TC-Helicon Quintet User Manual

Quintet

Vocal Harmony + Reverb

UUSSEERR’’SS MMAANNUUAALL

a

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 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 Only use attachments/accessories

specified by the manufacturer.

12 Unplug this apparatus during lightning

storms or when unused for long periods of
time.

13 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.

• This equipment should be installed near the
socket outlet and disconnection of the
device should be easily accessible.

• Do not install in a confined space.

• Do not open the unit - risk of electric shock
inside.

Caution:

You are cautioned that any change or
modifications not expressly approved in this
manual could void your authority to operate this
equipment.

Service

• There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

• All service must be performed by qualified
personnel.

Warning!

• To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock,
do not expose this apparatus to rain or
moisture.

• 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. See table below:

Voltage Line plug according to standard

110-125V UL817 and CSA C22.2 no 42.

220-230V CEE 7 page VII, SR section

107-2-D1/IEC 83 page C4.

240V BS 1363 of 1984.

Specification for 13A fused
plugs and switched and
unswitched socket outlets.

The lightning flash with an arrowhead
symbol within an equilateral triangle, is

intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage"
within the product's enclosure that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of
electric shock to persons.

The exclamation point within an
equilateral triangle is intended to alert

the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the literature accompanying the
product.

b

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Certificate Of Conformity

TC Electronic A/S, Sindalsvej 34, 8240
Risskov, Denmark, hereby declares on own
responsibility that following products:

Quintet - Vocal Harmony + Reverb

- that is covered by this certificate and
marked with CE-label conforms with
following standards:

EN 60065 Safety requirements for mains
(IEC 60065) operated electronic and

related apparatus for household
and similar general use

EN 55103-1 Product family standard for

audio,video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional
use. Part 1: Emission.

EN 55103-2 Product family standard for

audio, video, audio-visual and
entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional
use. Part 2: Immunity.

With reference to regulations in following
directives:
73/23/EEC, 89/336/EEC

Issued in Risskov, March 2002

Mads Peter Lübeck

Chief Executive Officer

EMC / EMI.

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:

• 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.

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.

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Text Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

BASIC OPERATION

Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Signal Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Preset Handling

Parameter Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Preset Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Global Reverb/Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

VOICE KEYS

Voice Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Levels Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

EDIT/Hold for Setup Key . . . . . . . . . .14

Edit Menu Parameters . . . . . . . . . . .14

Setup Menu Parameters . . . . . . . . . .15

FOOTSWITCH CONTROL

Alternate Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

HARMONY AND TUNING

Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Harmony Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Notes Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Shift Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Chord (Chordal) Mode . . . . . . . . . . .17

Scale (Scalic) Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Diatonic and Chromatic . . . . . . . . . . .19

Just Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

MIDI IMPLEMENTATION

Parameters Accessible via MIDI . . . .21

MIDI Implementation Chart . . . . . . . .21

SPECIFICATIONS

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . .23

TEXT CONVENTIONS

Names of front panel controls and keys are
written in CAPITALS. Parameter names are in

S

MALL CAPITALS. Parameter values are in

underline

. Special notes appear in italic.

Rev 1.00 – SW – V 1.00English Version

Prod. No: E60502501

5

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing the TC-Helicon Quintet Vocal Harmony and Effects processor.
Quintet is the affordable key to great live and recorded vocals. Drawing upon the TC-Helicon
heritage, the Quintet is fast and easy to use. It supports simple editing and control of
harmony and effect parameters either from the front panel or via MIDI. Quintet is a state-of­the-art product and creates the world's most natural sounding harmonies. The signal path
includes a studio-quality mic pre-amp, superior manual and automatic pitch-shifting, as well
as critically-acclaimed TC Electronic Reverb. We hope you will enjoy using the Quintet as
much as we enjoyed designing it.

Features:

• HybridShift(TM) harmony generation for smooth, natural sound

• Five distinct harmony Modes: Scalic, Chordal, Shift, Thicken and MIDI Notes

• Humanization of harmony voices

• Selectable Equal Temperament or Just Tuning for harmonies

• High Quality Mic Preamp

• MIDI CC control

• MIDI CC 'echo' of front-panel controls

• A/B program switching for live performance

• 24-bit processing with 44.1/48 kHz S/PDIF output

• Works with TC-Helicon Switch-3 footswitch accessory

Please refer to this manual often, as there are many features and variations to explore.
Our website is another good source for applications, support and other user services.
Enjoy!

The TC-Helicon Team

www.tc-helicon.com

6

FRONT PANEL

POWER KEY

On/Off switch for the unit.

In order for altered SETUP and
current preset parameters to be
saved, the unit must be
powered off using this switch.
Powering down by removing AC
power will result in loss of
changes to these parameters.

LINE INPUT LEVEL KNOB

Adjusts the Line Input level.
Range: 24dB

INPUT METER

Peak meter shows Input level.
The Meter range is: 0 to -40dB.

INPUT CLIP LED

Indicates that the input level is
too high, possibly causing digital
distortion. Reduce the input
level to correct this condition.

OUTPUT CLIP LED

Indicates an internal DSP
overflow. Reduce the overall
level of the harmony voices and
vocal effects to correct this
condition.

MIDI IN LED

Indicates valid incoming MIDI
information.

LCD TEXT DISPLAY

Displays top-level preset
information (preset recall
mode), detailed preset
information (edit menus),
system configuration (setup
menu), and any important status
messages or user alerts.

VOICE KEYS (1-6)

On/Off function to set voicing.
These keys allow you to select
the voicing of the four harmony
voices. A maximum of 4 of these
keys may be enabled at a time.