Vocal Harmony and Effects Processor Owner’s Manual
WARNING FOR YOUR PROTECTION PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING: KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS HEED ALL WARNINGS FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing liquid and no object filled with liquid, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus CLEAN ONLY WITH A DRY CLOTH. DO NOT BLOCK ANY OF THE VENTILATION OPENINGS. INSTALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS.
Introduction............................................................................................................ 1 The Vocalist® Live 4 Features...................................................................... 1 Included Items................................................................................................ 1 A Guided Tour of the Vocalist Live 4................................................................. 2 Overview..............................................................
Common Setups..................................................................................................... 9 Guitar and Microphone In/P.A. Out (Mono or Stereo)......................... 9 Guitar and Microphone In/Guitar Amp and P.A. Out (Mono)............. 9 Guitar and Microphone In/P.A. and Powered Monitor Out (Mono).. 10 Guitar and Mixer or Preamp in/P.A. Out (Stereo)................................. 10 Using the Vocalist® Live 4......................................................................
Warranty We at DigiTech® are very proud of our products and back up each one we sell with the following warranty: 1. The warranty registration card must be mailed within ten days after purchase date to validate this warranty. 2. DigiTech warrants this product, when used solely within the U.S., to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service. 3.
Introduction Congratulations on your purchase of the Vocalist® Live 4. The Vocalist Live 4 is a breakthrough processor that automatically generates live multi-part vocal harmony by analyzing guitar chord progressions. Armed with patent pending musIQ™ Harmony Technology (which includes both musIQ note detection and musIQ harmony generation), the Vocalist Live 4 gives you accurate vocal harmonies even with complicated songs because only Vocalist Live tracks guitar chords, along with your voice.
A Guided Tour of the Vocalist® Live 4 Overview The Vocalist® Live 4 is a revolutionary voice processor that creates musically correct harmonies for your singing voice that automatically change to fit with the current guitar chord and key of the music you have been playing.
Front Panel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 11 19 18 12 17 16 1. Store Button 2. Numeric Display 3. Alphanumeric Display 4. Stereo Out LED 5. Guitar Signal LED 6. Key Up/Down Buttons 7. Phantom Power LED 15 14 13 Press to store changes you make to a preset. For more information on storing and editing presets, see page 11. Shows the number (location) of the selected preset. While editing, it also shows the value of the parameter being edited.
8. Key Display 9. Major/Minor Button Shows the currently selected root key for generating harmonies (when the musIQTM button is not lit). The Key display includes accidental symbols (sharp and flat) as well as the scale modes major or minor. Toggles between major and minor when the musIQ button is not lit. 10. Vocal Signal LED Turns green when a vocal signal is detected at the Mic In input, amber when the vocal signal is approaching its limit, and red when the built-in limiter is active.
Rear Panel 2 3 4 1 Expression Pedal 5 1. 6 7 Phantom Power 8 9 11 10 12 13 14 Enables 48 volt phantom power on the XLR mic input. Note: Phantom power is normally only needed with condenser microphones and should never be used with ribbon microphones. To avoid damaging the microphone, please consult your microphone documentation to ensure phantom power is applied only when appropriate. 2. Guitar In 3. Guitar Thru 4. Stereo/Mono 5. Mic/Line Input Level 6. Mic In 7. Expression Pedal 8.
11. Line Out L/R Connect both these balanced/unbalanced outputs to a mixer, powered speakers or P.A. system. If only a single output is to be used, be sure the Stereo Out LED is not lit (use the Stereo/Mono Out button to change this, if necessary). 12. Left/Mono Out and Right Out (XLR Outputs) Connect these XLR balanced outputs to a powered speaker or mixer.
Getting Started Before connecting the Vocalist® Live 4 to your amplifier, make sure that the power to your amplifier is off and that the Vocalist Live 4 is plugged into the wall and powered on. There is no power switch on the Vocalist Live 4. To turn the Vocalist Live 4 on or off, connect or disconnect the included PS0913B power supply from the Power Input jack. Connect the Microphone, Guitar, and P.A. or Mixer .
display. The built-in guitar tuner works optimally with a strong guitar signal, so don’t turn down your guitar to tune. The guitar output will automatically be muted when you’re in tuner mode. Note: It is important that your guitar is properly tuned in order for the musIQTM technology to generate the best sounding harmonies. Alternate tunings (for example, DADGAD, or tuning down a half step) are fine, as long as the built-in tuner shows each string as “in tune”.
Common Setups There are many ways to set up the Vocalist® Live 4. Some useful setups are shown here. Guitar and Microphone In/P.A. Out (Mono or Stereo) This is a basic setup for stereo or mono ouptut. For stereo output, press the Stereo/Mono button so the Stereo Out LED is lit. For mono output, press the Stereo/Mono button so the Stereo Out LED is not lit. Note that the XLR outputs could also be used for stereo output.
Guitar and Microphone In/P.A. and Powered Monitor Out (Mono) This setup sends guitar and vocals to the mixer as well as an onstage monitor. Press the Stereo/ Mono button so the Stereo Out LED is not lit.
Using the Vocalist® Live 4 In addition to creating vocal harmonies, the Vocalist Live 4 also offers a wide variety of effects you can apply to your voice. You can quickly change the harmonies and effects by changing presets. Each preset has a name and a number, as well as a set of harmonies and/or other effects assigned to it. • • • You can cycle through all the different presets by pressing the Up/Down Footswitches, located on the lower right side of the Vocalist Live 4.
Level Knobs These three knobs let you adjust the mix being sent from the Vocalist® Live 4 to the P.A. or mixer. The mix includes your lead vocal, the harmony vocals, and your guitar signal. Turn a knob clockwise to increase its respective level, or counterclockwise to decrease its level. Effects Matrix This table lists the effects you can add to a preset (listed in the left column), and the parameters you can adjust for each effect (listed in the columns below the Parameter knobs).
Tip: The Vocalist® Live 4 “remembers” about 30 seconds of music while you play to determine the proper harmonies. Entering and exiting the tuner clears this memory. This can be useful when you’re switching between songs with radically different chord progressions. Mono and Stereo You can output the lead vocal and harmonies in either mono or stereo. To use a mono signal, press the Stereo/Mono button so the Stereo Out LED is not lit, and connect the Line Out Left or Left/Mono Out XLR output to your P.A.
Effects and Parameter Descriptions Preamp The Preamp row includes a model of a tube-based preamp, a de-esser and audio frequency band limiting. The preamp is controlled by the Type and Gain parameters. The de-esser is controlled by the De-Esser parameter, and band limiting is controlled by the Resonance and Band Center parameters. In order to turn the preamp row off, you need to set Type to Pre Bypass, Deesser to 0, and Band Resonance to 0. 1� pre BYPASS Bypasses the preamp model (turns it off).
Comp/Gate The Comp/Gate affects the incoming vocal’s dynamics. The Comp/Gate can be used to smooth out a vocal performance by adjusting the outgoing gain of the signal based on the incoming amplitude of the vocal. The Gate function is useful for removing background noise from the incoming signal, or for muting the signal when it falls below a certain threshold. In order to turn the Comp/Gate row off, you need to turn Type to OFF and Noise Gate to GATE OFF. 1� cmp off Turns the compressor off.
Pitch Correction Pitch correction detects the note you’re singing and processes it to make it more precise. For example, if you’re singing a C, and it’s a little flat (but not quite B), pitch correction alters the note so that a more precise C is heard through the mixer or P.A. Pitch correction requires you to choose a scale (or mode) and a key (or root note) so the Vocalist® Live 4 knows what notes to correct to. The parameters below control how pitch correction is applied to the lead vocal.
Key pc x Selects the key or root of the scale. For example, if the Type is set to MAJOR, and Key is set to PC C, the notes that will be corrected to are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Note: This parameter is ignored when the scale type is set to PC CHROM. Window PC Window The window parameter controls the window or extent around each note that pitch correction will be applied. If the window is small, then your pitch will only be altered if your input pitch is close to the note already.
Lead Effects The Lead Effects modify the incoming vocal by changing its pitch or timbre in real time. There are Persona effects, which change the character of the voice, and Mod effects which add modulation changes such as tremolo or chorus to the incoming vocal signal. The effects in the Lead Effects row can be turned off by setting the Persona to OFF, and the Mod Type to OFF. Note that Lead Effects apply to the lead vocal (your voice) only.
Harmony These settings let you select the number and type of background voices that are generated by the Vocalist® Live 4. You can add 1-4 voices of harmony or duplicates (unison) to your lead vocal. The different harmony combinations appear as abbreviations in the Alphanumeric display. Each abbreviation represents one voice. The combinations are numbered; each combination’s number appears in the Numeric display. The abbreviations stand for: U Unison. Creates a copy of the lead vocal.
Balance harm bal Variation When the musIQTM button is lit: utton is lit: The main musIQ harmony mode. 1 musiq main 2 musiq alt When the musIQ button is NOT lit: 1 key var1 2 key var2 3 key var3 Voice Styles 1� vst time 2� vst tm pch 3� vst onset 4� vst gospel 5� vst mixed 6� vst gals 7� vst guys 8� vst drunk Style Amount 20 vstyle amt Controls the balance between the generated harmony voices. If there is only one voicing, then this control has no effect.
Reverberation Reverb affects both the processed vocal signals and harmonies as well as the Guitar Mix, as set with the Guitar Mix Reverb Level (see below). There are five reverb types (Studio, Club, Hall, Stadium, and Coarse), each reflecting different decay times and diffusion settings. Reverb can be bypassed by setting the Reverb Type to RVB OFF. Reverb is turned off. Sounds like reverb in a recording studio. Sounds like reverb in a medium sized club. Sounds like reverb in a concert hall.
Guitar Mix Guitar Mix affects the amount of Guitar signal that is processed through the two guitar effects. The guitar effects are Reverb and Mod. The Reverb is shared with the main Vocal and Harmonies; hence the only parameter for the guitar is GtrRvb lvl (Guitar Reverb Amount). Reverb settings are programmed in the Reverb row. Reverb can be bypassed by setting the GtrRvb lvl to zero. If Reverberation Type is OFF in the Reverberation row, then the Studio Type is used by default.
Utility Parameters The Utility parameters are accessed by simultaneously pressing the Edit Up/Down arrow keys in the Effects Matrix. The main display will show UTILityand the Numeric Display flashes U. Once this occurs, each knob controls the value of a particular system parameter, as shown below.
Factory Reset If you want to restore the Vocalist® Live 4 to the state it was in when first delivered, you can use the Factory Reset function. This will: • Copy all Factory presets to the corresponding User presets, overwriting all changes you may have made to the user presets • Restore the state of the Utility parameters to the factory defaults (FXFS ALL, HARMFS TOG, GTRSENS LO) • Set the Stereo/Mono state to Stereo To perform a Factory Reset procedure .
Troubleshooting I don’t hear any sound coming from the Vocalist® Live 4. • Make sure the power supply is plugged in to both the Vocalist Live 4 and the power outlet. • Make sure the guitar amp, P.A. system, or mixer is plugged in and turned on. • Make sure the guitar amp, P.A. system, or mixer volume levels aren’t turned all the way down. • Make sure the guitar volume isn’t turned all the way down, and the microphone isn’t turned off (if it has an on/off switch).
Preset List 26 1 3RD ABOVE A simple 3rd above your lead vocal. Great for 60s duet folk songs. Utilizes a stereo chorus effect for the guitar. 2 3RD BELOW The same preset as #1 but now the harmony is a 3rd down from the lead vocal. 3 3RD DN UP Features harmonies a 3rd above and below your lead voice. 4 CSN Contains three part harmony: your lead vocal and a 3rd and 5th above to create a triad. Notice that VST GALS is used for the voice style.
18 EAGLETS 2 Reminiscent of 2-part 70s country-rock vocals. Try singing with your best country vocal. Utilizes a 3rd above. A mono chorus effect is used on the guitar. 19 EAGLETS 3 Reminiscent of 3 part 70s country-rock vocals. Utilizes a 3rd above and a 5th above as well as a unison to help thicken the lead vocal. A mono chorus effect is used on the guitar. 20 DUST WIND A 2-part harmony good for well-known acoustic duet hits from the 70s and 80s.
28 37 SMALLER Similar to BIGGER, but works in the opposite direction. 38 GIANT Combines a bigger voice with an octave down shift. 39 ELF Combines a smaller voice with an octave up shift. 40 VIB SLOW Adds a slow vibrato to your voice during sustained vocal sections. 41 CHORUS Adds a stereo chorus effect to the lead vocal. 42 TUBEFLANGE Uses the tube pre-amp with flange lead effect to create a surreal lead vocal effect.
Specifications Frequency Response: Line Level Inputs and Outputs +0, –3dB 30Hz to 20kHz Distortion (THD+IMD): Line-Level Inputs to Line-Level Outputs < 0.03% Input Level at max, 0dBu 1kHz tone. Analog Inputs Guitar Input and Thru Connectors: Max input level: Impedance: ¼” unbalanced TS connectors 3.4 Vrms 3M Ohms unbalanced Mic Input Connector: XLR female Max input level, gain at max: –27dBu (–12.5dBu in limit) Max input level, gain at min: –1.5dBu Impedance: 1.
Expression Pedal: The Vocalist® Live 4 can use either a standard passive guitar volume pedal or a resistance-based expression pedal. If using a standard guitar volume pedal, it should use a 250 kOhms or higher pot. If using an expression pedal, it must offer a TRS connection and offer a minimum resistance of 10kOhms. Signal Processing: Freescale DSP56367 DSP with custom firmware. All signal processing takes place at 44.1KHz sample rates, native.
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DigiTech® 8760 South Sandy Parkway Sandy, Utah 84070 PH (801) 566-8800 FAX (801) 566-7005 http://www.digitech.com Printed 7/2007 Vocalist® Live 4 Owner’s Manual 18-0477-A ©2007 Harman International Industries, Incorporated, all rights reserved. DigiTech and Vocalist are trademarks of Harman International Industries, Inc. musIQTM is a trademark of 3dB Research Ltd.
