoiceLive3 using the VoiceSupport software, launch VoiceSupport and click on
the ACCOUNT button.
VoiceSupport
Introduction
Introduction
VoiceLive 3 Reference manual (2014-01-30) 6
Introduction
Welcome to the
VoiceLive3 reference manual!
Design concepts
Layers & footswitch mapping
You can even remap footswitches within a layer or from one layer to another. This approach
solves one of the most common requests from
our massively popular VoiceLive 2 unit: I love
it but I want the X footswitch to be where the
Y footswitch is.
Vocal
Guitar
Looping
Introduction
Global effects
Another common request from TC-Helicon users
has been for global effects. VoiceLive3 allows
you to define a specific Preset as the Global
Preset. This defines all of the effects and parameters within that Preset and allows them to be
easily applied to other Presets.
What does that mean for you? Easier, quicker Preset creation and access to consistent
sounds!
Here is an example:
How do I do that?
First, edit the guitar reverb on your Global Preset (by default, this is Preset no. 491). Editing
guitar settings is explained in greater detail in
Editing the Guitar layer on page 67.
Then go to each Preset where you would like
to use the same Reverb, go to the Reverb
settings and change the Global parameter to
On.
Done! This Preset will now use the Reverb settings from the Global Preset.
Introduction
Multi-track looper
to play your guitar part over. Now, you can record unequal length phrases!
Record your 1 bar beat box on one loop Track,
then record your 8 bar guitar section on another.
Store loops
Those of you who have jumped on board with
looping have likely made a really, really good
loop in the past only to see it vanish into thin
air when you power off the device. VoiceLive3
allows you to store your creations right in
the box!
Introduction
If you are using backing tracks, you can even record them into the looper and use VoiceLive3 as
your complete playback system!
Advanced monitoring
Monitor IN
Using the Monitor IN XLR connection, you can
bring a monitor or cue mix into your VoiceLive3, blending it with your own vocal, guitar and
loop sounds. The incoming monitor IN does not
get passed back out of the unit so you can rest
assured that it wont cause feedback.
Headphone Mix
VoiceLive 3s headphone mix is independent of
the output mix allowing you to hear what you
want in your headphones or IEMs, without affecting what comes from the main outputs.
Headphone Mix
Introduction
Introduction
10
Below is a brief description of the top panel controls and buttons. Full functionality for each will
be described in more detail later.
12
11
1. Genre button
Use the Genre button to sort
Presets based on their musical genre or featured effects.
For example, you may want to
restrict the Presets visible to
you in VoiceLive 3 to those that are defined as
Rock or Country in nature.
2. Setup button
Use the setup button to access
to all system setup settings,
including Input, Output, MIDI,
Tone, Guitar and more.
Push and hold the Setup button to enter the
automated microphone and guitar gain setting
mode.
3. Store button
Use the Store button to store
Presets. Tap once to activate
the store procedure. Tap again
to confirm.
Introduction
4. Home button
8. Looper button
The Level LEDs show input level for the Mic input. The red
LED also lights if any other input for example your guitar
clips (too much signal).
5. Control knob
Use the Control knob to move
through Presets and scrolls up/
down when in an edit screen.
When in the Home screen,
press to add or remove the
current Preset from the Favorite genre.
6. Vocal button
Use the Vocal button to enter
the Vocal edit screens. This is
where you can make changes
to the vocal effects for the current Preset. For more information, see Editing the Vocal layer on page 52.
9. Mix knobs
From the Home screen, turning any mix knob enters the
Mix screens (Main, Headphones and Effects).
Within an Edit page, the mix knobs adjust values
and settings.
7. Guitar button
11. NP LED
Introduction
Footswitches overview
1
3
Introduction
2. Layer footswitch
Tap the Layer footswitch to
swap between the Vocal and
Guitar effects layers.
Vocal layer active: Layer
footswitch LED lights blue.
Guitar layer active: Layer
footswitch LED lights red.
Hold the Layer footswitch to
access the Loop layer.
Loop layer active: Layer
footswitch LED lights purple.
To return from the Loop layer to previously active layer
(Vocal or Guitar), hold.
Introduction
3. Step footswitch
To move to the next Step within
the current Preset (from 1 to 2
etc.), tap the Step footswitch.
! Not all Presets have Steps.
4. Mod footswitch
Tap the Mod footswitch to turn the
micro-modulation (Mod) effect on
or off.
Step management
You can use the current Preset or a different Preset as a Step.
If you are using the current Preset, make sure
that it sounds the way you want it to before you
enter Step management.
Introduction
5. Delay footswitch
6. Reverb footswitch
7. HIT footswitch
The Reverb block encompasses effects such as Hall, Club, Room and
Plate.
Tempo tapping
To access tempo tapping, hold the Delay footswitch.
Tap the footswitch in time with your song.
A few taps are enough.
When you are happy with the tempo, stop tapping.
Introduction
8. Double/Comp footswitch
9. Harmony/Drive footswitch
On the Guitar layer, tap the Double/Comp footswitch to turn the Compressor on or off.
On the Guitar layer, tap the Harmony/Drive footswitch to turn the Drive effect on or off.
Drive encompasses effects such as Boost, Boost
& Drive and Drive.
Introduction
1. DC Power connector
2. XLR & Combo jack
3. Guitar input
4. 1/8 Stereo Aux input jack.
Please note that Aux input and Monitor input
are mutually exclusive. Only one may be used
at a time.
5. MIDI In
6. Footswitch (for Switch-3) In.
You can also connect a second expression
pedal here see Working with a second expression pedal on page 50.
7. Expression (pedal) In
Inputs
4
SWITCH-3
Introduction
Outputs
1. Guitar THRU: If you only need chord detection and want to pass your dry guitar signal
onto a different processor or record a dry guitar track, use the THRU jack to pass your guitar signal to your amp.
2. Monitor THRU: The Monitor THRU jack allows you to receive an incoming Monitor IN
signal from a mixer and pass it on to another
monitor.
3. Headphone out: Connect headphones or
IEMs to the Headphone out and use the Headphone Mix to set up your personal mix.
4. Main Outputs: The Main Outputs carry Vocals & Effects. If nothing is connected to the
Guitar outputs, Main outputs also carry Guitar
signals.
5. Guitar Outputs: The Guitar outputs carry the
Guitar signal. If only one output is connected,
guitar output is automatically in MONO. When
you connect the Guitar Out(s) to your amp(s),
guitar sounds will be removed from the Main
outputs.
6. MIDI Out: The MIDI Out jack sends MIDI Control Change messages (MIDI CCs) related to
footswitches and buttons pressed on VoiceLive 3. If no CC is sent, there is likely no CC
assigned to that particular action.
Currently, Vocal & Guitar effects ON/OFF and
their respective levels are represented by MIDI
Control Change messages.
If you experience hum from your guitar amp or
PA, try pressing the GRND LIFT switch, located between the Headphone out and the Left
XLR output.
XLR FemalePower
XLR Male
Power Input
GRND Lift
Mini USB
USB Type A
Input Combo
1/8Jackinch jack
MIDI Jack
GRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type B
Introduction
Power Input
GRND Lift
Mini USB
USB Type A
USB Type B
Diagram legend
The following icons are used in the diagrams in
this manual.
XLR Male
Mixing Board
XLR Male
Combo Jack
XLR Female
XLR Male
MIDI Jack
Combo Jack
XLR Female
Power Input
Microphone
Power Input
P.A.
Power Input
XLR Male
Acoustic Guitar
Power Input
MIDI Jack
GRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type A
Mini USB
Mini USB
MIDI Jack
Combo Jack
Guitar/Keyboard
amp
Mini USB
USB Type A
XLR Female
GRND Lift
GRND Lift
USB Type B
MIDI Jack
Combo Jack
USB Type B
Mini USB
USB Type A
Combo Jack
XLR Female
XLR Male
Mini USB
USB Type A
GRND Lift
XLR Female
XLR Male
Power Input
GRND Lift
Combo Jack
XLR Female
USB Type B
USB Type B
Electric Guitar
Power Input
GRND Lift
XLR Male
XLR Male
Mini USB
USB Type A
Combo Jack
XLR Female
Combo Jack
XLR Female
MIDI Jack
MIDIBJack
USB Type
Power Input
Power Input
GRND Lift
USB Type A
GRND Lift
Mini USB
USB Type A
Mini USB
USB Type B
USB Type B
Monitor Mix
USB
Introduction
Diagrams
On the following pages, you will see some connection diagrams. We have set things up to give
you clear and concise representations of what
goes where.
There are a few things we would like you to keep
in mind as you look at the diagrams:
1. Inputs to VoiceLive3 will be to the left of the
back panel image.
2. Outputs from VoiceLive3 will be to the right of
the back panel image.
3. There are two boxes on the bottom of each
diagram.
The VoiceLive3 box shows what you hear
from your VoiceLive3 headphone output.
The P.A. box shows what you hear from
the P.A. speakers.
4. We dont account for other inputs/instruments
when showing what you hear from the P.A.,
so you wont see pictures of drums etc.
5. In a lot of cases, what you hear will be the
same for both VoiceLive3 headphone output
and P.A. but it can also be different.
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive 3 Reference manual (2014-01-30) 23
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive3 overview
Its unlikely that you will have absolutely everything seen here hooked up to VoiceLive3 but
the above diagram can serve as a general connection diagram that you can use to configure
your personal setup.
Aux
Send
SWITCH-3
Computer
or
DAW
Stage
Monitor
PA
Speakers
VoiceLive3 overview
No?
Yes?
Is your PA receiving signal?
Check your PA manual for details on how to
check input levels.
Turn up channel input trims until you see
signal.
(If you have a separate mixer/amplifier) Is the
PA turned on?
Are the speakers connected?
VoiceLive3 overview
Using all the features described on the following pages, you might find yourself deep in some
sub-menu or parameter list. Dont panic! Just
press the Home button, and you will return to
VoiceLive3s Home screen. The Home screen
shows
VoiceLive3 overview
What is a Preset?
Using Steps
Use the two small Arrow buttons located beneath the Control knob to move through Presets
and edit pages.
The Preset concept is extremely flexible. A Preset can be general purpose like a simple Reverb or Harmony sound. But a Preset can also
represent a specific song or portion of a song via
multiple effects and settings.
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Chorus
While on the Home screen, use the Arrow buttons to move through Presets.
To select the next Preset, press the right Arrow button.
To select the previous Preset, press the left
Arrow button.
On an Edit or System screen, the Arrow buttons allow you to move left and right through
the tabs in that menu.
For example, the Vocal edit screen has a separate tab or page for each vocal effect. The
Arrow buttons move from left to right through
these tabs.
A good modern analogy for a Preset is a user account on a computer. Even though each user has
access to the same hardware (CPU, RAM etc.)
each user can change their desktop wallpaper,
icons on the desktop, program behaviors and
much more. When each user logs in, the computer recalls all of their custom settings.
Depending on how you like you to work with effects, you may find that you like to use a few general purpose Presets and turn effects on and off
manually during your performance. Or you might
be the kind of guy or girl who likes to spend a
bit more time in advance of the performance to
create Presets for all sorts of things. Or you may
be somewhere in between. Any amount of editing or Preset manipulation is fine! You can get as
programmer or seat of the pants as you like.
Now, lets assume that you want a completely different sound for your Verse, Chorus and
Bridge sections. The HIT function is great if you
need two variations within a song but here,
youll obviously need more.
Now the easiest way to accomplish this is to
make a separate Preset for each song section.
This means that on stage, you now have to remember where those presets are and move between them for each part of the song. Its totally
doable but a bit more work that necessary.
Enter the STEP.
If you treat the Verse Preset as your starting
point (perhaps name it simply with your song
name), you can add Steps to that initial preset to
cover the other sections of your song, in the order that they are needed.
So, lets assume that you have created the three
different presets that represent your three song
Step
Step
Step
Step
Step
Step
1: Verse
2: Chorus
3: Verse
4: Chorus
5: Bridge
6: Chorus
VoiceLive3 overview
Using Genres
Tap the Genre button.
Use the Mix Knob to scroll through available
Preset Genres.
When you have found a Genre you would like
to explore, tap the Genre button again to confirm and exit.
Pressing any other button like HOME to
exit Genre selection mode will not select the
current Genre. Make sure you use the Genre
button to exit the menu and confirm your selection. The Genre button will be flashing to
remind you to press it.
After selecting a Genre, you will notice that
scrolling through Presets gives you fewer options than before. Presets are now filtered and
only show options contained in your chosen
Genre.
To return to seeing all Presets:
VoiceLive3 overview
What is NaturalPlay?
Wait! Wait!
What key is it in? What key is it in?
Press Setup.
Use the < and > Arrow buttons to navigate to
the System tab.
Using the Control Knob to highlight Global
Key/Scale.
Change the Global Key/Scale to ON.
This will set one global key/scale for all Presets in VoiceLive3.
You can change this global key/scale on the
fly later.
Press Home to exit.
You will need to find C as your starting note (unless you have perfect pitch then you are awesome).
VoiceLive3 overview
Navigate to Preset No. 2 (Classic 3rd up) using the Preset up/Preset down switches or the
Control Knob.
Make sure that you are on the Vocal Layer.
The LEDs around the footswitches should be
blue. If they are not, press the Layer button.
You should see the Reverb, HIT and Harmony
footswitch lit in blue.
If Harmony and HIT are not lit, press the HIT
button.
VoiceLive3 overview
HIToff
VoiceLive3 overview
Buttonmap menu
Use the Control Knob to scroll down and highlight the line starting with HIT.
Try singing the same song again, pressing/holding the HIT footswitch when you want harmonies
to activate. Practice activating harmony for a
single word or short phrase. Its much easier in
momentary mode!
Before you move on, go back into the Vocal Buttonmap screen and change HIT back to Latched
mode.
VoiceLive3 overview
Remapping a footswitch
Since there are 11 vocal effects and 9 guitar effects in VoiceLive3, but only 6 footswitches, the
ability to assign new functions to these footswitches gives you a lot of flexibility.
Lets remap Mod to HardTune. Later, you can
remap any footswitch as you wish, for this example, please follow along.
Press the Vocal button.
Navigate to the Buttonmap tab using the <
and > buttons.
Use the Control Knob to highlight the line
starting with Mod. Its at the top of the
page.
As you can see, the Mod is assigned to the
Mod effect.
Use the far left Mix Knob to remap the Mod
footswitch to HardTune.
VoiceLive3 overview
Talk/Tuner Mode
Guitar Effects
VoiceLive3 overview
Editing HIT
Return to the Vocal layer by pressing Home. If
you are on the Guitar Layer (indicated by red
LEDs), press the Layer button until the Vocal
layer is active.
You can easily edit the effects contained within
the HIT function. It is possible to have effects active when HIT is on or off. We refer to these two
states as HIT on and HIT off. Think of them
as two variations of a Preset.
Press the HIT button a couple of times.
Take note of which effects come on and off
when HIT is active (HIT on) and inactive (HIT
off).
Now, lets add an effect to the HIT on flavor
of this Preset.
Activate HIT.
Now, turn on an effect that is currently off. For
this example, try Mod.
If you save the Preset, your new HIT assignment will be saved and you can control both
Mod and Harmony with the single HIT button
the next time you use the Preset.
Preset 2 HIT on
Press HIT. Notice that Mod (and Harmony)
turns off.
VoiceLive 3 Reference manual (2014-01-30) 39
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive3 overview
Storing Presets
Since we are talking about storing a change to
your Preset lets do it.
Tapping the Store button accesses the Store
screen, where you may name, assign and save
your Presets.
In the upper part of the Store screen, you will
see the current name of the Preset. Use the Mix
Knobs under the display to control the following
functions:
If you want to save the Preset where it currently is, do not change this value.
If you would like to save the Preset to another
location, change Store To to another number.
The name of the selected Preset slot will be
displayed in the upper part of the screen.
Using Store To is handy when you would like to
make several Presets with similar sounds. You
can create a master Preset and store it so a
few different locations using Store To. You can
then edit those copies further if you wish.
VoiceLive3 overview
Tapping tempo
You can use Tap Tempo to have the tempobased effects align with the tempo of your song.
Press and HOLD the Delay footswitch.
You should see the Delay footswitch pulse
with a purple LED, and the current tempo (in
beats per minute) will be displayed.
Tap the Delay footswitch in time with the song
you are performing (or about to perform).
After a few beats, stop tapping the footswitch
and wait for the Tempo display to disappear.
If it is not already on, activate the Delay effect
with its footswitch.
You should hear your Delay taps trail off in
time with the music.
There is another function in the tap tempo window that you may find handy. Lets try it.
Store menu
When you are finished naming and assigning
your Preset, simply press Store again to complete the operation.
VoiceLive3 overview
Editing an Effect
Depending on how you would like to manage tempo within VoiceLive 3, you can choose
whether tempo information is recalled from each
individual Preset or managed globally.
Both effect layers (Vocal and Guitars) have a series of tabs. There is a tab for each effect within
a Preset, and there are a couple of extra tabs for
other Preset options like Button Mapping and
Expression Pedal assignment.
easy-to-use controls, while scrolling down using the Control Knob will show more parameters
that offer more advanced parameters for deeper
editing.
On the top level, most effects have four main parameters:
1. Style: Style sets the sound of the effect. For
example, you might choose a Hall or Studio reverb type.
2. Parameter 1: The first parameter shown varies
from effect to effect and will have a different
name it will not be called Parameter 1. To
continue with the Reverb example, Decay time
is located here.
3. Parameter 2: Again, this control will vary from
effect to effect, but is commonly the Level
control, which controls the overall volume of
the effect.
4. Control: control sets the state of the effect
and how it is controlled.
Off: The effect is inactive.
On: The effect is active, regardless of the
status of the HIT button.
HIT On: This effect is active only when the
HIT button is ON.
HIT Off: This effect is active only when the
HIT button is OFF.
You may also change this control by pressing the footswitch associated with this effect
(if it is mapped to a footswitch). This can be a
quick way to set up several effects to come on
or off when HIT is pressed
VoiceLive3 overview
Back to editing
VoiceLive3 overview
We suggest placing the global Preset in a location quite far from your other Presets in the box,
so you dont accidentally overwrite it. Any Presets that depend on the information in the Global
Preset will be affected if you delete or change it.
VoiceLive3 overview
Main Mix
Main Mix controls the sounds that come from the
XLR Out and Guitar Out jacks.
Use the Mix knobs to adjust the levels of the signals shown on screen.
Keep in mind that if you are connecting the Guitar Out jack to a guitar amplifier, you likely want
a fixed output level. In the Guitar tab of the Setup
menu, you will find a parameter called Output
Mode that controls this.
If you set Output Mode to Unity Gain (this is
the default), this will set one master output
volume for the guitar signals coming from the
Guitar Out jack.
VoiceLive3 overview
Effects Mix
Effects Mix allows you to adjust the overall
sound of your presets.
Headphone Mix
Headphone Mix allows you to independently set
the signal levels for the headphones or IEM connected to the Headphone jack. In other words:
You can have a headphone or in-ear-monitoring
mix that is independent of what goes out to the
XLR outputs.
VoiceLive3 overview
As there are no effects linked to the Looper layer, we will cover Looper operations in a separate
section of this manual.
Buttonmap tab:
Remapping footswitches
We have already made some changes on the
Buttonmap tab in Remapping a footswitch on
page 37 so you have seen it before. Lets dig
a little deeper into it now.
Enter the Vocal or Guitar edit screen.
Navigate to the Buttonmap tab.
Earlier in the VoiceLive 3 overview, we remapped a footswitch and changed the Mode
from Latched to Momentary.
On the Buttonmap tab, each effect footswitch
is represented by sets of two two lines. Use the
Control Knob to select a set, for example Mod.
The first word in the first column is the name of
the effect footswitch, as it is printed on the device. The name of the effect currently assigned
to this footswitch is shown directly below it. For
now, you should see Mod with Mod directly
underneath. If you are on the Guitar edit page,
you will see Mod and G Mod respectively.
VoiceLive3 overview
VoiceLive3 overview
Being able to define the expression pedal target in each Preset gives you a lot of flexibility
from one pedal.
Follow the on-screen instructions.
It can be useful to limit the expression pedal
range for parameters such as Guitar Volume,
Harmony Volume, Delay Feedback, Rhythmic
Depth etc.
Use the Expression pedal parameter to choose
from many controllable targets.
Use the Exp MinPos parameter to define the
parameter value that should be associated
with the minimum (down) position of the expression pedal.
Use the Exp MaxPos parameter to define the
parameter value that should be associated
with the maximum (up) position of the expression pedal.
The MinPos and MaxPos parameters can be
useful when you would like to limit the effective
range of the pedal.
For example, if you assign the expression pedal
to control harmony volume, you may want the
harmonies to turn down slightly when you rock
the pedal all the way back but not turn them
off completely. To achieve this effect, you would
set Exp. Minpos to something higher than 0%
Press Setup.
Navigate to the Buttonmap tab.
Select the Footswitch Jack parameter and set
it from Switch-3 to Expression pedal.
Calibrating your expression pedal
If you are connecting an expression pedal, it
must be calibrated.
VoiceLive3 overview
Harmony block/tab
Harmony is TC-Helicons most popular effect
and some might argue the most impressive one,
too.
The Harmony effect creates harmony vocals
from your lead voice. This harmony can contain
up to four voices, each with different intervals,
key/scale sources, pan, humanization and other
settings.
Harmony can be used to add a single voice of
harmony, up to a larger group sound depending on your application.
Voice
< Left
Right >
This flexibility allows you to create some very sophisticated setups and vocal arrangements.
Changing Step Button Mode to Momentary
You can mix and match any of the available
modes for the four harmony voices. You could
have three NaturalPlay voices and a fixed voice,
or two scale-based voices, one fixed and one
NaturalPlay voice. Its completely up to you!
Double block/tab
Often referred to as Doubling or Double
Tracking, the Double effect mimics a singer recording multiple versions of the same vocal passages and playing them back simultaneously.
The small differences in timing and pitch that
result from the two recordings create a more full
and doubled sound.
Its quite common in contemporary music for
some sort of Double effect to be active during
the entire song, albeit with varying intensity.
Reverb tab
HardTune block/tab
This effect has become very, very common in
recent years. Most people remember when Cher
released the song Believe, featuring the first
commercially represented use of heavy and robotic-sounding pitch correction.
Since the release of Believe, there have been
many advances in pitch correction technology,
allowing both extreme and subtle or transparent
vocal correction. Its a misnomer to only equate
vocal pitch correction with AutoTune and TPain. Subtle use of pitch correction is a staple
of almost every recording, and many live performances too.
A neat little bit of music history: The Beatles
used pitch correction on their albums! How?
Back then, a control called VariSpeed on their
tape recorders was used to manipulate the playback speed and therefore the pitch of recorded
material. Often, it was done for effect, but VariSpeed was used for all sorts of purposes.
Its fun to keep that fact in mind when people
disparage modern music for its use of pitch correction or any other effect or recording technique. The Beatles used every tool available to
them at the time, just like todays musicians do!
Synth block/tab
Synth effects are created when a carrier sound
modifies a signal (your voice) to create an interesting combination of the two elements.
Common use includes the classical guitar talk
box, where the notes played on an electrical
guitar dictate the pitch and sound of the voice
output, regardless of what you sing. You dont
have to use a guitar though it could also be
sounds from a keyboard or other instrument.
VoiceLive 3 offers polyphonic (more than one
note at a time) Synth effects, so you can play
chords on your instrument and have them act as
the carrier sounds. Its a really great effect to
have fun with!
We have also included several carrier sounds
in VoiceLive3, so you may use the Synth effect
block without an instrument signal.
Transducer block/tab
The Transducer effect is often referred to as
Megaphone or Distortion, but it really covers any manipulation of gain structure and EQ
filters. Distortion and filter effects are common
across Rock, Pop, Country, Hip Hip, EDM and
other genres.
Choir block/tab
Formerly a part of the Harmony effect block,
Choir was split into its own effect in the TC-Helicon VoiceLive Touch 2. Separating these effects
gave us the opportunity to provide more styles
and parameters for controlling the Choir sound.
We have defined Choir as its own effect block in
VoiceLive 3 too, so you have extra control over
the way it sounds.
Choir makes a great companion to Harmony, especially when you are trying to create a group
sound. You can use Choir by itself too, which can
give its own unique flavor to the vocal.
Stutter block/tab
Stutter is essentially a small sampler, used to
make a quick recording of your vocal and play it
back repeatedly, in time with the music. Depending on the division setting, the sample used for
the Stutter effect can be longer or shorter.
Stutter is great for Pop, Hip Hop and EDM
genres, but can find a home in any style of music
when used creatively.
Remapping buttons
Use the Control Knob to highlight the button you would like to remap. Physical button
names are on the top in each selection box,
and the mapped button is on the bottom.
Use the Mix Knob on the far left to change the
button mapping.
If you wish, set the footswitch to Momentary
mode using the Mix Knob under the Mode column.
! You can assign multiple footswitches to different loop triggers and switch between them at
will.
Amp block/tab
The Amp effect not only simulates physical amplifiers, but also provides controls for
EQ (pre and post)
Gain (pre and post)
Tube/Transistor simulation and
speaker emulation.
The level of EQ control in the Amp block is huge,
providing controls for both the pre-gain and
post-gain stage parametric EQ something that
most real-world amplifiers dont offer.
There are multiple controls for each low, mid and
high EQ including bandwidth (commonly known
as Q) and frequency.
Drive block/tab
VoiceLive 3s Drive effect can act as a Boost,
Drive or both.
Essentially, the Drive block has its own set of
PreGain and PostGain parameters, which are independent from the Amp simulation block. When
Boost is active, these settings replace the currently active Amp settings, changing your sound.
There are a few preconfigured Drive styles
make sure you give them a try.
Comp(ression) block/tab
Compression is used across almost all modern
music production styles, from studio to live. In a
nutshell, Compression brings the loudest bits
and quietest bits of the music closer together in
apparent volume, creating a more even sound.
For guitar, using compression can
enhance sustain or attack,
limit levels and/or
smooth out your overall sound.
Mod block/tab
Similar to the Vocal version of this effect, Mod
provides micro-pitch shifting and timing effects
for your guitar. Some of the most famous Mod
effects include Flanger, Chorus and Detune.
We have conspired with TC-Electronics guitar
pedal gurus namely Tore Mogensen to recreate two of their best modulation effects for
VoiceLive3: Vortex Flanger and Corona Chorus.
Octaver block/tab
When we released VoiceLive Play GTX, lots of
folks loved the guitar processing, but kept on
asking for a single guitar effect addition: an Octaver. The ability to play bass on your guitar
opens up a whole new world of song composition, especially when looping.
The Octaver is a monophonic pitch shifter that
allows you to play single-line guitar parts and
have them shifted to another note. The most
common use, as we mentioned above, is to simulate a bass guitar but there are other implementations as well. You can blend your original
guitar signal with a shifted signal to create some
great sounds!
The Looper
The Looper
VoiceLive 3 Reference manual (2014-01-30) 78
The Looper
As you have just read, the Loop slot is the highest level of VoiceLive3s Loop hierarchy. You can
associate a Loop slot with a Preset. This allows
you to select a Preset that will not only contain
your Vocal and Guitar settings, but also the basic
building blocks for a song, all previously stored
in a Loop slot.
Loop: A loop or loop track is a basic recording of music (or any kind of audio, for that
matter) that can be recorded and then played
back repeatedly.
Overdub: Something that is recorded while
another, previously recorded piece of audio/
music is being played back. In theory, you
could pile up hundreds of overdubs, turning
one basic loop into a complex piece of music.
Loop track: In each Loop slot (see below),
VoiceLive3 allows you to store three separate
Loops: Loop track A, Loop track B and Loop
track C. Depending on the setting you choose
made in the Sync sub-menu (see Sync submenu on page 86), you can either switch
between these three tracks or play them in
certain combinations (Loop tracks A and B or
Loop tracks A and C).
Remember that each of these Loop tracks can
encompass one or many overdubs.
Loop slot: A Loop slot is a place where you
can store the Loops you have recorded. Each
Loop slot contains Loop tracks A, B and C.
The Looper
The loop screen shows a combination of controls, which relate to the six footswitches, and
track thumbnails that show you what you have
recorded.
Metronome settings
The Looper
Start recording
The Looper
Overdubbing
Recording an overdub
If you would like to add several different overdubs, you can keep the overdub recording
running and add new parts each time the loop
begins again.
Recording Loop track B
The Looper
TWO
THREE
FOUR
Using Swap
We are still following our Your first loop example, and at this point, you should have recorded
Loop track A and Loop track B. Lets move on to
recording Loop C.
When you are ready to record a new Loop
track as Loop C, tap Swap.
Loop track B will stop playing, and you will
begin recording LOOP C.
FIVE
LOOP B
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
LOOP A
Using Swap
You will see the same Set+Play and Set+ODub
options you saw when recording Loop track A
( see Set + Overdub vs. Set + Play on page
81).
Choose one, and press it when you are finished recording.
The Looper
Back
Utility menu
The Looper
Input sub-menu
Save
Metronome sub-menu
Tap MET (the HIT footswitch) to enter the Metronome sub-menu. In the Metronome sub-menu,
you can turn the metronome on or off and
change its sound.
Metronome sub-menu
The options in the Metronome sub-menu are:
MET ON: Tap MET ON (Double/Comp footswitch) to turn on the metronome and all related sync features.
The Metronome is more than a simple click
track. It generates an audio signal guiding
you when you are recording loops but it also
syncs with and controls the tempo.
MET MUTE: Tap MET MUTE (Harmony/Drive
footswitch) to mute the audio output for the
Metronome. If you mute the Metronome, it will
still be active for tempo and LoopAssist, but
it wont make any sound.
MET OFF: Tap MET OFF (Delay footswitch) to
turn off the metronome and all related sync
features.
Please note the difference between MET OFF
and MET MUTE: When you turn the Metronome off, VoiceLive 3s LoopAssist no longer guides your recordings, and the Loop may
fall off time with other time based effects like
Delay or Rhythmic.
Metronome level
As you can adjust the audio output for the Main
Mix and Headphone Mix independently (see 9.
Mix knobs on page 13), its your choice if the
audience hears the metronome or not.
The Looper
Sync sub-menu
Tap SYNC (the Double/Comp footswitch) to enter the Sync sub-menu. In the Sync sub-menu,
you can define how VoiceLive3s Looper should
sync to a given tempo.
The options in the Sync sub-menu are described
below.
SMART
Select SMART to use all features of VoiceLive3s
LoopAssist. LoopAssist chooses how and
when to trim and extend loops, based on what
you have already recorded.
Pressing the SWAP button will toggle between
Loop track B and Loop track C, making the
change when you reach the end of the current
loop. Loop tracks A and B or Loop tracks A and
C can play simultaneously.
SMART enforces a relationship between the primary Loop track (track A) and Loop tracks B and
C. In other words: Loop tracks B and C can exist
as a multiple (in bars) of Loop track A, but they
cannot be shorter.
See the QUANTIZE section below for a step-bystep comparison between SMART and QUANTIZE. Its much easier to hear and see than to
read about!
Once you have recorded a Loop with the Metronome ON, the tempo will be locked meaning it
cannot be changed later. To change the tempo,
SERIAL
When you choose SERIAL in the Sync submenu, Loops are played back one after the other,
waiting for each loop to finish before proceeding
to the next.
The Looper
QUANTIZE
Just like SMART, QUANTIZE uses VoiceLive3s
LoopAssist feature. It will make your loops fall
onto the nearest beat of the current tempo. But
other than SMART, QUANTIZE does not extend
or trim Loops.
In SERIAL mode, Loop tracks A, B and C play independently and cannot be played at the same
time.
This mode is useful if you have three song sections or progressions and want to alternate between them. Of course, you do not have to progress from Loop A to B to C in that order you
may play back loops in any order.
FREE
This ones easy to explain: No metronome or
other sync. Loops are all recorded completely
independently and can take any form/length. Go
crazy!
The Looper
Erase sub-menu
Loop limits
Erase
Erase
Erase
Erase
Loop track A
Loop track B
Loop track C
All Loop tracks
Erase sub-menu
Setup
Setup
VoiceLive 3 Reference manual (2014-01-30) 89
Setup
Input tab
The Input page contains settings for all of the inputs in VoiceLive3.
Use the Input Type parameter to select your microphone type. Choose the one that best matches your setup.
Setup
Parameter settings:
Parameter settings:
Setup
Use the Lead Mute parameter to mute all incoming lead vocal signals.
When you activate Aux Vocal Cancel, VoiceLive 3 will attempt to remove vocals from recorded stereo music coming into the Aux input.
Setup
Setup
Output tab
Use the XLR Out Level parameter to set the relative level of the signal going to the XLR outputs.
Parameter settings:
Parameter settings:
Stereo:
The left XLR output jack carries the left stereo channel.
The right XLR output jack carries the right
stereo channel.
Mono:
The left XLR output jack carries the summed
(with effects) mono vocal & guitar channel
signals.
The right XLR output jack carries the
summed (without effects) mono vocal &
guitar channel signals.
The dry channel includes Tone and AutoChromatic Pitch Correction (if applicable).
The dry channel does not contain HardTune
effect(s).
Dual Mono:
The left XLR output jack carries the summed
(with effects) mono vocal channel.
The right XLR output jack carries the
summed (with effects) mono guitar channel.
Links:
For a tutorial on PA basics, Yorkville has an
extremely useful PA Primer guide (PDF):
yorkville.com/downloads/other/basicpaprimer.pdf
There is also a great Craigs Corner video episode covering Mixer Setup with TC-Helicon
devices:
youtube.com/watch?v=qq0AOtafIjs
And another with tips on eliminating feedback:
youtube.com/watch?v=VlN1RJ4gcAo
Setup
Setup
Guitar tab
Phase parameter
Parameter settings:
Parameter settings:
Normal: Signal phase is maintained as it is at
the guitar input.
Inverted: Incoming signal phase is reversed.
It can sometimes be beneficial to invert the
phase of a guitar to prevent feedback from
stage monitors. This is especially applicable
to acoustic guitars
Setup
Use the Output Mode parameter to specify if guitar output levels should be variable or fixed.
Parameter settings:
Unity Gain: Maintains a constant guitar level
output, regardless of Mix settings.
If you have an expression pedal connected
and have it set to control guitar volume, the
guitar output level will be affected.
Variable Level: Changes to the guitar level on
the Mix screen will affect the level of the guitar
outputs.
This parameter is only applicable to the guitar
outputs, not the XLR outputs. The XLR outputs
always allow variations of guitar level via the mix
screen, as long as no guitar outputs are connected.
Setup
MIDI tab
Source parameter
Use the Source parameter to determines which
MIDI input VoiceLive 3 should use.
Parameter settings:
USB: VoiceLive 3 receives MIDI information
from the USB port.
MIDI: VoiceLive 3 receives MIDI information
from the hardware MIDI IN port.
Filter parameter
Parameter settings:
None: All incoming MIDI data is responded to,
if applicable.
PrgChange: All incoming Program Change
messages are rejected.
SysEx: Any incoming System Exclusive (SysEx) data is rejected.
PC + SysEx: All incoming Program Change
messages and SysEx data are rejected.
Setup
CC Channel parameter
Transpose parameter
The MIDI Channel and CC channel can be different. This means that you can have VoiceLive 3
respond to Program Change information on one
channel and to CC information on another.
Setup
Parameter settings:
Setup
Sysex ID parameter
! If you are using VoiceSupport for firmware updates and/or Preset management, you need to
set the SysEx ID to 0.
Parameter settings:
Normal: The default value. It is advised to
keep this setting unless you are encountering
problems.
Slow: Reduces the data transfer rate. If you
are having trouble with failed Preset syncing
or firmware updates using VoiceSupport software, try this setting.
Setup
Tone tab
De-ess parameter
Parameter settings:
Adaptive: Automatically adjusts compression
settings as you sing.
Manual: Compression settings are static and
manually set.
Tone parameter
Use the Tone parameter to switch the Tone block
on or off.
Setup
Setup
Gate parameter
The gate turns down the volume of the microphone/line signal when the input signal falls under a certain threshold.
Use the Gate parameter to choose between
adaptive (automatic) and manual compression.
Harm(ony) Atten(uation)
parameter (Adaptive and
Manual Gate mode only)
Parameter settings:
Off: No Gate is applied.
Adaptive: The Gate is adjusted automatically.
Manual: The Gate threshold can be set by the
user.
Setup
EQ Mode parameter
Use the EQ Mode parameter to choose between
adaptive (automatic) and manual equalization.
Parameter settings:
Setup
Use the Warmth parameter to adjust the character of adaptive equalization. When you set it to
On, the equalization will sound warmer.
Use the Low, Mid and High Freq(uency) parameters to set the frequencies of the low, mid and
high bands of the EQ.
Parameter range: 20 to 20480Hz.
Setup
Setup
System tab
Contrast parameter
Use the Contrast parameter to set VoiceLive 3s
display contrast.
Depending on the angle that you view the screen
from, different contrast settings may make things
easier to read.
Use the Global NatPlay Source parameter to define a global signal source for the NaturalPlay
feature. Use this parameter if you want to make
sure that only audio or control data from a specific source is used to determine key/scale. For
more information, see What is NaturalPlay? on
page 33.
Parameter settings:
Auto: VoiceLive3 listens to any audio or control data coming from the Guitar input/MIDI
or USB port/Aux input/RoomSense microphones to determine the key/scale that should
guide Harmony voices and HardTune.
Guitar: Audio received at the Guitar input is
used to determine key/scale.
MIDI: MIDI note messages received at the
MIDI IN jack are used to determine key/scale.
Aux: Audio received at the Aux input input is
used to determine key/scale.
RoomSense: Audio received by the built-in
RoomSense microphones is used to determine key/scale.
Setup
Setup
Setup
Buttonmap tab
Every VoiceLive 3 preset has its own Buttonmap tab, allowing you to remap the six effect
footswitches (Mod, Delay, Reverb, HIT, Double/Comp and Harmony/Drive) both for the Vocal and the Guitar layer. For more information,
see Remapping a footswitch on page 37.
Use the Step Button Function parameter to remap the Step footswitch to another function.
G Drive
G Amp
G Rhythm
G Octaver
G Wah
G Mute
All HIT
Looper**
* Harmony must be active for this to have an effect.
** Toggles the Loop layer. You may find this a
more convenient way of entering the Loop
layer quickly, compared to holding the Layer
button.
Setup
Use the Mic Switch Function parameter to activate Mic Control and assign a function to the
switch on your microphone.
Latched: Tap the button to activate the assigned effect, tap it again to deactivate it.
Momentary: The assigned effect is on only
when you hold down the footswitch.
Parameter settings:
For more information, see Change a button from
Latched to Momentary mode on page 36.
Off
Mod
Delay
Reverb
Vocal HIT
Double
Harmony
Transducer
HardTune
Rhythmic
Stutter
Choir
Synth
Harm(ony) Hold
Step
Tap Tempo
Bypass
All HIT
Preset Up / Preset Down**
Preset Step
Setup
Expr(ession) Pedal
Function parameter
If you have connected a second expression pedal to the Footswitch jack, use the Expr(ession)
Pedal Function parameter to assign a function to
this expression pedal.
The second expression pedal can be assigned
to one of the following controls:
Off
Lead Octave Down
Lead Octave Up
Harmony Octave Down
Harmony Octave Up
Harmony + DoubleLevel
Delay + Reverb Level
Harmony Level
Double Level
Vocals Mod Level
Vocals Delay Level
Vocals Reverb Level
Synth Level
Lead Level
Vocal Mod + Delay + Reverb Level
Vocal Level
Aux Level
Vocal Delay Sends
Vocal Reverb Sends
Rhythm Depth
Rhythm Division
Stutter Division
Guitar Mod Level
Guitar Delay Level
Guitar Reverb Level
Guitar Delay + Reverb Level
Guitar Rhythmic Depth
Setup
Exp(ression) Min(imum)
Pos(ition) parameter
Exp(ression) Max(imum)
Pos(ition) parameter
If you have connected a second expression pedal to the Footswitch jack, use the Exp(ression)
Min(imum) Pos(ition) parameter in the Setup
menu to define the parameter value that should
be associated with the minimum (down) position
of this second expression pedal.
If you have connected a second expression pedal to the Footswitch jack, use the Exp(ression)
Max(imum) Pos(ition) parameter in the Setup
menu to define the parameter value that should
be associated with the maximum (up) position of
this second expression pedal.
For more information, see Exp. Pedal tab: Getting the most out of your expression pedal on
page 50.
For more information, see Exp. Pedal tab: Getting the most out of your expression pedal on
page 50.
Setup
G Mute
All HIT
Looper**
* Harmony must be active for this to have an effect.
** Toggles the Loop layer. You may find this a
more convenient way of entering the Loop
layer quickly, compared to holding the Layer
button.
Setup
The Product Info tab contains important information about your VoiceLive 3, including:
Installed Firmware Version
Serial Number
Manufacture Date
This information is valuable if you ever need to
contact TC-Helicon support.
Make sure you provide this information when
creating a support incident!
Appendix
Appendix
VoiceLive 3 Reference manual (2014-01-30) 117
Appendix
MIDI CC List
For effects that can be switched on or off:
Value 1-63 = off, 64-127 = on
CC No.
1
16
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
30
31
46
47
50
51
56
104
110
111
112
113
115
116
117
118
119
123
Appendix
System Maintenance/
Factory Reset
You can boot VoiceLive 3 in a special System
Maintenance that will allow you to perform several system maintenance functions, including a
factory reset.
Technical Specifications
Technical Specifications
VoiceLive 3 Reference manual (2014-01-30) 120
Features
Vocal Effects
Mod
Echo & Delay
Reverb
Harmony
Double
Transducer
Rhythmic
HardTune & Correction
Choir
Stutter
Vocoder
Adaptive Tone
Looper
Multi-track looper
Layered for verse/chorus (B/C) over base
loop A with infinite overdubs
10 x three track loop storage
45 minutes total loop time
Technical Specifications
Control
Design
Size
Height: 3 inches (76 mm)
Width: 13.8 inches (350 mm)
Depth: 8.5 inches (261 mm)
Weight
Weight: 5 lb. (2.3 kg)
Construction
Anodized extruded aluminum and steel chassis
Rubberized edit/mix knobs
Recessed rubberized handle
192 x 64 Blue STN LCD, White Back light display
Tri-colored Footswitch Light ring
Capacitive touch edit controls with LED indicators
Guitar Effects
Amp Modeling
Drive
Delay
Reverb
Compression
Resonant Filter
Wah
Mod (Flange, Chorus, De-tune)
Shifter
Rhythmic/Tremolo
Talkbox (part of Vocoder)
Connections
Analog Inputs
Voice
Connector: Combo Balanced XLR/Balanced
TRS 1/4 phone jack
Input Impedance Balanced: 3.08kOhm
Mic Input Level @ 0dBFS: -52dBu to +7dBu
Line Input Level @0dBFS: -40dBu to
+19dBu
EIN @ Max Mic Gain Rg = 150Ohm:
-127dBu
Mic SNR >100dB at typical Mic Input gain
Phantom Power: +48V
(on/off via setup menu)
A to D Conversion 24Bit, 128x oversampling
bitstream, 110dB SNR A-weighted
Guitar
Connector: 1/4 phone jack
Guitar Input Impedance: 1MOhm
Guitar Input Level @ 0dBFS: -2dBU to
14dBu
Guitar Input SNR >108dB
A to D Conversion 24Bit, 128x oversampling
bitstream, 110dB SNR A-weighted
Monitor
Connector: Balanced XLR
Input Impedance Balanced: 25kOhm
Monitor Input Level @ 0dBFS +16dBu
Aux
Aux: 1/8 stereo mini jack
Aux Input Level @ 0dBFS +2dBu
Technical Specifications
Analog Outputs
Voice
Connectors: balanced XLR
Output Impedance Balanced/Unbalanced:
300/150Ohm
Output Range 0dBFS Line Level: +14dBu;
Mic Level: -2dBu
Dynamic Range >109dB, 20Hz to 20kHz/li>
Frequency Response +0/-0.3dB, 20Hz to
20kHz
D to A Conversion 24Bit, 128 x oversampling
bitstream, 115dB SNR A-weighted
Control
Guitar
Connectors: 1/4 TRS phone jack
Output Impedance Balanced/Unbalanced:
442/221Ohm
Output Range 0dBFS Line Level: +14dBu;
Mic Level: -2dBu
Dynamic Range >101dB, 20Hz to 20kHz
D to A Conversion 24Bit, 128 x oversampling
bitstream, 106dB SNR A-weighted
Headphone
1/8 Mini stereo jack, 50Ohm, +14dBu max
Guitar Thru
Buffered Guitar Input
Connector: 1/4 TRS phone jack
Output Impedance Bal/UnBal: 270/540Ohms
Monitor Thru
Direct connection to Monitor input
Connector: Balanced XLR
Details
Power
External Power Supply Mains Voltage:
100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (auto-select)
Power Consumption: < 14 W
Technical Specifications
Safety
EMC Complies with:
EN 55103-1:2009, EN 55103-2:2009, FCC
CFR 47 Part 15B and ICES-003:2004 4th Ed
Safety certified to:
IEC 65, EN 60065, UL6500 and CSA IEC 65,
EN 60065, UL6500 and CSA
Operating Requirements
Operating Temperature:
32 F to 122 F / 0 C to 50 C
Storage Temperature:
-22 F to 167 F / -30 C to 70 C
Humidity: Max. 90 % non-condensing
Technical Specifications