TC-Helicon VoiceWorks User Manual

VoiceWorks

Harmony | Correction | Effects

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:

VoiceWorks - Harmony, Correction and

Effects Processor

- 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, 01 - 2003

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 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.

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 Effect Presets . . . . . . . . . . . .12

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

Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Preset Backup via MIDI . . . . . . . . . . .13

VOICES & EFFECTS EDIT PARAMETERS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Individual Voice Keys . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Harmony Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Thicken Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Effects Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Pitch Correct Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

SETUP

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Lead Voice Level/Pan . . . . . . . . . . .19

Input Low Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Dynamics Processing . . . . . . . . . . . .19

EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Lead Delay Compensation . . . . . . . .19

Mic Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Output Level/Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Sample Rate Selection . . . . . . . . . . .19

Analog/Digital Input Selection . . . . . .19

Global Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

MIDI Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Footswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Midi Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Erase Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Restore Factory Preset . . . . . . . . . . .21

Viewing Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

SONG MODE

Song Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

HARMONY AND TUNING

Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Harmony Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Harmony Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Notes Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Shift Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Chord (Chordal) Mode . . . . . . . . . . .22

Scale (Scalic) Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Diatonic and Chromatic . . . . . . . . . . .24

Just Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

SPECIFICATIONS

MIDI Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . .29

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 1.06 – SW – V 1.09English Version

Prod. No: E60502401

5

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing the TC-Helicon VoiceWorks Harmony, Pitch Correction and Effects
processor. Designed for live and recording situations where superior vocals are a must,
this state-of-the-art product creates the world's most natural sounding harmonies while
offering innovative processing for the lead voice as well. VoiceWorks is an end-to-end
solution. The signal path includes a studio-quality mic pre-amp, transparent pitch
correction, superior manual and automatic pitch-shifting, as well as critically-acclaimed TC
Electronic Compression/Gate, EQ, Delay and Reverb. We hope you will enjoy using the
VoiceWorks as much as we enjoyed designing it.

Features:

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

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

• Humanization of harmony voices utilizing:

- FlexTime(TM)

- Vibrato

- Inflection - (scoop)

- Pitch randomization

- Portamento

• Equal temperament and Just tuning for harmonies

• Harmony Hold

(TM)- like a vocal sustain pedal

• Scale Based Pitch Correction

• Fully adjustable voicing and gender per voice

• Lead Voice Thickening - one voice above and one voice below

• HIgh Quality Mic Preamp with 48V phantom power

• TC Electronic 3-band EQ plus low cut

• TC Electronic Compressor/Gate

• TC Electronic Reverb/Tap-tempo Delay

• Song Mode for live performance lets you save internal
'sequences'- up to 50 songs with 30 presets per song

• MIDI CC control over all parameters

• MIDI CC 'echo' of all front-panel controls

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.

Note: In order for 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 the 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), song data (song
mode), and any important

status messages or user alerts.

VOICES AND EFFECT KEYS
(GENERAL INFORMATION)

A VoiceWorks preset is made
up of eight audio processing
components represented by
the eight VOICES & EFFECTS
keys. Each key has an LED
that is lit when its component is
enabled in the current preset.
A single click will toggle
(enable or disable) the
corresponding component.
Double clicking on a key will
enter its edit menu.

VOICES AND EFFECT KEYS
(SPECIFICS)

VOICE KEYS (1-4)

On/Off/Edit functions for each
harmony voice. Edit per-voice
harmony parameters.

HARMONY KEY

On/Off/Edit functions for overall
preset harmony settings. Edit
parameters that affect all four
harmony voices.

THICKEN KEY

On/Off/Edit functions for lead
voice thickening.

EFFECTS/TAP TEMPO KEY

On/Off/Edit/Tap functions for
Reverb and Delay. Tap
Tempo is available when
editing specific delay
parameters from the effects

edit menu.

PITCH CORRECT KEY

On/Off/Edit functions for
pitch correction.

7

FRONT PANEL

SONG MODE KEY

Press to enter song mode.
Step through sequenced
presets during live
performance (using a
footswitch or MIDI controller).

SETUP KEY
Press to enter the setup
menu. Setup contains all

global parameters not stored
in individual presets including
parameters relating to EQ,
Comp/Gate, Audio, digital I/O,
MIDI, and footswitch
configuration.

Pressing this key repeatedly
will advance to the first
parameter in the next logical
group of parameters. Use the
ARROW KEYS to access
each individual parameter.

RECALL KEY

Press RECALL from any

menu (edit or setup), or from
song or store mode to return
to top-level preset recall
mode. Press RECALL from
recall mode to recall a preset

(overwriting the current
preset) when the current
preset has been edited or
when previewing a different
preset.

STORE
Press STORE to enter store
mode. Pressing store when

in store mode will store the

current preset to the displayed
location. The STORE key
LED blinks when the current
preset has been edited.

ARROW KEYS

These buttons are used to
navigate through parameters
from the edit menus, the

setup menu, song mode, or
store mode.

Press and hold to quickly
navigate through menus.

In recall mode, pressing up
or down will instantly recall
the next or previous preset.

DATA WHEEL

Edits the value of the current
parameter from any menu or
mode.

In recall mode, turning the
wheel previews presets (top
level preset information is
flashed on the display but
preset data is not loaded until
RECALL is pressed again).

ENTER

Can be used to recall the
current preset in recall mode,
or to store the current preset
in store mode. Parameters
surrounded by triangular
brackets (eg. Midi Dump
<P25>) perform their actions
when the ENTER key is
pressed. The enter key blinks
to indicate a possible action.

BYPASS

Press to toggle (bypass /
unbypass) all effects.

MIC INPUT

Press to select Mic input for
processing (the line input
becomes an AUX input when
the MIC input is enabled)

+48V

Press and hold for 2
seconds to enable +48V

phantom power on the
microphone input.

-20dB

Press to enable a -20dB pad
on the microphone input. If
the Mic Sensitivity (M

ICSENS)

under the setup menu is set
to high

, pressing this button
will change the sensitivity to
normal

and enable the -20dB

pad.

MIC GAIN

Adjusts Mic Input Gain.
Range: 35dB. This in
combination with the -20dB
pad and the M

ICSENS

parameter under the setup
menu provides 65dB range of
gain to accommodate most
microphones in most
recording situations.

8

REAR PANEL

Balanced
Jack
Analog
Outputs

External
Control

MIDI
In, Out, Thru

Balanced
Mic Input
with +48V
Phantom
Power

Digital
S/PDIF
Input/
Output

MIDI Cable

DIN CONNECTOR
5POLE - MALE
45 degrees

DIN CONNECTOR
5POLE - MALE
45 degrees

max. 10m

SHIELDED CABLE (3 or 5 wires + screen)

Note!

The microphone input on the VoiceWorks
has +48V phantom power capability.

Never plug single ended (unbalanced)
microphones or instruments or signal
processors (balanced or unbalanced)
into the mic input if +48V phantom
power is on.

The 1/4” analog Input and Output
connectors on the VoiceWorks are balanced
1/4” jacks.

Optimal connection to balanced equipment
is achieved using balanced cables.
However, if your equipment is NOT
balanced you will generally have no
problems using standard mono-to-mono
cables as illustrated below.

Balanced
Jack
Analog
Input

Mono 1/4” Cable

GND
TIP

TIP
GND

TIP
RING
GND

GND
RING
TIP

TRS (Tip Ring
Sleeve) 1/4”
balanced Cable

Balanced XLR Cable

- 3 Pin Type