TC-Helicon VoiceLive 2 User Manual
USER’S MANUAL
Ver. 1.5
WARNING
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this appliance
to rain or moisture.
CAUTION
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
The lightning symbol within a triangle means, “Electrical
caution!” It indicates the presence of information about
operating voltage and potential risks of electrical shock.
The exclamation point within a triangle means, “Caution!”
Please read the information next to all caution signs.
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Step 1: Pre-Flight Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Step 2: Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Step 3: Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Step 4: Set Mic Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Step 5: Quick Start Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
First Impressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
How To Audition Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Finding Presets With The Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Using Harmony Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Using The Effect On/Off Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
The SHORTCUT Footswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
The STEP Footswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Programming Your Own Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Tone, Pitch And Guitar FX Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Activating Bypass + Tuner Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Changing The Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Basic Editing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
VoiceLive 2 for the Guitarist/Singer . . . . . . . . . .24
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Acoustic Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Electric Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Tuning Your Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Guitar Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Table of Contents: Basics Section
TC Helicon Vocal Technologies Ltd.
support@tc-helicon.com
MMaannuuaall rreevviissiioonn:: 11..55
Prod. No: E60509411
English Version
VoiceLive 2 for the MIDI keyboardist/Singer . . . .26
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
MIDI Hookup And Channel Selection . . . . . . . . . . .26
MIDI IN And USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
MIDI Controlled Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
MIDI Performance Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Alternate Harmony Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Using A Fixed Key (aka “Scale”) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Singing To Music Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
“Borrowing” From Another Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
General Usage Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Connecting VoiceLive 2 To A Computer . . . . . . .32
The USB Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
The VoiceSupport Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
VoiceLive 2 And Digital Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
USB Audio And ASIO Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Selecting The Audio Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
USB and MIDI Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Table of Contents: Basics Section
4
The Tone Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
The Tone Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
The Adaptive Check Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
The Shape Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
The Compress Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
The De-Ess Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
The Gate Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
The EQ Tab With Adaptive On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
The EQ Tab With Adaptive Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
The Compress Tab With Adaptive On . . . . . . . . . . .45
The Compress Tab With Adaptive Off . . . . . . . . . . .45
The Gate Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
The Pitch Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
The Guitar FX Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
The Guitar FX Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
The EQ Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
The Compress Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
The Edit Menu Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
The μMod Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
The Delay Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
The Reverb Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
The Harmony Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
The Double Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
The FX Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
The Rhythmic Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
The Preset Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
The Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
I/O Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
The MIDI Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Table of Contents: Details Section
5
The System Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
The Expression Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
The VLoop Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
The Store Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
FAQ and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
MIDI Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Factory Preset List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Effects Path Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Table of Contents: Details Section
6
Introduction
7
Welcome to VoiceLive 2
Thank you for stepping into the evolution of what it
means to be a singer. VoiceLive 2 was conceived and
engineered during a time in history when singers took
control of their vocal sound with the advent of vocal
effects pedals and rack mount units. The significance for
you, the singer using VoiceLive 2, is being able to benefit
from a wave of innovation that makes production of
your vocal sound effortless and creative.
We encourage you to give a quick scan of the Quick
Start and First Impressions section.You likely don't need
much help getting started with VoiceLive 2, but these
sections can help you get the most from VoiceLive 2 and
your voice.
Features:
o Stompbox access to six effect blocks
o Easy editing of all parameters
o Simple effect chaining with Step feature
o Control harmonies with guitar, MIDI or MP3 input
o Up to 8 voices of new NaturalPlay harmonies
o New reverb, delay, μMod, and double
o FX block for HardTune, megaphone, distortion
o Global tone, correction, and guitar effects
o Digital mic-gain control is engaged by your feet
o USB for updates, back-ups and audio streaming
About This Manual
You’ve no doubt noticed that the Table of Contents has
two sections: the Basics section and the Details section.
This manual is divided into sections so that users who
prefer to get right into using the product can do so
quickly with a minimum of detailed text. Users who want
to learn the detailed operation of every parameter can
use the Details section.
Product Firmware Version
Feature descriptions in this manual represent VoiceLive 2
firmware version 1.2 and newer. Product version is
temporarily visible when the product is powered on.You
can check for the latest firmware version by running the
VoiceSupport application and checking the items in its
HOME tab.
8
About TC-Helicon
At TC-Helicon we truly believe that the voice is the
world's most beautiful instrument. We don't mean to
degrade other beautiful instruments, but the singing
voice is the anthropological source for all things melodic.
You should know there is a dedicated group of
engineers, researchers and product specialists based in
Victoria BC, Canada, who spend every waking moment
of their working lives listening, talking, singing, and
interacting with singers and those who have passion for
the singing voice.
All this knowledge and experience is used to design
products respecting and empowering the modern
vocalist. Our products focus on removing barriers and
inspiring creativity in performance. That's why our
products range from near-field personal vocal monitors
to floor-based vocal multi-effects pedals.
Enjoy!
The TC-Helicon Team
Introduction
9
Front Panel
1 2
4 5
6 7 8 9
3
11
10
12 13 14
15
16 17 18
1. GLOBAL GROUP -
When activated, these three
effects stay on independent of preset changes. Press any
to activate or hold to enter a specific edit menu.
TONE
applies EQ, compression and more to improve the core
sound of your voice.
PITCH
adds subtle, chromatic pitch
correction to help you sing more in tune. Press
GUITAR
FX
to add modulation and reverb effects to the guitar
connected to the GUITAR IN jack.The GUITAR THRU
jack must be empty for GUITAR FX to be heard.
2. HOME -
Press this to return to the main performing
mode from SETUP, WIZARD, STORE or EDIT modes.
3. MAIN DISPLAY -
All text and graphics feedback is
shown here.The Contrast adjustment is in the SYSTEM
tab of the SETUP menu.
4. SETUP -
Press this to access the I/O, MIDI, SYSTEM
and EXPRESSION pedal edit tabs.
5
. WIZARD -
This helps you find presets on the basis of
factory-assigned tags or to sor t alphabetically by name.
6. STORE -
Press to enter a menu to name, assign a
destination and commit edited presets to memory. To
cancel and exit, press HOME.
7. EDIT -
Press to enter EDIT menu and make changes
to the μMOD, DELAY etc effects parameters via their
tabbed menus. HOME exits EDIT mode.
8. MIX / EDIT -
When HOME is lit, turning any of these
will temporarily present the MIX screen allowing control
of the relative levels of the VOICES (harmony and
doubling), DELAY/REVERB, GUITAR and OUTPUT level.
In EDIT mode, these controls adjust the highlighted
parameters immediately above them.
9. NAVIGATE CONTROLS - The Data Wheel scrolls
through presets when HOME is lit or through editing
rows when EDIT is lit.The left and right arrow buttons
increment presets up and down respectively when
HOME is lit or through edit tabs when EDIT is lit.
10. PRESET UP/DOWN -
The UP arrow advances
through presets and the DOWN arrow reverses.
Holding either will accelerate in its direction.
Front Panel
10
Front Panel
11
11. SHORTCUT -
Press to access the effect extension
that is listed in the MAIN DISPLAY under SHORTCUT.
This can include TEMPO,HARMONY HOLD and more.
12. μMOD ON/OFF -
Press to enable or disable
modulation effects including chorus, flange, detune, tube
resonance and more.
13. DELAY ON/OFF - Press to enable or disable timed
echo, tempo-based echo, slapback effects and more.
Hold to enter a temporary tap tempo setting mode
then tap at the tempo of your song.
14. REVERB ON/OFF - Press to enable or disable
reverberation effects such as Hall, Room, Plate and
Ambience. Hold to access MIC GAIN setting.
15. STEP -
When the COUNT legend in the MAIN
DISPLAY shows a number greater than one, tapping this
will advance to the next step in the chain. Holding STEP
enters the STEP programming menu.
16. HARMONY ON/OFF - Tap to add or mute the
Harmony voices created by your voice and VoiceLive 2.
Hold this footswitch to enter a temporary key setting
mode then tap the Preset Up/Down, Shortcut and Step
footswitches to set a fixed key and scale. See Using A
Fixed Key in VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer section for
more detail on using fixed key to guide harmonies.
17. DOUBLE ON/OFF -
Adds or mutes the Doubling
voices assigned to the current preset. The Doubling
voices are constrained to unison intervals only.
18. FX ON/OFF-
Press to add the serial effects of
Transducer (megaphones, distortion, hi-pass etc.) and /or
Hard Tune including scale-based Pitch Correction. Each
preset may be set to enable either or both effects.
Holding the FX footswitch enters BYPASS + TUNER
mode which mutes all effects except TONE and allows
silent guitar tuning.
1. MIC and LINE inputs -
Connect your microphone or
line level audio device’s output here. Only one should be
connected at a time. Hold the REVERB footswitch to set
gain when changing back and forth between MIC and
LINE ins.
2. GUITAR IN and THRU -
Connect a guitar to the
GUITAR IN to guide harmony and mix the guitar signal
into the main output. Connect the THRU to your guitar
amp and remove the guitar from the main mix output.
3. AUX In -
An audio signal received here can be mixed
into the main output or used to control harmony.
4. HEADPHONE Out -
The main output is mirrored
here to drive headphones. Adjust the headphone and
main output volume with the OUTPUT setting
controlled by turning the MIX knobs.
5. OUTPUTS -
The XLR and TRS (1/4”) produce the
same balanced audio output. Both can be used
simultaneously if required. Mono/Stereo configuration is
found in the I/O tab of the SETUP menu.
6. DIGITAL IN/OUT -
The S/PDIF-formatted DIGITAL
OUT is always active. Selecting this DIGITAL IN instead
Back Panel
12
3 5 6 7
1
2
4
8
9 10 11
Back Panel
13
of the USB digital input is done in the I/O tab of the
SETUP menu.
7. PEDAL Input - A standard expression pedal can be
connected here to control the level of the Harmony and
Doubling voices. Calibration is done in the EXPRESSION
tab of the SETUP menu.
8. MIDI Connectors -
A computer or controller
keyboard connected to the MIDI IN offers preset
control, realtime parameter control, and guidance of the
harmony voices. MIDI IN and OUT can also be used as
an alternative to the USB connection for backup and
restore operations.
9. USB I/O -
USB is a standard computer connection
allowing transfer of digital audio to and from VoiceLive 2
as well as for MIDI control and MIDI preset backup.
Configuration of the digital audio and MIDI settings is
done in the SETUP menu.
10. POWER In -
Connect only the supplied adaptor or
one with the exact specifications shown on the back of
VoiceLive 2.
11. POWER Switch -
Press to turn VoiceLive 2 on and
off.
14
Overview:
This chapter will help you get set up in the typical live
performance setting with a microphone. You will learn
how to connect external devices and how to set the
microphone gain properly.At the end you will be ready
to move on to experimenting with the vocal effects in
the First Impressions chapter.
In this section we cover:
1. Initial connections
2. Setting microphone gain
See the section on Basic Editing Concepts for more
information on VoiceLive 2’s tabbed, style-based edit
menus.
Step 1: Pre-Flight Check
Assemble the gear you need to get started. For now,
leave your VoiceLive 2 and PA system turned off.
1. Vocal microphone
2. PA system or headphones
3. Harmony control instrument. This can be a Guitar,
MIDI keyboard, external audio source such as an
MP3 player or none if you plan to enter Key and
Scale with the footswitches.
4. You will need a selection of cables listed below
depending on your harmony control instrument
and monitoring.
o XLR cable for your microphone
o 1/4” cable from your guitar
o MIDI cable from your keyboard
o 1/8” mini from an MP3 player
o XLR or 1/4” cables to feed your PA system
Quick Start
15
Step 2: Inputs
First, connect the XLR cable from your microphone to
the MIC input jack on VoiceLive 2.
Next, connect the instrument or device you will use to
control harmony. On power-up, VoiceLive 2 will
automatically configure all harmony presets to recognize
which instrument is connected. Only one of the following
should be connected for this Quick Start.
o
Guitar
. Connect the 1/4” cable directly from your
guitar (no pedals between the guitar and VoiceLive
2) to the input jack labelled GUITAR IN. If you
want your guitar to go through pedals and an amp,
connect another 1/4” cable from the GUITAR
THRU to either your first effect pedal or your
amplifier.
o
MIDI keyboard.
Connect a MIDI cable to VoiceLive
2’s MIDI IN from your keyboard’s MIDI OUT. Set
your keyboard’s MIDI OUT channel to channel #1
if it is not already.
o
MP3 player (AUX Input)
. Connect the output of an
MP3 player or another music source to the AUX
input using a stereo 1/8” connector.
If you do not connect an instrument to the GUITAR IN,
MIDI IN or AUX input, most of the harmony presets in
VoiceLive 2 will default to global Scale mode in the Key
of A Major (for this, see the section entitled VoiceLive 2
for the Lead Singer)
Quick Start
16
Step 3: Outputs
The typical setup for monitoring the output of VoiceLive
2 is to connect two 1/4” cables to a stereo channel in a
PA mixer. VoiceLive 2 can be set to output in mono if
preferred in the I/O tab of the SETUP menu.
If you are using a snake to connect to an offstage mixer,
then the XLR outputs can be connected without the
need for DI boxes.The output of the XLR jacks is the
same as the 1/4” jacks: line level (maximum +16 dBu).
Both the XLR and TRS output jacks can be used at the
same time when required.
If you prefer to monitor with headphones, the output
labelled with the headphones graphic will drive most
headphone types that are equipped with an 1/8” jack.
Now you can connect the power adaptor and press the
POWER switch to turn on the unit. NOTE: keep your PA
level off until you set the mic gain level in Step 4.
Quick Start
17
Step 4: Set Mic Level
This step informs VoiceLive 2 how loud you plan to sing
with your particular mic. We’ll use VoiceLive 2’s
automatic MIC GAIN feature to quickly set the optimum
level.
1. Press and hold the REVERB footswitch
2. If you need to activate phantom power for your
condenser mic, adjust the onscreen PHANTOM
parameter which will restart the level test
2. Sing for five seconds with peaks that are as loud as
you plan to sing
3. Follow the prompts in the display to finalize mic
level setting, cancel or redo the procedure
During performance, if you see the CLIP indicator light
in the HOME screen, you can return to the automatic
MIC GAIN feature to adjust the input level.
Step 5: Quick Start Settings
Ensure that the HOME and TONE buttons on the front
panel are lit. Load preset #1 with the PRESET up or
down footswitches. Ensure that the FX footswitch is not
flashing. Tap it once if it is flashing to exit Bypass/Tuner
mode.
Sing as you carefully raise your PA level or put on your
headphones. You should now hear your voice clearly
with Preset #1’s effects added.If you would like to adjust
the headphones level, turn the furthest right Mix/Edit
knob to adjust the OUTPUT level.
Now you’re ready for the next chapter: First
Impressions. There you’ll learn how to explore the
presets in VoiceLive 2.
Quick Start
18
How To Audition Presets
The best way to sample VoiceLive 2’s effects is to start
with preset #1, sing, and then tap the PRESET up
footswitch to audition the next preset. These factor y
presets contain collections of settings that affect your
voice in different ways.
Holding PRESET up or down will automatically cycle in
that direction. When working close to the unit, you can
also use the DATA WHEEL to cycle through presets.
Finding Presets With The Wizard
Press the WIZARD button to search for presets by
“Tags” which are preset attributes. Choosing a single tag
will result in a broad search; adding successive tags (up
to 3 total) will narrow your search. When you edit and
store presets, you can assign tags yourself to assist in
searching later.
The Wizard can also list the presets in alphabetical order
when you change the Sort setting.
First Impressions
Using Harmony Presets
Most presets that have the HARMONY footswitch lit
require that you play your guitar, keyboard or music
source (AUX input) to arrange the harmony intervals
musically around your voice.There are, however, presets
where the HARMONY footswitch can be lit but that do
not require musical input from you such as when the
harmony intervals are unisons, octaves or fixed shifts
used to create doubling and special effects.
If you want to audition presets without a music source,
simply press the HARMONY footswitch to mute this
effect each time you load a new preset.
You can read more about using harmony in the following
sections:
o VoiceLive 2 for the
Guitarist/Singer
o VoiceLive 2 for the
MIDI Keyboardist/Singer
o VoiceLive 2 for the
Lead Singer
19
First Impressions
Using The Effect On/Off Switches
The Effect On/Off footswitches give you the option to
modify the sound without changing to another preset.
You can do so by tapping any of the 6 effects
footswitches which include μMOD (pronounced
“micromod”), DELAY, REVERB, HARMONY, DOUBLE
AND FX.
Tapping an effect that’s off will add it to the effects mix
and vice versa. All effects have default settings so you can
merely press their associated footswitches to add them
to your preset without editing.When you advance to the
next preset, your on/off settings will be lost unless
stored.
The SHORTCUT Footswitch
This footswitch extends the capabilities of the current
preset. Depending on the preset, it could allow you to
engage Harmony Hold, set the tempo for the Delay or
turn on the Choir effect.The shortcut assignment for the
current preset is clearly shown in the HOME screen.
Some shortcuts require holding the footswitch (e.g.
Harmony Hold) and some require tapping it (e.g. Delay
tempo). Every preset has a shortcut, so be sure to
familiarize yourself with them all while exploring the
product.
The STEP Footswitch
The Step feature allows you to create a series of up to
10 linked effect changes associated with a preset. In a
preset that has steps, for example, tapping STEP could
toggle to another preset’s effects, turn on all of the
effects at once, increase the Delay level by 6 dB or all of
the above.
Some factory presets have been programmed with
examples of steps. You can see that a preset has steps
when the COUNT (graphic) item in the HOME screen
is a number greater than 1. When you see this, you can
press the STEP footswitch to cycle through the preprogrammed effect changes.
The STEP footswitch cycles forward through any steps
present. The PRESET (down arrow) cycles backwards
towards step 1 after which it will cycle backwards
through presets again. When the Step count is 2, the
STEP footswitch can be used toggle between the two
settings.
Programming Your Own Steps
1. Select a preset as the starting effect in your chain.
2. Hold STEP for a moment to enter Step
programming mode. Segments of the main display
will change color.
3. To insert another preset’s effect as the next step,
use the PRESET footswitches to locate the desired
preset.
4. If you want to change which effect blocks are on
press the desired effect footswitches.
5. If you want to make an edit, press the EDIT button
and make your changes. Edits made in Step insert
mode before accepting are stored automatically to
the new step.
6. Tap STEP to accept your new step and exit Step
programming mode. The COUNT legend in the
main display will increment by one and the STEP
footswitch will light.
To cancel and exit Step programming mode, hold STEP.
First Impressions
20
To delete any single step, locate the step you want to
remove then enter Step programming mode. Tap
SHORTCUT to delete the current step.
To speed Step programming, all insertions and deletions
are automatically stored when you exit Step mode. If
you want to experiment without affecting an important
Step chain, you can either store the preset to another
location first (Steps are stored with presets) and work
there or perform a backup before experimenting and
restore when done.
The Tone, Pitch and Guitar FX Buttons
These three buttons apply live engineer features that are
“global” in that they affect all presets.
The TONE button makes your voice sound smoother
and brighter by applying studio-grade adaptive
compression, EQ, de-ess and gating.We recommend that
the TONE button be turned on and left active to
improve your overall vocal tone.
Press the PITCH button to add subtle Auto Chromatic
pitch correction which helps you sing more in tune.
If you have a guitar connected to the GUITAR IN jack,
pressing the GUITAR FX button will apply effects to your
guitar sound that will be heard through VoiceLive 2’s
main outputs. The guitar effects and dry signal will be
muted if a jack is connected to the GUITAR THRU jack.
Press and hold any of these buttons to access their
menus and make global changes.
First Impressions
21
First Impressions
22
Activating BYPASS + TUNER Mode
Press and hold the FX footswitch to remove all effects
from your voice except TONE (when active).The Tone
feature remains active in BYPASS + TUNER (Bypass) so
your voice does not sound darker when switching to
Bypass for speaking or singing with no effects.
If you have a guitar connected to the GUITAR IN, its
output will be muted in Bypass and the Tuner display will
become active so you can tune silently.
Tap the FX or any other footswitch to exit Bypass mode
and return to the previous display screen.
Changing The Mix
The effects balance in VoiceLive 2 is adjusted at the
factory to suit many situations. The Mix/Edit knobs
change the levels of :
o the combined Harmony and Doubling voices,
o the combined Delay and Reverb effects
o your guitar and its Guitar FX (as long as GUITAR
THRU jack is unused)
o the overall output level
NOTE: These adjustments are “global” meaning they
affect all presets by the same amount.
With the HOME button lit, turn any of the 4 MIX knobs.
This will present the MIX screen where you can see and
adjust these levels. After approximately 3 seconds the
display will revert back to the HOME screen. Your new
balance will remain in effect each time you power up the
unit until they are changed again.
If you want to adjust the level of a music source
connected to the AUX IN, you can do so with the AUX
LEVEL setting in the SETUP menu under the I/O tab.
First Impressions
23
Basic Editing Concepts
When you want to go beyond turning effects on and off
to make changes in your preset, press the Edit button to
explore VoiceLive 2’s editing tabs. Each of the effect
footswitches has a related tab you can access with the
NAVIGATE left and right arrow buttons. Holding the left
or right NAVIGATE buttons will jump between the
uMOD and PRESET tabs.
If you make changes you want to keep, presets can be
edited and stored in place or to another location.
Individual factory presets can be restored at any time
from the STORE menu.
Once in the Edit screens, you can cycle up and down to
browse the rows of parameters by turning the DATA
WHEEL. The settings are arranged left to right so that
they can be accessed by the Mix/Edit knob immediately
below each parameter.Turn the knobs to make changes.
The first row of each tab contains the Style for that
effect. Styles speed editing by collecting a group of
parameter values together. If you like the sound of a
particular preset but you want a shorter reverb, for
example, changing the Reverb style is the quickest way
to accomplish this.
You can also vary the level of each effect in the edit tabs.
All effect blocks except for FX (Transducer and Hard
Correct are always100% wet) and Rhthmic can be
adjusted.
To store your edits press the STORE button. This will
show the preset naming and destination preset number
display. Press STORE again to save. If you want to cancel,
press the HOME button and then load any other preset.
To store from a standing position, hold PRESET down
arrow and STEP together. The LCD will show
“STORING” briefly and your edit is stored.
Overview
Guitarists have bonus features in VoiceLive 2. In addition
to sensing the guitar chords to guide harmony,VoiceLive
2 offers the guitarist:
o Effects, including compression, EQ, modulation and
reverb dedicated to the guitar
o Guitar mix to main outputs
o Chromatic Tuner
By this section we assume you have completed the
Quick Start and have your voice set to a comfortable
level in your PA or headphones.
Acoustic Guitar
If you haven’t by now, connect a cable from your pickupequipped acoustic guitar to the GUITAR IN as described
in the Quick Start. You should now hear your guitar
sound mixed with your voice.
To adjust the balance of guitar and voice, ensure the
HOME button is lit then turn the third Mix/Edit knob.
This will present the MIX screen so you can adjust the
level of your guitar.
Press the GUITAR FX button if it is not already lit.This
will add the default effects to your guitar.The Guitar FX
on/off status and style is static through preset changes.
Now you can sample the harmony-based presets with
harmonies closely related to your guitar playing. You
should now hear nicely produced lead vocal, harmony
vocals and guitar from your PA system or headphones.
Electric Guitar
Connect a cable from your electric guitar to the
GUITAR IN. Connect another cable from the GUITAR
THRU to your first guitar effects pedal or to your amp.
Set your guitar amp volume to a level compatible with
your vocals.
By connecting a jack to the GUITAR THRU, the guitar
signal is removed from the internal mixer and effects
paths in VoiceLive 2.
VoiceLive 2 for the Guitarist/Singer
24
If you hear a buzz from either your guitar amplifier or the
PA VoiceLive 2 is connected to, press the GND LIFT
(ground lift) button to silence it.
Now you can sample the harmony-based presets with
the harmonies musically related to your guitar playing.
Tuning Your Guitar
The Bypass + Tuner function works for both acoustic
and electric guitars.The tuner is a chromatic type so you
can use alternate tunings as well as standard tuning.
To activate the tuner, hold the FX button.This will:
o Change the main display to show the tuning meter
o Mute the guitar in both the OUTPUTs and THRU
o Remove all effects on the voice except TONE.
Tap the FX footswitch to exit Bypass + Tuner mode.
Guitar Performance Tips
To ensure that the harmony voices follow your guitar
closely, it’s best to play cleanly with chords containing at
least two notes. If you want to sing right at the start of a
song, it’s important to briefly play a chord first. A
recognized chord will show “NP” in the LCD display.
Your guitar should be well-tuned to the onboard tuner.
If the song section you want vocal harmony on has fast
chord changes, single note runs or very slow arpeggios,
you can use presets based on a fixed Key to produce
harmony.To find out more about this see Using A Fixed
Key (aka “Scale”) section in the chapter entitled
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer.
Setting Fixed Key and Scale With Guitar
If you wish to try using this type of harmony it’s easy. Find
a preset with the SHORTCUT set to SET KEY. Tap the
SHORTCUT button when the root of the chord you’re
playing is the Key you want. You can change the Scale
type with the STEP footswitch if you like.To accept this
Key and Scale, just keep playing - the menu will time out
automatically. If the preset SHORTCUT is not assigned
to SET KEY, you can hold the HARMONY footswitch in
any preset to enter the same menu.
VoiceLive 2 for the Guitarist/Singer
25
Overview
Using MIDI opens up a wide range of harmony and
parameter control options. This section will discuss the
basics of setting MIDI channel and performing with a
MIDI keyboard/synth to control harmony.
By this section we assume you have completed the
Quick Start and have your voice set to a comfortable
level in your PA or headphones.
MIDI Hookup and Channel Selection
If you haven’t already, connect a MIDI cable between
your keyboard’s MIDI out and VoiceLive 2’s MIDI IN. Play
a note on your keyboard and check VoiceLive 2’s display
to see if the MIDI indicator lights. If it doesn’t, set the
MIDI transmit channel of your keyboard to 1 (VoiceLive
2’s default) or perform the following quick MIDI receive
channel procedure.
Hold the PRESET up and SHORTCUT footswitches
briefly to enter MIDI Setup. Press any note on your
keyboard. This will automatically configure VoiceLive 2’s
MIDI receive channel to match your keyboard’s.Tap the
SHORTCUT footswitch to exit.You should now see the
word MIDI flash in the main display when you play your
keyboard.You can also set MIDI channel manually in the
MIDI tab of the SETUP menu.
MIDI IN and USB
To use the MIDI IN while you have a USB cable
connected, press the SETUP button, locate the SYSTEM
tab and turn the USB CONTROL setting to OFF.This
will enable the MIDI IN. Alternatively, you may also
remove the USB cable to access MIDI IN.
When you want to restore computer control of
VoiceLive 2 over USB, or you want to access the
VoiceSupport application’s features, you can turn the
USB CONTROL parameter back to On.
MIDI Controlled Harmony
Now that you’ve followed the preceding section, you can
sample the many presets that feature the harmony
effect. Load a preset with the HARMONY footswitch lit
VoiceLive 2 for the MIDI Keyboardist/Singer
26
or tap it to engage harmony in any preset. Now you can
play a song on your keyboard while singing and hear
how the harmony voices adjust musically as you play the
different chords in your song. As each chord is
recognized, the LCD display will briefly show “NP”
meaning NaturalPlay.
The factory presets that have the word “Notes” in their
names use another form of harmony control called
“MIDI Notes”.These presets allow you to tie the pitch of
the harmony voices to the exact notes you play. The
maximum number of notes can be 4 or 8 depending on
whether Harmony Doubling is activated in the
HARMONY tab of the EDIT menu.
MIDI Performance Tips
In chords without a clear third,VoiceLive 2 will assume a
major chord, so when you play in a minor key, and as a
general rule, you should always include a third when
changing chords.
If you want to sing right at the beginning of your song, it’s
important to play a chord just before you sing
If you sing while playing a chord and then press the
sustain pedal, you’re able to add a keyboard
embellishment that doesn’t affect the harmony.
By default, program change messages from your
keyboard are ignored so you can change your keyboard
sound without changing VoiceLive 2’s preset.
Your mod wheel can be used to add or remove vibrato
in harmony presets.
Alternate Harmony Method
For some songs, fixed scale harmony (not controlled by
an instrument) works well. To find out more about this
see Using A Fixed Key (aka “Scale”) section in the
chapter entitled VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer.
VoiceLive 2 for the MIDI Keyboardist/Singer
27
Overview
This section is for those who do not play an instrument
such as a MIDI keyboard or guitar. You are still able to
experience VoiceLive 2’s vocal harmony effects with
these methods:
o Using fixed Key and Scale
o Singing to music-only playback
o “Borrowing” from another player’s instrument
By this section we assume you have completed the
Quick Start and have your voice set to a comfortable
level in your PA or headphones.
Using A Fixed Key (aka “Scale”)
This is the main method for creating harmony used
successfully in the original VoiceLive processor. Briefly, all
of the chords in an entire song and your melody can
belong to a single “Key”. You can input this key in any
harmony preset by holding the HARMONY footswitch
or using the SET KEY shortcut if it’s assigned in the
current harmony preset.
When the match of Key and song is correct, a fixed Key
is nearly indistinguishable from recorded harmony.There
are limitations however:
o Fixed Key works for many, but not all songs.
o Fixed Key works best with 3rd harmony intervals;
adding the 5th (interval: Higher) reduces the
number of compatible songs.
You should be singing with musical backing and stay true
to a A=440Hz reference. This could be a CD or other
musicians. Choose a simple song to start with.
Determine the Key of your song; this is often the first or
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer
28
last chord in a song without extensions. For example G
Major is a valid Key, Gm7b5 is not.
Hold the HARMONY footswitch to enter Key Set mode
then use the PRESET up and down footswitches to
enter the Key.The STEP footswitch will cycle through the
3 Major and 3 Minor alternate scales that can be chosen
if your harmony intervals sound incorrect at certain
chord/melody combinations.
Note that the Key you set is global so you can try other
presets with your song without entering Key again.
If you’re lucky the first time, you’ll be rewarded with
soaring harmony over your whole chorus or song. If not,
you can try the following:
o Try a different Key, perhaps a 5th away from your
first choice.
o Choose a different Major or Minor alternate Scale.
o Choose a preset with only the 3rd (High) interval.
o Create a Step to change Key at the right moments.
o Move on to the next options listed.
Singing To Music Playback
VoiceLive 2 can derive musical information from fully
mixed music tracks. For this alternative you’ll need:
o Music source device.This could be an MP3 player,
computer, CD player etc.
o Recorded music without vocals.This could be your
latest CD tracks minus your vocals or Karaoke
tracks available on the web
Connect as described for MP3 Player (AUX input) in the
Quick Start section. When you power up VoiceLive 2, it
will auto-recognize the AUX input as the harmony music
source. Choose a harmony preset and play your music
source. You should hear your music, voice and the
harmonies in your PA system or headphones.
Use the volume control on your music source device to
adjust the balance of music to vocals.You can also adjust
the AUX level in the SETUP menu, in the I/O tab.
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer
29
“Borrowing” From Another Player
If you play with a guitarist or MIDI keyboard player, you
can use their playing to guide the harmony voices in your
VoiceLive 2.
Your guitarist can connect to the GUITAR IN and THRU
then to their pedalboard or amp.Their guitar sound will
remain the same and you can turn the harmonies on and
off when you need them.The only limitation is the length
of cable because high impedance signals lose signal over
long cable runs. If this is an issue, you could use a preamp
out or effects loop output from the amp.
Alternatively, you can run a MIDI cable from your
keyboardist’s controller to your VoiceLive 2. This has no
effect on the keyboard sound and cable runs are not a
problem.
With either solution, you can co-ordinate with the player
to make sure they are playing complete chords where
you plan to use harmony.
VoiceLive 2 for the Lead Singer
30
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