TC Helicon GO XLR User manual

User Manual

GO XLR

Revolutionary Online Broadcaster Platform with 4-Channel Mixer, Motorized Faders, Sound Board and Vocal Effects

2	GO XLR User Manual
Table of Contents
Important Safety Instructions.......................................		3
Legal Disclaimer..............................................................		3
Limited warranty............................................................		3
1. PC Setup Guide...........................................................		4
2.	Connection Diagram..................................................	7
3.	Setting Up Your Mic...................................................	8
4.	Understanding Audio Channels.............................	11
5.	App Basics.................................................................	14
6.	Navigating the Mixer Tab........................................	16
7. Setting Up GO XLR for Voice Chat...........................		17
8.	Assigning Apps without an Output to a Fader......	19
9. Setting Up GO XLR with XSplit /OBS.......................		21
10. Sampler Basics........................................................		22
11. Global, FX & Sampler Lighting..............................		25
12. Specification...........................................................		28

Important Safety

Instructions

Terminals marked with this symbol carry electrical current of sufficient magnitude to constitute risk of electric shock.

Use only high-quality professional speaker cables with ¼" TS or twist-locking plugs pre-installed. All other installation or modification should be performed only by qualified personnel.

This symbol, wherever it appears,

alerts you to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage inside the

enclosure - voltage that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.

This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to important operating and maintenance instructions in the

accompanying literature. Please read the manual.

Caution

To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove the top cover (or the rear section).

No user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel.

Caution

To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this appliance to rain and moisture. The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping

or splashing liquids and no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.

Caution

These service instructions are for use by qualified service personnel only.

To reduce the risk of electric shock do not perform any servicing other than that contained in the operation instructions. Repairs have to be performed by qualified service personnel.

1.Read these instructions.

2.Keep these instructions.

3.Heed all warnings.

4.Follow all instructions.

5.Do not use this apparatus near water.

6.Clean only with dry cloth.

7.Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8.Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9.Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide

blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the 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 pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11.Use only attachments/accessories specified by

the manufacturer.

12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket,

or table specified by the

manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when

moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid

injury from tip-over.

13.Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

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.

15.The apparatus shall be connected to a MAINS socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.

16.Where the MAINS plug or an appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.

17.Correct disposal of this product: This symbol indicates that this product must not be disposed of with household waste,

according to the WEEE Directive (2012/19/EU) and your national law. This product should be taken

to a collection center licensed for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The mishandling of this type of waste could have a possible negative impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to the efficient use of natural resources. For more information about where you can take your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, or your household waste collection service.

18.Do not install in a confined space, such as a book case or similar unit.

19.Do not place naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, on the apparatus.

20.Please keep the environmental aspects of battery disposal in mind. Batteries must be disposed-of at a battery collection point.

21.Use this apparatus in tropical and/or

moderate climates.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Music Tribe accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description, photograph,

or statement contained herein. Technical specifications, appearances and other information are subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Midas, Klark Teknik,

Lab Gruppen, Lake, Tannoy, Turbosound, TC Electronic, TC Helicon, Behringer, Bugera and Coolaudio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Music Tribe Global Brands Ltd. © Music Tribe Global Brands Ltd. 2019 All rights reserved.

LIMITED WARRANTY

For the applicable warranty terms and conditions and additional information regarding Music Tribe’s

Limited Warranty, please see complete details online at musictribe.com/warranty.

Zhongshan Eurotec Electronics Limited

No. 10 Wanmei Road, South China Modern Chinese Medicine Park, Nanlang Town, 528451, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China

GO XLR User Manual

1. PC Setup Guide

This section will describe how to set up a basic one-PC streaming setup. To begin, you must first download the GO XLR app and driver.

1.1 GO XLR App

The GO XLR app is REQUIRED to operate your GO XLR. GO XLR app key features include:

• EQ, Compress and Gate your mic

• Set up and define mixer controls

• Change button/screen colors

• Create and manage samples

• Save voice FX settings

• Direct access to product manuals

• Access to TC Helicon support

Minimum Hardware

-Core 2 DUO CPU PC-based Hardware -Ethernet port

-1 GB RAM

Recommended Operating Systems

-Windows 7, 32-bit or 64-bit Windows*w -Windows 8, 32-bit or 64 bit

-Windows 10, 32-bit or 64-bit

*Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

1.2 Download the app

1.Download the GO XLR app:

a)Go to the GO XLR product page at tc-helicon.com/products/goxlr.

b)Click on the Downloads tab.

c)Click on the download icon for the latest version of the GO XLR app.

d)Follow the onscreen installation instructions.

2.You may be asked to reboot your computer.

3.Connect the GO XLR USB cable to your computer when app installation is complete.

4.Power up GO XLR.

5.Dominate the Interwebs!

1.3 Power Up

To begin working with the GO XLR app, the GO XLR unit should be connected to your computer and powered up with these basic connection steps:

1. Connect the include USB cable to the USB jack on the rear panel of XLR GO.

2.Connect the other end of the USB cable to your computer.

3.Plug the power supply connector into the DC IN power jack on the back panel of GO XLR.

1.4 Single PC Setup

The most basic livestreaming setup you can use with GO XLR is a one-PC setup withy the following devices and connections:

• Your PC computer

• GO XLR

• Power

• Headphones

• USB

• XLR microphone

1.5 Dual PC Setup

A dual PC setup uses two computers:

• a gaming computer

• a streaming computer

We recommend you connect GO XLR to your gaming computer, and then use the LINE IN and LINE OUT jacks on the GO XLR rear panel to communicate with your streaming computer.

5GO XLR User Manual

1.6Why is a dual-PC setup special?

First, understand that all audio processing is done inside GO XLR, and you end up with a USB audio stream called “Broadcast Mix.” This Broadcast Mix would normally go through a one-PC setup directly to OBS, XSplit or whatever livestreaming service you plan to use.

However, with a dual-PC setup, you need to get that Broadcast Mix audio out of GO XLR and into your streaming computer.

To accomplish this re-channeling of the Broadcast Mix to your streaming PC, you will need two 3.5 mm stereo cables:

1.Run the first cable from the LINE OUT jack on GO XLR to the LINE IN jack on your streaming computer.

2.Run the second cable from the LINE OUT on your streaming computer to the LINE IN jack on the rear panel of GO XLR. This second connection will allow you to route in all streaming alerts or other audio from your streaming computer back into GO XLR so you can hear them over your headphones.

1.7 Basic Audio Connections

The following connections will work for a single-PC setup, and they can be adapted for a dual-PC setup if you also use the LINE IN and LINE OUT jacks to connect to your streaming computer.

To get started, follow these steps:

1.Plug one end of your XLR microphone cable into your microphone.

2.Connect the other end of your XLR cable into the XLR jack on the back panel of GO XLR.

3.Connect any auxiliary audio devices to the LINE IN 3.5 mm jack on the back panel. Auxiliary audio devices could include your phone, a tablet computer, and so on. For a dual-PC setup, the LINE IN jack will be used to route streaming alerts and other audio from your streaming computer back into GO XLR.

4.If your microphone does not have an XLR connection, you can connect the microphone to the MIC input with the pink ring immediately to the right of the LINE IN jack. This MIC connection can also work with the

Blue Yeti* microphone.

NOTE: If you intend to use the popular Blue Yeti* microphone, which has its own built-in headphone output, you should run that built-in headphone output into the GO XLR’s MIC input. For Blue Yeti mics powered via USB, plug the USB connector directly into your computer for power, but do not select the Blue Yeti as an audio source on the computer. Instead, the Blue Yeti’s headphone output will be the audio source for mixing inside GO XLR.

5. Plug your headphones into the PHONES output.

Pro Tip: You may also run your headphone cable underneath GO XLR by using the cable channel designed into the underside of the unit, so that you do not have to wrap your headphone cable around the GO XLR mixer.

Cable channel

6GO XLR User Manual

6.Plug a 3.5 mm stereo cable into the LINE OUT jack if you wish to route a stereo copy of your livestream out to other devices. In a dual-PC setup, you will want to connect the LINE OUT jack on GO XLR to the LINE IN jack on your streaming PC.

7. If you will be gaming on a Playstation† or Xbox‡, plug these gaming consoles into the OPTICAL output on the rear panel.

* Yeti is a registered trademark of Blue Microphones.

† PlayStation is a registered trademark or trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. SONY is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.

‡ Xbox is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

7GO XLR User Manual

2.Connection Diagram

Studio Vocal Mic
	Stream
	broadcast
External Audio Device	Gaming Console
(if applicable)
Stream alerts

Gaming Headset with Mic

Dedicated Streaming	Gaming/Streaming
Computer (if applicable)	Computer

Audio out to GO XLR via headphone output

Power via

USB (no audio)

Blue Yeti Microphone

Computer

Blue Yeti Mic Recommended Connection

8GO XLR User Manual

3.Setting Up Your Mic

Once you have your microphone connected to GO XLR, you will need to go into the GO XLR app and set up the input levels and processing for your microphone.

3.1 Setting the Input Level

After plugging your microphone into GO XLR, you will first need to set the input level by following these instructions:

1. Go to the System tab in the lower half of the GO XLR app window.

2. Under Settings, click on Mic Setup. The system will launch a dialogue box.

3.Choose between Dynamic and Condenser settings. If your microphone is a condenser mic, you will need to use the Condenser setting so that GO XLR transmits the “phantom power” required to run the microphone.

4.While talking into the microphone at a regular level, watch the level in the Mic Meter.

5.Adjust the Gain control until the signal peaks in the Good portion of the meter, with occasional peaks in the Loud range. If the level peaks in the Low range, increase the gain. If the meter peaks too consistently in the Loud range, reduce the gain.

6. Once you have an acceptable signal level, click on OK to exit.

3.2 Setting Microphone Processing

Once you have set an acceptable level for your microphone, now it’s time add some equalization, compression, gating, and if necessary, de-essing. These processing effects will help you find that “pro” sound for your vocals.

To add basic processing to your mic signal, follow these instructions: 1. Go to the Mic tab in the lower half of the GO XLR app’s screen.

9GO XLR User Manual

2.Raise or lower the Bass and Treble controls in the Equalizer section to adjust the basic equalization of your vocal. Raise the Bass control to add thickness, or reduce the control to thin out your vocal sound. Raise the Treble control to add brightness, or reduce the control to remove a harsh or tinny sound.

3.Adjust the Compression setting until your vocal sound has the desired evenness.

4.Adjust the Gate setting if you wish to screen out ambient background noise in your room. The right Gate setting will open up quickly and smoothly to let your voice through and then close down when you stop speaking, without stuttering or abrupt cutoffs.

5.Adjust the De-Esser to control “S” sounds in your vocal. The right setting will sound natural, without trebly harshness or sounding muffled.

3.3 Descriptions and Advanced Processing Settings

The Equalizer, Compressor and Gate effects in the Mic tab can each be expanded to show additional settings and parameters for finer control of your sound. Click on the arrow to the right of each window to expand the windows and expose the additional controls.

3.3.1 Equalizer

Equalizer with expanded controls

In the Equalizer, the expanded controls go beyond the basic Bass and Treble adjustment with multiple controls laid out like a graphic equalizer. Each control focuses on a specific band of frequencies, which can be handy, for example, if you need to find and reduce the frequency band containing an unpleasant room resonance in your microphone sound.

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