TC-Helicon VoiceWorks Plus User Manual

User’s 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. 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 Use only with the 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 anyway, such as 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 electric shock, do not expose
this apparatus to dripping or splashing and ensure that no
objects filled with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the
equipment.

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:

To completely disconnect this equipment from the AC
mains, disconnect the power supply cord plug from the AC
receptacle.

The mains plug of the power supply cord shall remain readily
operable

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.

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.

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.

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
switched socket outlets.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

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.

Certificate Of Conformity

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

VoiceWorksPlus

Harmony | Modeling | Effects Processor

- 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, 03 - 2004
Mads Peter Lübeck
Chief Executive Officer

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing VoiceWorksPlus, a vocal
processing powerhouse designed to enable the singing
musician to produce captivating vocals in recording and
live performance. Everything from exciting harmony
parts to evocative character impersonations to simply
better vocal sound is possible with VoiceWorksPlus.

Features:

Generates up to 4 additional harmony “voices” with a
variety of musical input methods

Exclusive TC-Helicon pitch, timing and energy
humanization that effectively mimics singing groups

Vocal modeling effects such as breathiness, growl, and
resonance help create alternate voice “personalities”

Vocal pitch correction block

TC Electronic Reverb, chorus, tap delay effects & more

Distortion, megaphone and telephone effects

3 band EQ, compressor and gate

Handy top level edit knobs

100 Factory / 100 User presets and MIDI control

Microphone preamp, stereo analog and digital
input/output

Optional footswitch control

We update our manuals and various support materials
on a regular basis. For the most up to date information
we encourage you to visit our website at:

www.tc-helicon.com

We hope you and your fans enjoy VoiceWorksPlus,

The TC-Helicon Team

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Product Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Front Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Back Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Editing Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Harmony Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Harmony Background and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Lead Voice Model Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Pitch Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Reverb, Mod and Delay Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

The Transducer Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

The Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Signal Flow Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

MIDI Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Manual version 1.2
Software version 1.01

VoiceWorksPlus
English Version

Prod No.: 606131011

VoiceWorksPlus can be thought of as a rack full of
vocal processing in one single rackspace unit with a
couple of specialty effects thrown in for good measure.
The specialty effects, vocal harmony and modeling,
offer you the advantages of:

- Producing rich harmony vocals and doubling from
one voice during live performance

- Saving time when recording vocal harmonies

- Changing the characteristics of your singing voice
with modeling to create interesting vocal hooks
and effects

The remaining processing blocks, including the
multieffects, dynamics and EQ add to your list of
advantages allowing you to :

- Make your live performances sound more like a
fully-produced CD

- Make your recordings sound more professional

- Save time preparing for mixes or performances by
using factory presets and settings

See the diagram at right for a rough algorithmic path
overview.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

4

FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS

1. Power Switch

Press to turn the unit on or off.As the unit shuts down,
it saves any setup data you may have changed.

2.Alphanumeric LED display

This 15 segment LED display shows the current preset
number whenever the EDIT and SETUP buttons are
not lit. There are dots on the bottom line indicating
whether the current preset is in the Factory or User
bank. The legend below the display indicates which dot
represents which bank.When you press the EDIT or
SETUP buttons, this display shows a letter and a
number making up the address of the current edit
screen.

3. Metering LED displays

There are several conditions indicated by these LEDs
and they are described in the following paragraphs.

Output Clip

This LED will light showing the output of the product
has clipped due to internal level overload, possibly
causing audible distortion. This LED can light even
though the Input Clip LED has not. This is because
VoiceWorksPlus has effect blocks such as Harmony for
example, that can potentially add significant level to the
input signal.

Input Clip

Steady flickering of this LED with audio input shows
that the level of the signal received at the input to
VoiceWorksPlus is too high given the input sensitivity
setting. To correct this, reduce the send level to
VoiceWorksPlus from the upstream mixer or enter the
Setup menu to reduce the LineSens (Line input
sensitivity).

Input LED Stack

These LEDs allow you to gauge how much level to

send to VoiceWorksPlus from your mixer. They use
PPM (Peak Program Meter) weighting which is a way to
view signal level when using digital processors. The
range shows logarithmic steps down from 0 dB which
is the maximum allowable level.It's important to adjust
the send level from your mixer within the proper range
shown by these meters. Sending too little audio signal
level contributes to noise buildup and unsatisfactory
performance of the voice algorithms.Too much input
signal level causes distortion. If your mixer is sending
its maximum level and these meters show insufficient
level, or vice versa, you can adjust the Input Sensitivity
setting by pressing the SETUP button and entering the
Setup menu.

MIDI IN indicator LED

This will light to confirm the MIDI data is received by
VoiceWorksPlus on the correct MIDI channel. To
ensure that it will respond correctly to the incoming
data, check to see that both your sending device and
VoiceWorksPlus are set to the same MIDI channel.

4. Main LCD display

During normal operation (none of the EDIT, SETUP or
STORE buttons are pressed), this display shows the
name of the current preset on the top line and the
main harmony or modeling parameter values on the
lower line. A slight turn of any of the soft knobs will
change the display to show master mix levels. While
the mix levels are shown, the four soft knobs allow
editing of the mix.After a few seconds the display will
revert to preset name. After the EDIT, SETUP or
STORE buttons have been pressed, this display shows
up to four editing parameters on the top line and their
associated values on the bottom. After a parameter
value has been changed, an asterisk (*) will be shown
to the left of the name when you return to normal
operation. This is to warn that you will lose any
changes should you recall another preset unless it is
saved first.

1 2 3 4

5

6

5. Soft knobs overview

During normal operation these controls act as a mixer,
allowing you to quickly modify the global mix levels
without entering an edit menu. Moving any of the
knobs will momentarily switch the LCD display so that
it shows the levels before reverting to the preset name
and the information line.When either the EDIT, SETUP
or STORE buttons have been pressed, the soft knobs
control up to four editing functions from left to right
in the editing menus.

Global LEAD LEVEL control

This adjusts the level of the "Lead" voice.This path is
called Lead because it has no Harmony or Modeling
processing applied. Note that this path may have Pitch
Correction enabled if the Correction switch from the
upper switch group is lit.

Global HARMONY / MODEL LEVEL control

Adjusts the overall level of any harmony voices that are
turned on or the level of the modeled voice depending
on which configuration is chosen in the current preset.
Make sure the Harmony / Model switch above this
knob is lit or this control will have no effect.

Global FX LEVEL control

Adjusts the master level of the Mod , Delay, Reverb
and Transducer effects blocks for all presets. The
individual effects blocks have their own level
adjustment controls which may be turned down
preventing you hearing them when you turn the FX
Level control.Make sure the FX switch above this knob
is lit or the FX Level control will have no effect.

Global OUTPUT LEVEL control

This control raises, lowers or mutes the master output
of VoiceWorksPlus.

6. Block On/Off button group

These 3 buttons allow selective muting of blocks in
each preset to simplify editing.

HARMONY / MODEL button

When this LED is lit, the current preset is configured
to produce harmony or a modeling effect. You can
press this button to disable the current effect and see
what other effects are enabled in the preset.

CORRECTION button

This button allows you to quickly disable pitch
correction when needed.If this button is off in a preset,
turning it on will enable pitch correction with default
settings which may or may not be optimum for your
purpose. In this case you can edit the settings in the
Edit menu at location C0.

FX button

If the FX (effects) button is lit, pressing it will mute all
signal from the Mod, Delay and Reverb blocks .The
Transducer effect will not be muted. If this button is
not lit in a preset, pressing it will patch in a default
effects setting.

7. Mode Button Group

EDIT button

Press this button to enter and exit the preset Edit
menu. All settings relating to the current preset only
are accessed here. The last edit screen you accessed
with the Data Wheel is remembered to reduce time
required to locate specific edit menus.

SETUP button

Press this button to access all of the global audio
settings, MIDI functions, the EQ and Dynamics
processors and preset backup and restore. Press again
to return to recalling presets.

7

5

6 98

FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS

777

FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS

BYPASS button

Pressing BYPASS mutes all processing blocks of
VoiceWorksPlus. Any audio signal that is received at
the line or mic input is passed directly to the left and
right audio outputs.

STORE button

Pressing STORE initiates the storing sequence and
presents the preset name and target user preset
number in the main display. In Store mode, you can edit
the name of the new preset by turning the EDIT 1
knob to highlight the letter positions and then using
EDIT 2 to change the letter.You can press either EDIT
or SETUP to cancel a Store operation or press STORE
or the Data Wheel to complete.

8.The Data Wheel

The Data Wheel has two actions: you can turn it and
you can press it. When the display shows a preset
name, turning the Data Wheel allows you to browse
through the available presets. You can then press the
Data Wheel to load the preset of your choice.

If you’ve pressed the EDIT or SETUP buttons, this
wheel cycles up and down through the menus available
in these modes. Pressing it has distinct functions in
some menus.

When the STORE button is lit, turning the Data Wheel
allows you to choose a user bank preset number in
which to store your edited preset and pressing it
completes the Store operation

9. Mic Input control group

MIC GAIN knob

The MIC GAIN knob allows you to tailor
VoiceWorksPlus’s input gain to match your
combination of microphone sensitivity and singing
level.

MIC IN button

The Mic In switch controls which of VoiceWorksPlus's
inputs: Mic In or Line In, will drive the unit.This switch
must be lit before any adjustment of the MIC GAIN
and phantom power will have any effect.

48V button

You must press and hold this button for approximately
1 second to send DC voltage to condenser

microphones requiring phantom power. When using
non-phantom powered mics, leaving this off is best.

-20 dB switch

This switch reduces the sensitivity of the mic input
when you use mics that have a high output level. You
would press this switch when you notice that even
though the MIC GAIN knob is set to minimum (fully
left), the Input Clip LED shows clipping during singing.
In this case, press the -20 dB switch and you will have
more range adjustment with the Mic Gain control.

8

BACK PANEL DESCRIPTIONS

1. Mic Input

When the MIC IN switch on the front panel is lit, this
becomes the main analog input. It accepts a balanced
mic level XLR cable carrying a monophonic vocal
source.

2. Line Input

When the MIC IN switch is not lit, this 1/4” jack
becomes the main analog input.You can connect either
a balanced (3 conductor TRS) or unbalanced (2
conductor TS) -equipped cable here. The input
sensitivity for the line input is located in the Setup
menu.

This jack can alternately be used as an auxilliary input
to the Mod, Delay and Reverb effects blocks in
VoiceWorksPlus. This allows VoiceWorksPlus to do
double duty as both a harmony processor for your
voice and also a multieffect for other instruments or
vocals in your mix.To use this input, the MIC IN must
be set as the main vocal input.The effects level settings
are located in the Edit menu.

3. Balanced Outputs

These are the balanced analog, line level stereo output
of VoiceDoubler. You can connect either a balanced (3
conductor TRS) or unbalanced (2 conductor TS) ­equipped cable here. You can sum the left and right
outputs to mono by changing the Output parameter in
the Setup menu.

4. Digital I/O

Sends and receives digital audio. Using digital I/O
instead of the analog I/O bypasses VoiceWorksPlus’
converter circuitry for enhanced audio clarity when
used with compatible systems.The digital output (DO)
is configured to always produce the same audio as the
main outputs.The Input parameter in the Setup menu

must be set to Digital for the digital input (DI) to
receive audio. Also, the ClockSrc must be set to
Ext(ernal) for proper audio synchronization when
using the digital input.

5. MIDI

This is the standard MIDI In, Out and Thru interface
used to allow editing, preset selection, preset dump
and restore functions.

6. Pedal

This input accepts a single function footswitch or a
triple function footswitch. Any normally-open passive
footswitch will work for the single function footswitch.
A triple function footswitch is available from TC­Helicon called Switch 3. The switch type or volume
pedal is detected automatically on power up. If you plug
your footswitch in after power up, you may get
unexpected operation.

Footswitch (Pedal) features:

1 button footswitch: Bypass only

3 button footswitch: individually selectable in
Setup menu

1 2 3 4 65

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9

Getting set up

There are several ways to connect and use
VoiceWorksPlus, including using a microphone, analog
line input and output or digital input and output, but in
order to speed things up during this quick start, we’ll
assume you’re using analog connections between
either a mic and PA system or a computer setup with
a couple of monitors.

Unpack

1. Remove the product from the packaging. Store the
box and documents that came with it.

2. Place the product on a non-skid surface or in a rack.
It’s best to have easy access to the rear panel
connectors for the first few days while you sort out
which I/O scheme you prefer.

Prepare

3. Before connecting power or turning the unit on, set
up your mixer or computer interface to receive audio
from VoiceWorksPlus.

4. Set your PA or monitoring levels to zero before powering
up the unit! This is just good practice when setting up
new gear or even the same gear in a new situation.

Back panel connections

5. Connect the power cord to VoiceWorksPlus and
plug the other end into an AC outlet.You can turn the
unit on now because you’ve safely set your monitoring
levels to off right?

6. Connect the audio cable from your source to
VoiceWorksPlus.This can either be an XLR cable from
your mic or the line level 1/4” connector from your
computer’s audio interface.

7. Connect the VoiceWorksPlus outputs to your mixer
or computer inputs. Stereo is best, as this delivers the
sounds as they were programmed. If you can only
connect in mono, you’ll have to enter the Setup menu
and adjust this parameter.

8. You can optionally connect a MIDI keyboard which
allows you to check out the harmony methods using
MIDI input for selecting harmony intervals.

Note: When connecting the unit to a computer, you’ll
need to know how to route your dry vocal track to a
separate, auxilliary output.

Demo setup #1: Mic input and analog mixer

Demo setup #2:Analog to computer interface

Front panel setup

9. Press the BYPASS button so it lights.We’ll check that
audio is flowing properly in Bypass first and then move
on to checking out the effects.

10. If you’re using a mic for input, press the MIC IN
button so it lights.You’ll need to adjust the MIC GAIN
knob so that no red shows on the LED stack when you
sing.Apply 48V phantom power if needed and press the

-20 dB button if the lowest setting of the MIC GAIN
knob still causes peaks while you sing.

11. If you’re using the Line Input, make sure the MIC IN
led is not lit. Start playback on your computer.There is
no front panel input level knob so adjust the send from
your mixer or computer so the LED stack shows no
red on peaks.

QUICK START

10

12. Hopefully, you’ve waited until now to raise your
monitoring/PA levels and if you have, you should be
greeted by a voice that sounds nice and dry at a
reasonable level.

13.Turn off BYPASS by pressing the button so the LED
is off.Turn the DATA WHEEL to preset number 1 and
press the wheel to load this preset.You’re now ready
to explore the factory presets in VoiceWorksPlus.

Making front panel tweaks

Before you get to exploring the presets, here are some
tips that will help you.

Browsing presets

When you first turn on VoiceWorksPlus,the last preset
loaded will be loaded for you.Turn the Data Wheel to
browse through the preset list. As you do so, the name
and information fields of the next preset will be
previewed in the main LCD and the effect buttons will
flash indicating which effects will turn on. An “H:” on
the lower line indicates a harmony preset. An “M:”
indicates a modeling preset.

To load presets, push the Data Wheel.

Adjusting the mix

You can vary the global mix (all presets will be affected
in the same way) by adjusting the soft knobs. As you
turn one of them, the LCD display will temporarily
change to show the value of all four levels before
returning to the main display. Note that a value of “0”
denotes full level, not Off.You can use the soft knob on
the far right as a master volume instead of your mixer
if that is more convenient. Any adjustment of these
settings will remain through subsequent power up
sessions.

Enabling and disabling the effects
blocks

The three block on/off buttons above the soft knobs
allow you to temporarily enable or disable:

1. the Harmony or Modeling block in the preset. (In
a harmony preset this is the Harmony Mute
button).

2. the Pitch Correction block in the preset

3. the Reverb, Delay or Mod effect blocks in the
preset

Reloading the preset or loading another will return the
block on/off status to what was stored.

QUICK START