About this manual5
Getting support5
VoiceSupport5
Please register your Play Acoustic5
Introduction6
Diagram legend7
Diagrams8
Basics9
Inputs and outputs10
Gain settings12
Switches and operation14
Control knob and arrow buttons16
Soft buttons18
Connection diagrams20
Mixer setup21
Play Acoustic back panel inputs
and outputs21
Stereo (or mono) vocals and guitar22
Mono vocals and guitar amp23
Mono vocal and guitar with a
TC-Helicon FX15024
Mono vocals via FX150 and a guitar amp25
Guitar and vocals via FX150 and stereo out
to a PA26
Stereo PA and TC-Helicon
Guitar & Headphone cable27
Setup button/section28
Input page (1/7)29
Output page (2/7)31
System page (3/7)32
System page 2 (4/7)33
Loop page (5/7)34
Switch-3 page (6/7)35
Product Info page (7/7)36
The Looper60
What is looping?61
Using the Play Acoustic looper61
Looping tips62
Using a Switch-3 for looping63
Troubleshooting64
General troubleshooting65
Appendix66
TC-Helicon scales reference chart67
Links68
Technical specifications70
ProductPlay Acoustic
Product (firmware) version1.0
DocumentReference manual
Document version / date2014 - 07-16
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) a
Important safety instructions
Important safety instructions
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 1
Important safety instructions
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 a 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 is 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. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
12. Use only with a 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.
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.
VoltageLine plug according to standard
110 to 125V UL817 and CSA C22.2 no42.
220 to 230V CEE7 page VII, SR section 107-
2-D1 / IEC83 page C4.
►
This equipment should be installed near the
socket outlet and disconnection of the device
should be easily accessible.
►
To completely disconnect from AC mains, disconnect the power supply cord from the AC
receptacle.
►
The mains plug of the power supply shall remain readily operable.
►
Do not install this device in a confined space.
►
For use at an altitude of 2000m or lower.
►
Do not open the unit – risk of electric shock
inside.
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 residential installations. 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:
For customers in Canada
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est
conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
Explanation of graphic symbols
The lightning bolt triangle is used to
alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltages” within
the unit’s chassis that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to humans.
The exclamation point triangle is used
to alert the user to presence of important operating and service instructions
in the literature accompanying the
product.
►
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
►
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
►
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.
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 3
Before you begin
Before you begin
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 4
Before you begin
About this manual
This manual will help you understand and operate your Play Acoustic.
You can download the most current version of
this reference manual from
tc-helicon.com/products/play-acoustic/support/
To get the most from this reference manual,
please read it from start to finish, or you may
miss important information.
Getting support
If you still have questions after reading this reference manual, please read the FAQs, visit the
user forums and get in touch with support at:
support.tc-helicon.com/
VoiceSupport
VoiceSupport is the application that allows you
to fully unlock the potential of your TC-Helicon
product and stay in touch with the latest news,
tips and tricks.
VoiceSupport key features include:
►
Professionally authored preset libraries
►
Direct access to product manuals
►
Update messaging – helping you stay up to
date with the latest software
►
Drag & drop preset management
►
Customizable content about your products
►
VoiceCouncil feeds for the latest advice for
singers
►
Firmware upgrading
►
Account management
►
Access to support
Please register your Play Acoustic
To register your Play Acoustic using the VoiceSupport software, launch VoiceSupport and
click on the ACCOUNT button.
Please note that registration of your product is
not required to use VoiceSupport, download
presets, update firmware or contact support.
You can download VoiceSupport for Microsoft
Windows and Mac OS X from
tc-helicon.com/products/voicesupport/
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 5
Introduction
Introduction
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 6
Introduction
XLR MaleXLR Female
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
XLR MaleXLR Female
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
Power Input
Mini USB
1/8 inch jackGRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type B
XLR MaleXLR Female
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
Power Input
Mini USB
1/8 inch jackGRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type B
XLR MaleXLR Female
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
Power Input
Mini USB
1/8 inch jackGRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type B
XLR MaleXLR Female
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
Power Input
Mini USB
1/8 inch jackGRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type B
XLR MaleXLR Female
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
Power Input
Mini USB
1/8 inch jackGRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type B
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
Mini USB
USB Type B
Combo Jack
MIDI Jack
1/4 inch jack
Mini USB
1/8 inch jackGRND Lift
USB Type A
USB Type B
Welcome to the Play Acoustic manual!
First, thank you so much for purchasing Play
Acoustic. We at TC-Helicon are confident that
your vocal and acoustic guitar performances
will be positively impacted with this great effects
processor.
As you discovered in the Quick Start Guide (the
short manual that came in the box), Play Acoustic is easy to use at the top level, but there is
more under the hood of this compact device
than you might think. We recommend you treat
your Play Acoustic like any other new instrument
and dedicate some time to learning how to use it.
Yes, that means RTFM!
Read the… full manual.
And if you ever find yourself without this manual:
On the bottom of your Play Acoustic , you will
find a “cheat sheet” explaining the most important functions.
Diagram legend
The following icons are used in the diagrams in
this manual.
Microphone
Acoustic Guitar
Monitor Mix
P.A.
Guitar amp
XLR cables
¼“ / 6.5mm TRS (Tip / Ring / Sleeve )
and TS (Tip / Sleeve) guitar cables
⅛” / 3.5mm cable
Mixing Board
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 7
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 Play Acoustic will be to the left of the
back panel image.
2. Outputs from Play Acoustic will be to the right
of the back panel image.
3. There are two boxes on the bottom of each
diagram.
►
The Play Acoustic box shows “what you
hear” from your Play Acoustic headphone
output.
►
The P.A. box shows “what you hear” from
the P.A. speakers.
4. We don’t account for other inputs/instruments
when showing “what you hear” from the P.A.,
so you won’t see pictures of drums etc.
5. In a lot of cases, “what you hear” will be the
same for both Play Acoustic headphone output and P.A. – but it can also be different.
PLAY ACOUSTIC
55
3
4
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 8
Basics
Basics
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 9
Basics
Play Acoustic – rear panel
GUITAR IN connector
Connect your guitar to this input.
via the Voice (L) connector, and a mono guitar
signal is sent via the Guitar DI (R) jack. This configuration can be changed in the Setup/Output
menu.
Inputs and outputs
Connectors are described from right to left. For
setup examples, see “Connection diagrams”.
MIC connector
This is where the magic happens!
Plug your dynamic, condenser, MP-75, or e835
fx microphone in here. Remember to set the microphone type and level correctly, as described
in the Play Acoustic Quick Start Guide.
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 10
AUX connector
Use a 1/8” cable to connect any music source
you want to use to your Play Acoustic (especially that 8-Track from your 1974 Comet). When an input is detected here and no guitar is plugged in,
Play Acoustic will use the music signal to figure
out key and scale information.
GUITAR DI (R) and VOICE
(L) output connectors
These are the main output connectors of your
Play Acoustic. By default, mono vocals are sent
GND switch
This is a ground lift switch. If you experience hum
while using Play Acoustic, try pressing the GND
switch to reduce or remove the hum.
Headphones connector
Connect your headphones to the Phones connecto r.
Basics
PEDAL connector
Use a TRS cable to connect a Switch-3 (optional)
to the PEDAL connector. If you use the Switch-3,
you have direct access to looping and other effect control. See the Switch-3 menu section for
details on assigning controls to each Switch-3
button.
USB connector
Connect to your computer with the included cable. Use the VoiceSupport software to manage
presets and update the product’s internal software (firmware).
You can download VoiceSupport here:
tc-helicon.com/products/voicesupport/
Stereo audio input and output via USB is also
supported at 16bit resolution with 44.1or 48kHz
sample rate.
Incoming USB audio signals are NOT passed to
the USB output, allowing you to sing/play along
with tracks from your DAW while recording back
“just the vocals and guitar”.
Power socket
Connect the included power supply. Your Play
Acoustic will power up immediately. Always use
a TC-Helicon power supply (12 V, 400 mA).
Using any other power supply may damage the
unit and will void your warranty.
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 11
Basics
Gain settings
How the Input LED
Level Meter Works
The LED on the top of your Play Acoustic is used
for both vocal and guitar level metering.
When setting the level for your microphone
or guitar, make sure that you sing or play
separately. If you are setting your vocal level,
don’t play your guitar – and vice versa.
The meter will show a combined level for both
guitar and vocals when you sing and play.
If you see the LED light red – indicating clipping –, it is helpful to play/sing individually to see
which input may be getting too much level.
Keep in mind that the combined level of two
inputs can clip, even when the individual inputs do not. If this happens for you, it’s best to
simply turn down each input slightly until the LED
no longer lights red when you sing and play simultaneously.
Setting Microphone Gain
Once you have connected your microphone and
selected the microphone type (Dynamic, Condenser, MP-75, e835 FX), use the Mic Gain knob
on the side of your Play Acoustic to set the input
level for your microphone.
As you increase the level, pay close attention to
the LED on top of Play Acoustic. You want the
input to light the LED green. It’s OK if the LED
sometimes lights yellow – but it should never
turn red. If it does turn red, reduce the level. Red
means that a) the input is overloading and b)
you’ve got powerful lungs!
Setting the guitar level
The control for your guitar input is on Page 1
of the Setup menu. You can access the Setup
menu by pressing the SETUP button and then
use the < or > buttons to move to Page 1. Press
the “soft” button next to the “Guitar IN” box and
use the Control knob to adjust your level.
Reading the LCD Display
The Play Acoustic display
The LCD display of your Play Acoustic displays
the following information:
Preset Name
The name of the currently selected preset. In the
screen shot above, it is “High Harmony“. The
Presets concept is explained in “What are presets?”.
Preset Number
The unique preset number – i.e., the number of
the slot where the preset is stored. In the screen
shot above, it is 1.
“FAV” indicator
The “FAV” indicator is shown in the upper right
corner of the display if the current preset has
been tagged as a Favorite.
“NP” indicator
The “NP” indicator is shown in the lower right
corner of the display when chord information
changes have been detected by Play Acoustic.
You may see the “NP” indicator switch on and off
somewhat erratically as it processes incoming
musical information. This is normal.
What is NaturalPlay?
NaturalPlay is the voodoo we do inside Play
Acoustic to figure out which key your music is in.
If you plug your guitar into the GUITAR IN connector, NaturalPlay will look there first for key/
scale info. Next, it will look at the Aux input and
listen to the RoomSense microphones.
Once Play Acoustic “hears” key/scale information from one of these inputs, it will set the key/
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 12
Basics
scale on the fly. “NP” is only shown when a
change in key/scale is detected – so don’t panic
if you don’t see it all the time.
“LOOP” indicator
The “LOOP” indicator is shown in the lower right
corner of the display when a loop is running, but
you are currently not on the Loop mode screen.
GB (Guitar Boost) indicator
The GB (“Guitar Boost”) indicator is shown in the
lower left corner of the display when guitar boost
is active.
Genre indicator
If you have set the Genre selector to any other
value than “All”, the currently selected genre is
shown in the upper left corner of the display. In
the screen shot above, it is “Harmony“.
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 13
Basics
Switches and operation
The three Play Acoustic footswitches
DOWN and UP footswitches
Form here on, we will refer…
►
to the footswitch with the down-pointing triangle as the DOWN footswitch and
►
to the footswitch with the up-pointing triangle
as the UP footswitch.
The DOWN and UP footswitches allow you to
navigate through presets.
►
Press a footswitch once to switch to the previous or next preset slot.
►
Press and hold a footswitch to quickly move
through presets.
HIT/ Hold for TALK footswitch
During normal operation, this footswitch acts as
a HIT button. What does this mean?
When you activate HIT by tapping the footswitch,
a new effect (or several effects) will be added
to the current sound. This feature is perfect for
spicing up a section of a song with a particular
effect, e.g. Harmony.
TALK mode
When you press and hold the HIT/ Hold for TALK
footswitch, Play Acoustic enters TALK mode.
In TALK mode, all vocal effects are bypassed,
and the microphone input is passed directly to
the output.
output is muted to allow tuning, but the dry voice
is still passed to the output, allowing you to tune
your instrument and still entertain the crowd with
witty banter.
Activating Loop mode
To enter Loop mode, press and hold the DOWN
and UP footswitches simultaneously.
For more information on the Looper, see “The
Looper”.
Loop mode screen
In Loop mode, the DOWN footswitch controls
the following functions:
►
PL AY
►
REC (Record)
►
Overdub
Holding the DOWN footswitch will undo your
most recently recorded Overdub.
TALK/Tuner mode
If you have a guitar plugged into the GUITAR IN,
you will enter TALK/Tuner mode, activating the
guitar tuner built into Play Acoustic. The guitar
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 14
In Loop mode, the UP footswitch controls the
following functions:
►
STOP
►
ERA (HOLD to erase)
Basics
To exit Loop mode, tap the HIT footswitch.
You may exit Loop mode while a loop is still playing. That means you can choose a new vocal
sound – and then re-enter Loop mode to add a
new overdub to the loop.
Loop Undo/Redo
To undo a loop overdub, press and hold the
DOWN footswitch.
To restore the overdub (Redo), press and hold
the DOWN footswitch again. Restoring a loop
overdub this way is only possible if you have not
recorded another overdub after using Undo.
Looping with a Switch-3
If you connect a TC-Helicon Switch-3 (optional)
to the PEDAL connector of your Play Acoustic,
you can use it to control all Loop features.
The benefit of using a Switch-3 is the addition of
the dedicated Undo button.
When a Switch-3 is connected, Play Acoustic’s
UP and DOWN footswitches are assigned to Set
Key/Scale.
where pressing the DOWN and UP footswitches
simultaneously will allow you to set key/scale.
You can set this mode on System page 5 under
“UP/DN Function”.
When you have activated this alternative mode,
pressing the UP and DOWN footswitches simultaneously will allow you to set Key and Scale using these two footswitches.
If you don’t know which Key and Scale a particular song is in, try using the last chord of the song
for the Key and Major 2 for the Scale. It’s often
correct, especially in popular music.
For more information, see “TC-Helicon scales
reference chart”. You can also find this chart on
the TC-Helicon website:
support.tc-helicon.com/entries/
21051886-scale-chart-for-TC-helicon-products/
To use your newly selected Key and Scale, simply press EXIT.
To save the current preset with your chosen Key
and Scale, press STORE twice. Storing presets
is covered in more detail later in this manual.
Tap tempo
To access Tap Tempo, press and hold the UP
and HIT footswitches simultaneously.
Tap tempo screen
Once you see the current tempo displayed on
the LCD screen, tap the HIT button in time with
your music.
When you are finished, stop tapping, and the
screen will “time out” back to the preset screen.
For more information, see “Switch-3 page (6/7)”.
Using DOWN and UP for
setting key and scale
Activating Loop mode by pressing the DOWN
and UP footswitches simultaneously is the default mode. There is also an alternative mode
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 15
Basics
Control knob and arrow buttons
BACK, STORE, arrow buttons and the control knob
Use the control knob to scroll through presets
and to move through various settings in the Edit,
System or other menus.
The arrow buttons act similarly, allowing you
to move through presets, effect/setup pages,
styles, Genres etc.
Quick Tip: You can press and hold the arrow
buttons to “jump” to the first or last page in a
menu. For example, in the Vocal FX menu, you
can move from Harmony (page 1) to Transducer
(page 7) directly by pressing and holding the >
button.
STORE button
What are presets?
To use Play Acoustic effectively, you need to understand the concept of Presets.
Essentially, a Preset is a record of all the settings
for a group of effects that you can recall quickly
and easily.
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.
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. 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.
Once you have fine-tuned all settings in the Vocal section, you should store them as a Preset,
so you can later recall them.
Keep in mind that you never have to save Guitar
effects settings. They are global and retain their
values across all of your vocal presets.
Storing presets
When you have made a change to a preset, simply press the STORE button.
Pressing the STORE button once will bring up
the name/location display, allowing you to rename and/or relocate the preset.
Pressing the STORE button again will save the
preset, along with its new name or location.
BACK button
Press the BACK button to exit the current screen
or mode.
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 16
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,
Basics
Changing preset names
To change the name of a preset, press the
STORE button once, then press the left blue soft
button and use the control knob to modify the
letters/numbers. Press the STORE button again
to complete the process.
Storing a preset to another location
To save the current preset to a different preset
slot (location), press the store button once, then
press the right Blue soft Button and use the
control knob to select the destination number
for the preset. Press store again to complete the
process.
If you change your mind and don’t want to save
the changes, simply press BACK.
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 17
Basics
Soft buttons
Soft buttons
There are six “soft” buttons on the Play Acoustic
– three on each side of the LC display.
Each button is context-specific – meaning that
when its function is available, you’ll see it lit up
with a WHITE or BLUE LED.
When there is no function available, the button
will not be lit.
►
In white LED mode, the text on the button refers to its action.
►
In blue LED mode, the button will select the
segment of the LCD screen that is directly beside that button.
Not every menu uses all six buttons.
Vocal FX button
Press the Vocal FX button to open the Vocal FX
menu, which controls the settings of the vocal
effects. This button is described in its own chapter: “Vocal FX button/section”.
Guitar FX button
Press the Guitar FX button to open the Guitar FX
menu, which controls the settings of the guitar
effects. This button is described in its own chapter: “Guitar FX button/section”
Mix button
Press the Mix button to open the Mix menu,
which allows you to adjust the levels of the signals. This button is described in its own chapter:
“Mix button/section”
Favorite button
You can tag a preset as a “Favorite”. This allows
you to e.g. mark all presets you want to use in
a show and filter out all others. This means that
you can use Favorites to create a set list or simply group all the presets you like, regardless of
their Genre.
►
To add the current preset to your Favorites,
press the FAVORITE button. “FAV” will be
shown in the top right corner of the display.
►
To remove the current preset from your Favorites, press the FAVORITE button.
►
To only browse your Favorite presets, press
the GENRE button and select FAV as the
Genre. Press the BACK button to return to the
Home screen.
If there are no presets tagged as Favorites, the
FAV option will not appear in the Genre menu.
GENRE button
Genres allow you to filter your presets by categories, such as musical styles and effect types.
Press the GENRE button to open the Genre
menu.
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 18
Basics
In the Genre menu, use the control knob to
navigate through the available options. Select a
Genre.
Press the BACK button to return to the main window, where you will see only the presets contained within the Genre that you have selected.
Presets can be associated with multiple genres.
Setup button
Press the SETUP button to open the Setup
menu, which controls the general functions of
the device. This button is described in its own
chapter: “Setup button/section”
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 19
Connection diagrams
Connection diagrams
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 20
Connection diagrams
The following connection diagrams show you
some common ways to hook up Play Acoustic.
For basic information about audio inputs and
outputs, see “Inputs and outputs”.
Mixer setup
For connection to your mixer or PA, check out
this Craig’s Corner video:
youtube.com/watch?v=qq0AOtafIjs
It’s very important to follow gain-staging instructions in order to get the best signal to noise ratio
(SNR) from your device and prevent distortion in
the signal chain.
Play Acoustic back panel inputs and outputs
SWITCH-3
Play Acoustic back panel
Play Acoustic – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 21
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