DigiTech VOCALISTVR User Manual
Vocalist VR
WARNING
FOR YOUR PROTECTION, PLEASE READ THE
FOLLOWING:
Water and Moisture: Appliance should not be used near water (e.g. near a
bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a
swimming pool, etc). Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through openings.
POWER SOURCES: The appliance should be connected to a power supply
only of the type described in the operating instructions or as marked on the
appliance.
GROUNDING OR POLARIZATION: Precautions should be taken so that the
grounding or polarization means of an appliance is not defeated.
POWER CORD PROTECTION: Power supply cords should be routed so that
they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against
them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles,
and the point where they exit from the appliance.
SERVICING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, the user should not
attempt to service the appliance beyond that described in the operating instructions. All other servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel.
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of fire replace only with same type fuse.
ATTENTION: Utiliser un fusible de recharge de même type.
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of fire replace LAMP with manufacturers recommended part ( Refer to service literature)
U.K. MAINS PLUG WARNING
A moulded mains plug that has been cut off from the cord is unsafe. Discard
the mains plug at a suitable disposal facility. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU INSERT A DAMAGED OR CUT MAINS
PLUG INTO A 13 AMP POWER SOCKET. Do not use the mains plug without the fuse cover in place. Replacement fuse covers can be obtained from
your local retailer. Replacement fuses are 13 amps and MUST be ASTA
approved to BS1362.
The symbols shown above are internationally accepted symbols that warn of
potential hazards with electrical products. The lightning flash with arrowpoint
in an equilateral triangle means that there are dangerous voltages present within the unit. The exclamation point in an equilateral triangle indicates that it is
necessary for the user to refer to the owner’s manual.
These symbols warn that there are no user serviceable parts inside the unit.
Do not open the unit. Do not attempt to service the unit yourself. Refer all
servicing to qualified personnel. Opening the chassis for any reason will void
the manufacturer’s warranty. Do not get the unit wet. If liquid is spilled on
the unit, shut it off immediately and take it to a dealer for service. Disconnect
the unit during storms to prevent damage.
ELECTROMAGNETIC
COMPATIBILITY
This unit conforms to the Product Specifications noted on the Declaration of
Conformity. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
• this device may not cause harmful interference, and
• this device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation. Operation of
this unit within significant electromagnetic fields should be
avoided.
• use only shielded interconnecting cables.
FCC COMPLIANCE
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there
is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver that may cause
undesired operation.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver is connected
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Notice For Customers If Your Unit Is Equipped With A Power Cord.
WARNING: THIS APPLIANCE MUST BE EARTHED.
The cores in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following
code:
GREEN and YELLOW - Earth BLUE - Neutral BROWN - Live
As colours of the cores in the mains lead of this appliance may not correspond
with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as
follows:
• The core which is coloured green and yellow must be connected to the terminal in the plug marked with the letter E, or
with the earth symbol, or coloured green, or green and yellow.
• The core which is coloured blue must be connected to the terminal marked N or coloured black.
• The core which is coloured brown must be connected to the
terminal marked L or coloured red.
This equipment may require the use of a different line cord, attachment plug,
or both, depending on the available power source at installation. Connect this
equipment only to the power source indicated on the equipment rear panel. If
the attachment plug needs to be changed, refer servicing to qualified service
personnel who should refer to the table below. The green/yellow wire shall be
connected directly to the unit's chassis.
WARNING: If the ground is defeated, certain fault conditions in the unit or in
the system to which it is connected can result in full line voltage between
chassis and earth ground. Severe injury or death can then result if the chassis
and earth ground are touched simultaneously.
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
Manufacturer’s Name: IVL Technologies Ltd.
per DigiTech specifications
Manufacturer’s Address: 6710 Bertram Place
Victoria, B.C.
Canada V8M 1Z6
declares that the products: DigiTech Vocalist ACCESS
conform to the following product specifications:
EMC: EN 55022 (1987):
CISPR 22 (1993) Class B
EN 50082-1 (1992)
Safety: EN 60065 (1997)
IEC65 (1985) with amendment 1,2,3
Supplementary Information:
The product herewith complies with the requirements of the EMC Directive
89/336/EEC (1989) and the Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC as amended by the CE
Marking Directive 93/68/EEC (1993).
IVL Technologies Ltd.
6710 Bertram Place
Victoria, B.C.
Canada V8M 1Z6
July 31st, 1998
Brian Gibson, Vice President of Engineering
European Contact: Your local DigiTech Sales and Service Office or
International Sales Office
3 Overlook Drive Unit #4
Amherst, New Hampshire 03031, USA Tel (603) 672-4244 Fax (603) 672 4246
1
AC Power & Safety Warnings.......................................................................................inside cover
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2
Jump Start........................................................................................................................................3
Program List....................................................................................................................................3
Setup Front Panel...............................................................................4
Back Panel................................................................................5
Set-Up Examples......................................................................6
Factory Reset............................................................................7
Performance Setting Levels, Getting a good signal.......................................8
Loading Presets........................................................................8
Storing Presets..........................................................................8
Setting Harmony, Reverb, and Lead Levels.............................9
Harmony Control Modes........................................................10
Scale.......................................................................................10
Chord......................................................................................10
Notes......................................................................................11
Double....................................................................................11
Aux Input to Reverb...............................................................12
Editing The EDIT Parameters.............................................................13
Preset Specific Parameters.....................................................13
Global Parameters..................................................................15
Harmony Voicing..................................................................16
External Control Footswitch..............................................................................18
Main and Alt Keys.................................................................18
Using MIDI Control Changes................................................19
Basic Harmony Concepts..............................................................................................................21
Appendix 1 - Reverb Types...........................................................................................................24
Appendix 2 - Specifications...........................................................................................................25
Appendix 3 - MIDI MIDI implementation chart....................................................26
Appendix 4 - Scale Chart...............................................................................................................27
VOCALIST VR
2
Buying a new piece of gear is usually a difficult decision - what make should it be? what does it
do? how much? etc.? This is why we appreciate you purchasing the Digitech Vocalist ACCESS.
You might be interested in knowing that the engineers who designed the Vocalist ACCESS share
a lot in common with you. The engineers behind ACCESS believe the voice is a special instru-
ment and they want it to sound even better. Employing vocal harmony technology and reverb
effects, ACCESS was designed with easy operation in mind. Our engineers are using ACCESS
for gigging and recording on the weekend. Whenever and wherever you use it we trust you will
like the results.
Features:
Plug it in and Play - easy to use interface
4 voices of natural-sounding harmony
Three harmony control options balance ease of use and melodic flexibility
4 voice automatic doubling for vocal thickening
10 reverb types to enhance the lead and harmony voices
AUX input to Reverb allows sharing of the reverb effect with other instruments
50 user-editable presets
Extended utility via optional external footswitch
Extra expression capabilities via MIDI controller parameters
Buying a new piece of gear is usually a difficult decision - what make should it be? what does it
do? how much? etc.? This is why we appreciate you purchasing the Digitech Vocalist VOCALIST VR.
You might be interested in knowing that the engineers who designed the Vocalist VOCALIST VR share
a lot in common with you. The engineers behind VOCALIST VR believe the voice is a special instrument
and they want it to sound even better. Employing vocal harmony technology and reverb
effects, VOCALIST VR was designed with easy operation in mind. Our engineers are using VOCALIST VR
for gigging and recording on the weekend. Whenever and wherever you use it we trust you will
like the results.
3
Plug in the external power supply and turn ACCESS on. Connect a microphone to
ACCESS via the front panel XLR jack.
Connect the stereo outputs of ACCESS to inputs on your mixer, intelligent keyboard or
anything with speakers at the end.
Press the Bypass button so it lights. While singing into your mic raise the input level
until the Signal LED is lighting orange with some quick peaks of red on your loudest
notes.
Take ACCESS out of Bypass. Use the knob closest to the LCD display to select a pre-
set.
Enjoy and listen. Keep in mind that presets that say “notes” in the LCD display require
a keyboard to produce harmonies. Hook one up if you’ve got it.
After you have got some sounds out of ACCESS and impressed your friends, go to your
favorite room, with your favorite chair and entertain yourself by reading this manual -
just think how impressed your high school english teacher would be.
Program List
Programs 1 through 10 are “Scale” programs. Scale programs allow you to set the key and
scale at the beginning of a song and they will follow your vocal melody automatically from then
on. The factory programs have been set to E Major (programs 1-5) and E Minor (programs 6-10).
You can change the key and scale by pressing the edit button and turning the parameter knob.
Programs 11 through 20 are “Chord” programs. You will need a MIDI keyboard to control
the harmonies. Play the chords of a song on the keyboard while you sing and the harmonies will
change in order to stay musically in tune with you.
Programs 21 through 25 are the “Notes” programs. This is another MIDI keyboard-controlled
harmony mode. Whatever notes you play on the keyboard become the harmony notes when you
sing. This is useful for creating moving harmony lines while you sing one long note for example.
Programs 26 through 41 are Scale mode templates for you to build your own programs upon.
They have been preset to the keys of G, A, D and C with the four Major and Minor scales.
Programs 42 through 46 are the doubling and effects programs.
Programs 47 through 50 are the ROM (Read Only Memory) programs. It is not possible to
overwrite these programs. These are included to ensure that there is at least one program of each
harmony mode type in case all others are overwritten.
VOCALIST VR
Plug in the external power supply and turn VOCALIST VR on. Connect a microphone
to VOCALIST VR via the front panel XLR jack.
Connect the stereo outputs of VOCALIST VR to inputs on your mixer, intelligent keyboard oranything with speakers at the end.
Press the Bypass button so it lights. While singing into your mic raise the input level
until the Signal LED is lighting orange with some quick peaks of red on your loudest
notes.
Take VOCALIST VR out of Bypass. Use the knob closest to the LCD display to select a
preset.
Enjoy and listen. Keep in mind that presets that say “notes” in the LCD display require
a keyboard to produce harmonies. Hook one up if you’ve got it.
After you have got some sounds out of VOCALIST VR and impressed your friends, go
to your favorite room, with your favorite chair and entertain yourself by reading this
manual - just think how impressed your high school english teacher would be.
4
Front Panel
Power Switch
Harmony Voicing Buttons allow you to adjust the voicing of harmonies. The High and
Higher buttons create harmonies above your voice. The Low, Lower and Bass buttons
creates harmonies below your voice. The Double button creates detuned unison copies
of your voice. See page 16 for more detail on Harmony Voicing.
The LCD Display shows preset number and harmony mode information at the initial
level. It is also used to show editing and level information. Note that the “a” after the
preset number is only shown when the optional FS 300 footswitch is connected. See
page 18 for more details.
Data LEDs
Edit LED lights when ACCESS is in Edit mode
MIDI LED lights when ACCESS is receiving MIDI on any channel.
Data Entry Knob/Switch - is it a knob or a switch? It’s both. Turn the knob to select presets. Push the knob to access the edit screen in the LCD display. This control is used for
editing, and preset selection. For more details see page 8 or 13.
The Store Button allows you to save any changes you’ve made to a preset into user
memory. It also lights to show that you’ve made a change to a program.
Level LEDs (see page 9 for more detail):
Harmony LED lights when the Level Knob/Switch controls harmony level.
Reverb LED lights when the Level Knob/Switch controls reverb level.
Lead LED lights when the Level Knob/Switch controls lead level.
Level Knob/Switch - just like the Data Entry control, the level control is both a knob
and a switch. Use it as a switch to select which level you want to adjust (harmony,
reverb, or lead). Use it as a knob to adjust the level. Visual feedback is provided by the
LCD Display.
Bypass Button mutes the Harmonies from the stereo mix output. If there is Lead Vocal
and/or reverb in the mix they will be uneffected by the bypass button.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11
VOCALIST VR
Edit LED lights when VOCALIST VR is in Edit mode
MIDI LED lights when VOCALIST VR is receiving MIDI on any channel.
5
Input Level Knob adjusts the input level for the microphone and line inputs.
The Signal LED guides you to an optimal level setting. The LED lights in three colors.
Green is displayed when ACCESS can recognize the pitch of your voice
Orange is displayed when ACCESS is generating optimal signal to noise.
Red is displayed when ACCESS is just below clipping-causing ugly digital distortion
Back Panel
Line Input accepts mono line level audio from an external source. This jack overrides
the front panel MIC jack.
AUX Input to Reverb bypasses the harmony processing and routes the AUX signal
directly to the reverb effect. This feature allows you to ‘borrow’ ACCESS’ reverb effect
for other instruments that don’t need harmonies. The input accepts mono line level
audio from an external source.
Left and Right Outputs are the main mix outputs. The outputs have a selectable output
level using the level switch beside the outputs - +4dBu or -10dBu. Use the switch to
match the output of ACCESS to your mixer. For mono output use the left output on its
own.
MIDI thru/out/in are used to control ACCESS with an external MIDI device. MIDI IN
receives MIDI information. MIDI THRU transmits an exact copy of any MIDI informa-
tion received at the MIDI IN.
Footswitch input is used to connect a Digitech FS-300 footswitch to provide remote
control of Bypass, Reverb on/off, and ‘ALTernate’ Key. See page18 for more informa-
tion).
Power input is used only with a Harman Pro Group PS750 9.75V AC, 820mA power
adapter supplied with the unit.
1 2 3
4
5 6
VOCALIST VR
VOCALIST VR
Input Level Knob adjusts the input level for the microphone and line inputs.
The Signal LED guides you to an optimal level setting. The LED lights in three colors.
• Green is displayed when VOCALIST VR can recognize the pitch of your voice
• Orange is displayed when VOCALIST VR is generating optimal signal to noise.
• Red is displayed when VOCALIST VR is just below clipping-causing ugly digital
distortion
Line Input accepts mono line level audio from an external source. This jack overrides
the front panel MIC jack.
AUX Input to Reverb bypasses the harmony processing and routes the AUX signal
directly to the reverb effect. This feature allows you to ‘borrow’ VOCALIST VR’ reverb
effectfor other instruments that don’t need harmonies. The input accepts mono line level
audio from an external source.
Left and Right Outputs are the main mix outputs. The outputs have a selectable output
level using the level switch beside the outputs - +4dBu or -10dBu. Use the switch to
match the output of VOCALIST VR to your mixer. For mono output use the left output on its own.
MIDI thru/out/in are used to control VOCALIST VR with an external MIDI device. MIDI
IN receives MIDI information. MIDI THRU transmits an exact copy of any MIDI information received at the MIDI IN.
Footswitch input is used to connect a Digitech FS-300 footswitch to provide remote
control of Bypass, Reverb on/off, and ‘ALTernate’ Key. See page18 for more information).
Power input is used only with a Harman Pro Group PS750 9.75V AC, 820mA power
adapter supplied with the unit.
6
Set-Up Examples
Live Performance
The line-drawing below represents a typical live performance set-up. The keyboard is optional
depending on how you want to control your harmony parts (see Harmony Control Modes for
more information on page 10). Connect as follows:
connect microphone to front panel MIC input of ACCESS
connect stereo outputs of ACCESS to a stereo input or two mono inputs on your mixer
(headphones or amplifier and speakers are needed to monitor audio).
connect keyboard MIDI out to ACCESS’ MIDI in if using the Chord or Notes harmony
control modes.
Acoustic Instrument Performance
ACCESS works great for acoustic based groups. No MIDI input needed here. The AUX input to
the reverb is useful to add some depth to your sound. Connect as follows:
connect microphone to front panel MIC input of VOCALIST VR
connect stereo outputs of VOCALIST VR to a stereo input or two mono inputs on your mixer
(headphones or amplifier and speakers are needed to monitor audio).
connect keyboard MIDI out to VOCALIST VR’ MIDI in if using the Chord or Notes harmony
control modes.
VOCALIST VR works great for acoustic based groups. No MIDI input needed here. The AUX input
tothe reverb is useful to add some depth to your sound. Connect as follows:
audio from Vocalist VR to mixer
AUX send of
other channels
to Vocalist VR AUX input
for reverb
AUX send of lead vocal
to line input of Vocalist VR
MIDI from keybard
to VOCALIST VR
audio from mic
to VOCALIST VR
audio from
VOCALST VR
to mixer
7
connect a microphone to MIC channel on your mixer and any other instruments to other
channels on your mixer.
send lead vocal signal from mixer (via one of the mixer’s AUX sends) to the line input
of ACCESS. Send other instrument signals from mixer (via a separate AUX send) to
the ACCESS’ AUX input to add reverb to your mix.
connect stereo outputs of ACCESS to a stereo input or two mono inputs on your mixer
(headphones or amplifier and speakers are needed to monitor audio).
Intelligent Arranger Keyboard with built in speakers
Many keyboards have a stereo AUX input. Send your outputs from ACCESS to your keyboard to
mix harmonies, your voice, and keyboard arrangements the way you want to hear them.Connect
as follows:
connect microphone to front panel MIC input of ACCESS.
connect MIDI out from intelligent/arranger keyboard to MIDI in of ACCESS. Connect
ACCESS’ audio output to the line inputs on your keyboard
In the rack ...In the studio
ACCESS will interface with any studio console. The hook up diagram would be the same as the
Acoustic Performance setup on the previous page.
Factory Reset
To initialize ACCESS to its state when it left the factory, press
at the same time. The LCD Display will prompt you if you would like to “Confirm Reset”.
To follow through with the initialization press . The LCD Display will confirm by stating “Factory Restore”. Initialization will overwrite any custom presets you may have created.
VOCALIST VR
connect a microphone to MIC channel on your mixer and any other instruments to other
channels on your mixer.
send lead vocal signal from mixer (via one of the mixer’s AUX sends) to the line input
of VOCALIST VR. Send other instrument signals from mixer (via a separate AUX send)
to the VOCALIST VR’ AUX input to add reverb to your mix.
connect stereo outputs of VOCALIST VR to a stereo input or two mono inputs on your
mixer (headphones or amplifier and speakers are needed to monitor audio).
Intelligent Arranger Keyboard with built in speakers
Many keyboards have a stereo AUX input. Send your outputs from the VOCALIST VR to your
keyboard to mix harmonies, your voice, and keyboard arrangements the way you want to hear
them.Connect as follows:
audio from mic
to VOCALIST VR
MIDI from keyboard
to VOCALIST VR
audio from VOCALIST VR
to line inputs on keyboard
connect microphone to front panel MIC input of VOCALIST VR.
connect MIDI out from intelligent/arranger keyboard to MIDI in of VOCALIST VR.
Connect VOCALIST VR’ audio output to the line inputs on your keyboard
VOCALIST VR will interface with any studio console. The hook up diagram would be the
same as the Acoustic Performance setup on the previous page.
To initialize VOCALIST VR to its state when it left the factory,
press at the same time. The LCD Display will prompt you if you would like to “Confirm
Reset”.
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