TALKBOX SYNTH

Studio-Quality Stompbox for Guitar Talkbox Effects

and Vocal Tone Polishing

User Manual
2 TALKBOX SYNTH User Manual

Important Safety 9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized 20. Please keep the environmental aspects of battery
Instructions or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades disposal in mind. Batteries must be disposed-of at a
with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug battery collection point.
has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide 21. Use this apparatus in tropical and/or
blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the moderate climates.
provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an
electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord from being walked on or LEGAL DISCLAIMER
pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, MUSIC Group accepts no liability for any loss which
Terminals marked with this symbol carry
and the point where they exit from the apparatus. may be suffered by any person who relies either
electrical current of sufficient magnitude
to constitute risk of electric shock. 11. Use only attachments/accessories specified by wholly or in part upon any description, photograph,
Use only high-quality professional speaker cables with the manufacturer. or statement contained herein. Technical specifications,
¼" TS or twist-locking plugs pre-installed. All other appearances and other information are subject to
12. Use only with the
installation or modification should be performed only change without notice. All trademarks are the property
cart, stand, tripod, bracket,
by qualified personnel. of their respective owners. MIDAS, KLARK TEKNIK,
or table specified by the
LAB GRUPPEN, LAKE, TANNOY, TURBOSOUND,
This symbol, wherever it appears, manufacturer, or sold with
TC ELECTRONIC, TC HELICON, BEHRINGER, BUGERA
alerts you to the presence of uninsulated the apparatus. When a cart
and DDA are trademarks or registered trademarks
dangerous voltage inside the is used, use caution when
of MUSIC Group IP Ltd. © MUSIC Group IP Ltd.
enclosure - voltage that may be sufficient to constitute a moving the cart/apparatus
2017 All rights reserved.
risk of shock. combination to avoid
injury from tip-over.
This symbol, wherever it appears,
13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or LIMITED WARRANTY
alerts you to important operating and
when unused for long periods of time.
maintenance instructions in the For the applicable warranty terms and conditions
accompanying literature. Please read the manual. 14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. and additional information regarding MUSIC Group’s
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been Limited Warranty, please see complete details online at
Caution damaged in any way, such as power supply cord or plug music-group.com/warranty.
To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen
remove the top cover (or the rear section). into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed
No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has
qualified personnel. been dropped.
Caution 15. The apparatus shall be connected to a MAINS socket
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, outlet with a protective earthing connection.
do not expose this appliance to rain and 16. Where the MAINS plug or an appliance coupler is
moisture. The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall
or splashing liquids and no objects filled with liquids, remain readily operable.
such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.
17. Correct disposal of this
Caution product: This symbol indicates that
These service instructions are for use this product must not be disposed
by qualified service personnel only. of with household waste,
To reduce the risk of electric shock do not perform any according to the WEEE Directive
servicing other than that contained in the operation (2012/19/EU) and your national
instructions. Repairs have to be performed by qualified law. This product should be taken
service personnel. to a collection center licensed for the recycling of waste
electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The
1. Read these instructions.
mishandling of this type of waste could have a possible
2. Keep these instructions. negative impact on the environment and human health
3. Heed all warnings. due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally
4. Follow all instructions. associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation
in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
the efficient use of natural resources. For more
6. Clean only with dry cloth. information about where you can take your waste
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in equipment for recycling, please contact your local city
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. office, or your household waste collection service.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as 18. Do not install in a confined space, such as a book
radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus case or similar unit.
(including amplifiers) that produce heat. 19. Do not place naked flame sources, such as lighted
candles, on the apparatus.
3 TALKBOX SYNTH User Manual

1. Controls
(1) (2) (3)

(4)

(5)
(8)
(6)
(13) (14)

(9) (10) (11) (12)

(7)

(1) STYLE knob selects from the range of Talkbox and Synth sounds. (6) ON/OFF LED lights when the effect is engaged.
See Chapter 2: Using the Style Knob for details.
(7) FOOTSWITCH bypasses the Talkbox or Synth effect,
(2) CORRECTION knob adjusts the amount of pitch correction. With the knob but does not affect the reverb or Tone status.
at the center 12:00 position, the effect will provide subtle pitch support
(8) USB input accepts a micro USB cable for connection to a computer. Use the
without noticeable or unnatural artifacts. Turn the knob all the way up for
VoiceSupport application to install firmware updates, and for other features
a more aggressive effect, or fully counterclockwise to turn the effect off.
depending on your product.
Correction is inactive while Talkbox or Synth effects are engaged.
Download VoiceSupport from www.tc-helicon.com/products/voicesupport/
(3) REVERB knob selects the type and amount of reverb effect on your voice.
(9) ON/OFF switch powers the pedal on and off. To prevent audible thumps,
The 3 types of reverb appear in order from the smallest space (Room) to the
ensure PA level is down before powering off unit.
largest (Hall). Adjusting the knob within your preferred reverb
space determines how pronounced the effect will be. (10) POWER input accepts a 9V power cable (not included).
Turning the knob fully counterclockwise turns the reverb off.
(11) OUT jack accepts a balanced XLR cable for connection to a
Reverb is active regardless of the on/off status of the Talkbox Synth effect.
mixer or active speaker at approximately mic output level.
(4) BATTERY LED indicates the battery level, with green showing full life,
(12) MIC input jack accepts a balanced XLR cable to connect your microphone.
yellow being partial life, and red to alert that the batteries
should be changed. (13) GUITAR IN jack accepts a 1/4" TS cable to connect your guitar.
(5) TONE button engages a preset combination of adaptive EQ, compression, (14) GUITAR THRU jack sends your guitar signal out via 1/4" TS cable.
de-essing, and noise gate. “Normal” and “Less Bright” settings can be
toggled by holding the Tone button and pressing the footswitch.
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2. Operation

Connection

Micro USB cable MP-75 microphone

Mixing board
Power cable
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• Connect a microphone to the MIC jack Momentary Mode

• Connect the OUT jack to a mixer, interface or active speaker The standard function of the footswitch is a latching style, meaning that each
press of the footswitch turns the effect on and off. Alternatively, the pedal can
• Connect a guitar to the Guitar Input jack on the right side of the pedal
operate in momentary mode, meaning that the effect is only active while the
• Connect the left Guitar Output jack to an amplifier or mixing console footswitch is held down. As soon as you release the footswitch,
the effect is bypassed.
Optional:
To switch the unit to momentary mode, hold the Tone button down while
• Connect a micro USB cable to a computer
powering the unit on. Repeat the process to return to latching mode.
• Connect power cable
Changing the Batteries
Using the Pedal
Talkbox Synth can operate on 4 AA batteries. Remove the single screw on the
Vocalize into the mic while playing guitar to hear the effect. Don’t worry about bottom of the pedal to open the battery door. Make sure to observe correct
singing in tune; the pitch of the effect comes from your guitar. polarity when inserting the batteries.
Over-enunciate your vowels to get more interesting and expressive effects. Auto Gain
You can play guitar chords with Styles 1-4 but only monophonically (one note at Talkbox Synth will automatically adjust the gain setting for your microphone,
a time) using Styles 5-8. A light picking touch helps with tracking. eliminating the need for manual adjustments and ensuring that a good signal is
passed to the mixer without any unwanted distortion.
Classic, Modern and all Synth styles mute the guitar output to INST THRU. The
guitar is unmuted only on the Classic+ and Modern+ styles. 24 V Phantom Power
Using the Style Knob Phantom power is always active on the Talkbox Synth. This will power
condenser microphones, but will not affect dynamic mics either.
Turn the knob to select which effect you want. There are two sets of styles:
Talkbox (1-4) and Synth (5-8). See the table below for descriptions. Mic Control
1. Classic – This most closely imitates the sound of a saturated (distorted) horn Mic Control allows you to control the effect's on/off status via an
driver piping your guitar sound into your mouth. MP-75 microphone. Press and hold the footswitch while powering up the unit
to toggle Mic Control.
2. Modern – This style is clean and clear to mimic a vocoder effect.
Note that when using a condenser microphone, Mic Control should be disabled to
3. Classic + – This produces the same sound as Classic but unmutes the dry
prevent unwanted on/off switching.
guitar sound from the Guitar output for a duo effect.
4. Modern+ – This produces the same sound as Modern but also unmutes the
guitar sound.
5. Synth 1 – Two synthesizer voices triggered by your guitar are slightly
detuned for a chorused mono synth sound.
6. Synth 2 – A single fat, square wave synth voice produces a rich sound almost
like a totally saturated distorted guitar tone.
7. Synth 3 – A pair of detuned, octave down synth voices make a bassy,
chorused effect.
8. Synth 4 – A unison voice with a fifth above make a classic synthy sound.
Adjusting Style levels
You are able to raise or lower individual style levels to suit different guitars and
sound requirements. Load the style you want to adjust then hold the Tone button
while turning the Correction knob. The middle detent on the Correction knob
represents the factory level adjustment; to the left (counterclockwise) is quieter
and to the right (clockwise) is louder. Releasing the Tone button stores your new
level until the next time you require a change.
After setting, re-adjust the Correction knob to where you want it when singing
without the Talkbox or Synth effects.
Guitar Connection Tip:
Guitar – Placing Talkbox Synth as the first device in your pedal chain will give it
the cleanest signal with which to drive the synth sounds. If you prefer to have
other pedals before, optimum synth tracking is derived when their effects are off.
6 TALKBOX SYNTH User Manual

3. Specifications
Input

Mic Input Impedance: Balanced: 2.68 kOhm

Mic Input Level @ 0 dBFS: -42 dBu to +1 dBu
EIN @ Max Mic Gain Rg = 150 Ohm: -126 dBu
Mic input SNR: >104 dB
Guitar Input impedance: 1 MOhm
Guitar Input Level @ 0 dBFS: -7 dBU to 17 dBu
Guitar Input SNR: >115 dB

Output

Output Impedance, Bal./Unbal.: 200/100 Ohm

Output Full Scale: +1 dBu
Dynamic Range: >104 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Frequency Response: +0/-0.3 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Power

Power Supply (Optional): 9 V / 670 mA

Power Consumption: 6W

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

Size & Weight

Dimensions: 5.4" x 3.5" x 2.3" (140 x 90 x 60 mm)

Weight: 0.92 lb. (420 g)

Warranty

For the applicable warranty terms and conditions and additional information
regarding MUSIC Group’s Limited Warranty, please see complete details
online at music-group.com/warranty.

Due to continuous development, these specifications are subject to change

without notice
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