TC-Helicon VoiceLive Touch User Manual

USER

MANUAL

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. 8 Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 9 Do not install near heat sources such as radiators, heat registers,

stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. 10 Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. 11 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.

WARNING!

• To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this

equipment to dripping or splashing and ensure that no objects

filled with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the equipment.

• Do not install in a confined space.

SERVICE

• All service must be performed by qualified personnel.

CAUTION:

You are cautioned that any change or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your warranty.

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 correcting the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.

• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from the one to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

FOR THE 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.

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED

1. Download the Latest User’s Manual. To get the latest and

most comprehensive information and to view the product warranty visit:

www.tc-helicon.com/support

and select your specific product.

2. Download VoiceSupport – Get the latest firmware for your product, tips and tricks, and videos. Download and install VoiceSupport from www.tc-helicon.com/voicesupport.

3. Register Your Product in VoiceSupport – Click on the ACCOUNT button.

TC Helicon Vocal Technologies Ltd.

www.tc-helicon.com

User Manual 1.2 VoiceLive Touch

English Version

Table of Contents

Advanced Looping: Shots Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Advanced Looping: Shots Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

USB and Digital Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

VoiceLive Touch and Digital Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

MIDI Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Factory Preset List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

FAQ and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Appendix: Looping Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

How to Get Started with Vocal Looping . . . . . . . . . .35

How to Expand Your Vocal Looping Horizons . . . . .37

Tips and Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Mounting to a Mic Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The VoiceSupport Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Basic Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Using the Slider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Using the Vocal Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Musical Control of Harmony & HardTune . . . . . . . .11

Basic Looping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Editing Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Effect Editing Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Using the Guitar Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Finding Presets with the Preset Wizard . . . . . . . . . .15

Setup: Phantom Power, Mono Output, MIDI Channel

and more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Performing a Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Using the Lockout Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

MIDI Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Additional Setup Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

The MIDI Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

The Advanced Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Advanced Looping: Loops Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Advanced Looping: Loops Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Mounting to a Mic Stand

MIC STAND SETUP

1. With no cables attached to the product, grasp it on both sides so the printed top faces you and is approximately level.

2. Slide VoiceLive Touch to the left so that the upper shaft of your mic stand is captured by the lower slot on the product. (Figure 1)

3. Slowly but firmly lower the front of the product so the serrated slot fully captures the micstand shaft. (Figure 2) You’ll feel initial resistance then the shaft should snap in and seat tightly.

Removal is the reverse: lift the front of the product so it snaps free of the micstand shaft then slide right to remove.

Note that micstand diameter should not exceed 16.5 mm.

CABLING

The horizontal mounting slot on VoiceLive Touch is also used to collect your cables. As shown in the graphic below, cables can be threaded through the slot. Use the provided cable wrap to tie your cables neatly to your micstand.

The VoiceSupport Application

4. Read the news, click on tabs and browse the features of the application. A manual for VoiceSupport is located here: http://www.tc-helicon.com/voicessupport-support.asp

Notes on using VoiceSupport with VoiceLive Touch

The Presets tab of VoiceSupport allows you to re-arrange and rename presets and Favorites in VoiceLive Touch.

Note: In the Presets window, the Favorites are located in preset slots numbered 276 to 300.

Individual edited presets and Favorites may be returned to factory settings in VoiceSupport.This is done by deleting them in the Presets tab and then pressing the Apply Changes button.

USING VOICESUPPORT

VoiceSupport is your way of getting the most from your TC-Helicon product, as well as letting your product grow with firmware updates that include new features.VoiceSupport includes:

••

Drag & drop preset management and backup

••

Access to firmware updates and new features

••

Videos, artist profiles, tips & tricks

••

Registration of your product

To access the VoiceSupport application

1. Download VoiceSupport from www.tc-helicon.com/voicesuppor t.

2. Install VoiceSupport on your computer.

3. Connect your product via USB to your computer.

3. Run VoiceSupport.

Connections

55.. GGuuiittaarr IInn aanndd TThhrruu -

Plug a 1/4” cable directly from your guitar into the high Z (impedance) In jack. If you use effect pedals, they should be connected after VoiceLive Touch. Plug a 1/4” cable from the Thru jack to your first effect pedal or to your amplifier/PA. If you leave the Thru unconnected, the guitar sound will be mixed into the main output of VoiceLive Touch.

66.. AAuuxx IInn JJaacckk -

Mixes audio from an external stereo device such as an

MP3 player into the main mix. No effects are applied to this input.

77.. MMIIDDII IInnppuutt -

Connect the MIDI Out from a keyboard, audio

workstation or MIDI sequencer to control harmony and select presets.

88.. PPoowweerr A

Addaappttoorr IInnppuutt -

Connect the factory-supplied adaptor here. Applying power automatically turns on VoiceLive Touch as there is no power switch.

99.. UUSSBB CCoonnnneeccttoorr -

Used for connecting VoiceLive Touch to a computer for version updates and MIDI communication. Note that the USB connection does not provide power for the unit.

1100.. FFoooottsswwiittcchh IInnppuutt -

Allows connection of a TC-Helicon Switch 3 footswitch.This footswitch can be set to control several useful functions in the Setup menu. Requires a 3 conductor (TRS) cable.

1111.. HHeeaaddpphhoonnee OOuut

tppuutt aanndd LLeevveell CCoonnttrrooll -

Connects to standard 1/8”

stereo headphones.

1122.. IInnppuutt LLeevveell CCoonnttrrooll -

Turn clockwise while singing to set input level. The green LED on the front panel should flash but the Clip LED should not light on your loudest singing.

11.. MMiicc IInnppuutt -

Balanced, low impedance XLR input for your mic.

22.. XXLLRR OOuuttppuutt -

Can produce a mono output when Output is

configured for mono in the Setup menu.

33.. GGuuiittaarr GGrroouunndd LLiifftt -

Press this to assist with hum reduction.

44.. 11//44”” TTRRSS OOuut

tppuuttss -

These produce the main output. They can be

configured for Mono, Dual Mono or Stereo output in the Setup menu.

Side View

Rear View

1 2

4 5 6 7 8

1100.. TTAALLKK BBUUTTTTOONN -

Tap to mute all effects except Tone. Hold to access guitar Tuner.

33.. LLEEDDss -

Input and Clip show signal present(green) and input too high (red). MIDI indicates MIDI input. An unlabeled flashing LED shows the tap tempo of the current preset.

88.. TTHHEE SSLLIIDDEERR -

Swipe, drag or tap the Slider to load presets or change values in edit modes. Tap to display preset name or parameter and value in edit modes. Hold to enter Wizard that assists in browsing presets according to category.

Double tap anytime to exit to Home.

77.. AARRRROOWW BBUUTTTTOONNSS -

Tap either arrow to increment presets in Home mode. Tap either to browse menus in edit modes. Hold Left arrow to undo last loop overdub. Hold right to extend loop length 2x.

22.. HHAARRMMOONNYY VVOOIICCIINNGG -

Tap any four to choose harmony voice arrangements. Hold any lit Voicing button to edit.

55.. DDIISSPPLLAAYY -

Shows current Favorite bank and number (FAV1-5, B1-5, C1-5 etc.) or preset (e.g. 105). Also shows edit parameters and values.

44.. MMIIXX BBUUTTTTOONN -

Tap to enter mix menu then use arrows to select and Slider to adjust. Tap Mix again to exit. Hold Mix to enter

SSeettuupp mmeennuu

and set phantom power, Tone, MIDI channel and more.

99.. FFAAVVOORRIITTE

E BBUUTTTTOONNSS -

Tap a Favorite button to jump to presets you use most often. Hold to store preset and any edits as a Favorite. To select

FFaavvoorriittee

bbaannkkss AA ttoo EE

, briefly hold the Slider while

tapping a Favorite and then release.

Front Panel

66.. LLOOOOPP CCOONNTTRROOLLSS -

Tap red button to record and again to loop.

Tap green to stop and play. Hold red to Erase loop.

11.. EEFFFFEECCTT BBLLOOCCKKSS -

Tap any effect block to turn it on or off. Hold to edit,

then tap to exit. Holding the Delay button is used to set

ttaapp tteemmppoo

Basic Operations

THE SLIDER

Using the Slider: Swipe

A quick flick along a portion or the entire Slider will star t it freewheeling through the parameter values or presets. Repeated swipes will continue. A single tap during freewheeling will stop scrolling.

Using the Slider: Drag

Moving your finger along the Slider slowly without releasing is best for a small range of values.

USING THE VOCAL EFFECTS

First, ensure no edit modes are active by double tapping the Slider. The display should briefly show “HOME”.

Presets and Favorites

VoiceLive Touch contains over 200 factory presets.You can store any of these presets to a Favorite including any edits you've done on that preset.

Loading a Favorite

Tap any Favorite button to load the effect assigned to it. There are 25 Favorites contained in banks labeled A through E. To access the banks, hold the Slider and immediately tap one of the 5 Favorites buttons.

The factory-programmed Favorite banks are organized as follows:

Bank A - Showcase/variety Bank B - Harmony and Doubling effects Bank C - Effects useful for making interesting loops Bank D - Transducer effects Bank E - Extreme sounds

Loading a Preset

There are over 200 presets to sing through. Slide along the Slider or use the Arrow buttons to scroll up or down presets by ones. Swipe the Slider to scroll through a large range of presets quickly and tap to stop.

Flashing Favorite LED

This lets you know something about that Favorite has changed. Either it has been edited or the preset has been changed. If you don’t want to store the changes, choose any other preset or Favorite.

To save a preset to a Favorite:

1. Load a preset you want to store as a Favorite.

2. (Optional) Choose the desired Favorite bank by holding the Slider and immediately tapping one of the five Favorite buttons.

2. Press and hold the desired Favorite location to store.

Displaying preset names

As long as you are not in an editing menu, you can scroll the current preset or Favorite’s name by tapping the Slider once.

MUSICAL CONTROL OF HARMONY AND HARDTUNE

The harmony and HardTune effects require musical information to sound correct with your accompaniment. VoiceLive Touch dynamically detects whether a single device (guitar,MIDI or MP3 player) is connected and temporarily assigns it as the musical control device.

Using Guitar, MIDI or Aux In to control harmony

Connect one device to the respective input jack on the rear panel. Select any preset that has the Harmony and/or FX button LED lit such as preset #3. Sing while you play guitar, MIDI keyboard or MP3 player.

These inputs are interpreted to produce moving harmony intervals that correlate to the changing chords in your music. In presets with

““NNootteess”” in the title, the Harmony voices are controllable only by MIDI; your exact keyboard notes determine the harmony pitches.

Using key and scale to control Harmony and HardTune without an instrument

You can enter a key and scale when you a) know the key of the song you are singing and b) have a pitch reference to sing along with such as an instrument or mixed music. Choose a preset such as #3: Tuned Up+Down to hear the effects.

To enter the Harmony key and scale of your song:

1. Hold the Harmony button to enter its edit menu.

2. Press the arrow buttons until you locate the Key: menu.

3. Slide along the Slider to choose the key.

4. Tap the right arrow to enter the Scale: menu.

5. Slide to choose a M

ajor scale e.g. M1, M2, M3 or a minor scale

e.g. m1, m2, m3.Tr y each scale for best fit with your music.

Now, sing the song with your accompaniment. By default, the key and scale you set will remain in effect for all harmony presets. If you prefer to save different keys for presets, turn the Key/Scale Gbl parameter in the Setup menu to Off.

Note regarding Custom scales: Scale customization is not possible in Touch. Some presets ported from VoiceLive 2, e.g. those with “Drone” in the name, will show Cu for scale. This indicates the scale is custom, though it cannot be edited further in VoiceLive Touch.

BASIC

LOOPING

To make a basic loop:

1. Load or edit a preset you want as your first layer effect.

2. Press the red Record button where you want your loop

to start from and sing a shor t phrase.

3. Press the Record button again to end recording and begin loop playback.

You should now hear your repeating phrase.You can press the green Play button to stop playback.

Basic Operations

To overdub the next layer:

1. Load a different Favorite or preset if desired, then start playback and press Record when ready to add your layer.

2. Press Record again to continue playback without recording or continue recording layers.

Holding the left arrow will undo the previously recorded layer. Holding it again will undo the previous undo (or redo).

Holding the right arrow copies and doubles the length of the loop so you can record a longer phrase over a shorter repeating loop beneath it.This can be repeated until the memor y fills.

Holding the Record button will erase the entire loop including loop points and is not undo-able.

More detailed information on basic looping as well as the

LLooooppss

and

SShhoottss

modes can be found in the Looping Tutorial section of this manual.

EDITING PROCEDURE

To make changes in an edit menu

1. Hold an Effect block button,Voicing button or the Mix button to enter its edit menu.

2. Tap an Arrow button to browse up or down through the parameters in the menu. The parameter name and value will scroll across the display.This prompt can be recalled by tapping the Slider.

3. When you have found the parameter you want to change, swipe quickly or drag along the Slider.

To store edits to a Favorite, hold any Favorite button.

To finish editing and return to performance mode, double tap the Slider.

EFFECT EDIT PARAMETERS

The following lists the editable parameters by effect. Hold any effect button to enter its edit menu.

1 Level - Sets amount of effect in the mix.

2 Style - Selection of 24 factory-configured effect types.

3 Lead Level - Lowers lead (dry voice) when the effect is the only one active. Useful for 100% wet effects when needed.

1 Level - Sets amount of effect in the mix.

2 Style - Selection of 18 factory-configured effect types.

3 Lead Level - Lowers lead when only the Delay is active.

4 Width - Some styles have stereo panning. This sets how wide they sound from 0% (mono) to 100% (stereo).

Basic Operations

5 Tempo - Parameter appear s when delay style is set for tap tempo (styles 1-16 only). Used to set delay time via beats per minute (BPM).

1 Level - Sets amount of effect in the mix.

2 Style - Selection of 30 factory-configured effect types.

3 Lead Level - Lowers lead when only Reverb is active.

1 HardTune Style - Ranges from Off through 12 styles blending gender, octave shifting and HardTune amount.

2 Transducer Style - Ranges from Off through 16 styles including Beatbox which can be used for a bass-heavy sound in a preset when Tone is on globally.

3 Low Cut - Allows tailoring of megaphone effects by rolling off low frequencies as the number (in Hertz) increases.

4 Trans Level - Compensates for lost level when frequency bands have been attenuated to make megaphone/radio effects. Caution: can cause feedback at high settings.

5 Routing - Controls where the Transducer is placed in the vocal path:

Lead: Transducer is inserted on the Lead voice only. Harmonies, Doubling and effect sends are unaffected.

Harm+Dbl: Transducer is inserted on the Harmony and Doubling paths only.

Voices: Transducer is inserted on the Lead, Harmony and Doubling voices and their effect sends.

Lead FX: Transducer is inser ted on the Lead send to the μMod, Delay and Reverb effect sends.The Lead voice will be clean and the effects will be affected by the Transducer style.

Harm FX: Transducer is inserted on the HARMONY send to the effects. Lead and Harmony voices will be clean but the effects driven by only the Harmonies will be affected by the Transducer style.

1 Level - Sets amount of effect in the mix

2 Style - Selection of 6 factory-configured effect types

3 Lead Level - Lowers lead when the Doubling effect only is active.

1 Level - Sets amount of effect in the mix

2 Style - Selection of 15 factory-configured effect types

3 Double - Used to thicken the Harmony voices. On engages an extra voice for every active Voicing button, Choir engages the Choir effect. Both is a combination of the Double and Choir effects.

Basic Operations

4 Lead Level - Lowers lead when only the Harmony effect is active.

5 Naturalplay - Determines whether Harmony in the current preset is controlled by the automatic input sensing feature (Auto) or by one of the specific inputs: Guitar, MIDI,Aux Input, Scale, Shift, Notes or Notes 4 Channel.The Nat Play Gbl parameter in the setup menu must be set to Off in order to allow editing this setting.

The Guitar, MIDI and Aux Input settings configure the harmony algorithm to produce interpreted dynamic harmony intervals that change with the ongoing chords of the device. Scale produces fixed scale harmony (see below). Shift produces fixed intervals also but requires no key or scale to be set. Notes harmony intervals are determined by the exact notes played on a MIDI keyboard. Notes 4Channel mode is the same but each of four voices are controlled on a separate MIDI channel counted up from the main MIDI channel set in the Setup menu.

6 Key and 7 Scale - Sets Harmony control to a fixed key and one of the 3 Major and 3 m

inor scales when the Naturalplay setting is configured for Scale. Scale harmony can work well with many songs but not all.To use, find a preset with Harmony enabled and test which scale works best for your music. If the Scale shows “Cu”, this means that it has been customized at the factory to produce unusual intervals,generally a drone note. Scale customization is not possible in VoiceLive Touch.

Harmony Voicing Buttons

These each have the same editable parameters. Note that the voicing must be on before it can be edited.

1 Level - Reduces the volume of the current voice relative to the others.

2 Pan - Sets where the voice sits in the stereo field.Note this only applies when the output is configured for stereo and you are using a stereo PA or headphones.

3 Gender - Sets the timbre of the Harmony voice from very deep (-50) to very thin (50).

USING THE GUITAR FEATURES

When you connect a guitar to the Guitar In jack and connect nothing to the Guitar Thru jack, you have the option to mix the guitar sound and effects with your voice and its effects and send all of this to your PA.This is in addition to the guitar being useful for guiding harmonies.

VoiceLive Touch allows adjustment of the global guitar level (Guitar) and effects level (Gtr Fx) selection parameters when you press the Mix button. Use the arrow buttons to find the parameters and the Slider to adjust if necessary.

The default guitar effects configuration offers reverb and chorus/detune but if you want to change it, hold Mix to enter the Setup menu then find the Gtr Fx Style parameter with the arrow buttons. Use the Slider to select a style you like.The guitar level and effects are global and stay the same over preset changes.

Hold the Talk button to access the guitar tuner.The tuner works whether the Guitar Thru jack is used or not.

Basic Operations

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