English Reference Manual VL3X
Safety information Important safety instructions EMC / EMI Explanation of graphic symbols 1 2 4 5 Before you begin About this manual Getting support VoiceSupport Please register your VL3X 6 7 8 9 10 Introduction Welcome! Concepts Top panel overview Footswitches overview Back panel inputs and outputs 11 12 13 18 21 27 VL3X overview Setting up Diagram legend Diagrams Quick troubleshooting tips 30 31 32 33 38 Getting to know VL3X Amazing Grace A guided tour There’s no place like Home Using the Cont
Setup Introduction Input tab Output tab Guitar tab MIDI tab Tone tab System tab Mic Control and Footswitch tabs Mic Control tab Footswitch tab Pedal Calibration tab Product info tab 145 146 147 151 153 155 159 165 169 170 172 177 178 Appendix MIDI CC List System Maintenance/Factory Reset 179 180 181 Technical Specifications 182 VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) b
Safety information Safety information VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 1
Safety information Important safety instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
Safety information Service Warning ►► All ►► To service must be performed by qualified personnel. ►► There are no user-serviceable parts inside. reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture and objects filled with liquids, such as vases, should not be placed on this apparatus. ►► This apparatus must be earthed. ►► Use a three wire grounding type line cord like the one supplied with the product.
Safety information EMC / EMI Electromagnetic compatibility / Electromagnetic interference 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. For 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.
Safety information Explanation of graphic symbols The lightning bolt triangle is used to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltages” within the unit’s chassis that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to humans. The exclamation point triangle is used to alert the user to presence of important operating and service instructions in the literature accompanying the product.
Before you begin Before you begin VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 6
Before you begin About this manual This reference manual will help you learn understanding and operating your VL3X. You can download the most current version of this reference manual from: tc-helicon.com/support/manuals/ To get the most from this reference manual, please read it from start to finish, or you may miss important information.
Before you begin Getting support If you still have questions about the product after reading this reference manual, please get in touch with TC-Helicon Support: tc-helicon.
Before you begin VoiceSupport VoiceSupport is the application that allows you to fully unlock the potential of your TC-Helicon product and stay in touch with the latest news, tips and tricks.
Before you begin Please register your VL3X To register your VL3X using the VoiceSupport software, launch VoiceSupport and click on the ACCOUNT button. You can also go to account.tc-helicon.com Registration of your product is NOT required to use VoiceSupport, download presets, update firmware or contact support.
Introduction Introduction VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 11
Introduction Welcome! Thank you for purchasing VoiceLive 3 Extreme – or as we affectionately call it: VL3X. Like the original VoiceLive 3, VL3X brings you a wide array of vocal and guitar effects, plus a great multi-track looper. But, you bought the Extreme – so what’s NEW? In a word… well, four words: Backing Tracks and Automation. See “Backing Tracks” and “Backing Track Sequence Recording (Automation)”.
Introduction Concepts Before we dive into the countless features of VL3X, let’s establish some basic terms and concepts. Layers & footswitch mapping our massively popular VoiceLive 2 unit: “I love it – but I want the ‘X’ footswitch to be where the ‘Y’ footswitch is”. We also recognize that Layers and remappable footswitches can be a bit daunting to learn. This is why we have designed the system to be consistent and straightforward.
Introduction Global Effects Another common request from TC-Helicon users has been for “global effects”. VL3X allows you to define a specific Preset as the “Global” Preset. This defines all of the effects and parameters within that Preset and allows them to be easily applied to other Presets.
Introduction set affect the Global settings as well. This means you don’t have to bounce back and forth between the Global and current Preset to make changes to Global effects. It also means that you need to be aware of the above, so you don’t accidentally edit a Global setting, thinking you are only editing the current Preset. With great power comes great responsibility! For more information, see “Defining and using Global Effects”.
Introduction Store loops Backing Tracks and Automation Complete guitar effects Those of you who have jumped on board with looping have likely made a really, really good loop in the past – only to see it vanish into thin air when you power off the device. VL3X allows you to store your creations right in the box! VL3X’s killer new feature is its ability to import Backing Tracks, assign them to a Preset and then record your effect changes throughout the song.
Introduction Advanced monitoring More and more people are jumping into the In Ear Monitor (IEM) pool. It’s a great thing to do – but it can often require a fairly complex setup. VL3X offers two features that make custom monitor mixing really easy for you. This monitoring capability can literally eliminate the need for expensive belt packs, transmitters, secondary mixers and other gear required for a custom IEM solution.
Introduction Top panel overview Click or tap on an interface element to jump directly to its description.
Introduction Below is a brief description of the top panel controls and buttons. Full functionality for each will be described in more detail later. Press and hold the Setup button to enter the automated microphone and guitar gain setting mode. Genre button Store button Use the Genre button to find Presets based on their musical genre or featured effects. For example, you may want to restrict the Presets “visible” to you in VL3X to those that are defined as “Rock” or “Country” in nature.
Introduction For more information, see “Loop button parameters”. Level LEDs Read the level LEDs as follows: Mix knobs From the Home screen, turning any mix knob enters the Mix screens (Main, Headphones and Effects). For more information on the Mix screens, see “Using the Mix Controls”. ►► If you play your guitar without singing, the LEDs show your guitar level. ►► If you sing and don’t play guitar, the LEDs show your vocal level. ►► If you play and sing, the LEDs show a combined level.
Introduction Footswitches overview Click or tap on an interface element to jump directly to its description.
Introduction Below is a description of the footswitches on VL3X. Some switches will be discussed in more detail later in the manual. Preset up / Preset down footswitches Layer footswitch ►► Tap To switch between the Vocal and Guitar effects layers, tap the Layer footswitch. the Preset Up/Preset Down footswitches to move through Presets. ►► Hold the Preset Up/Preset Down footswitches to quickly scroll through Presets. ►► Tap both footswitches simultaneously to enter Talk/Tuner mode.
Introduction Step footswitch Here are a couple of examples showing how the effects footswitches might look when each Layer is active: Vocal Layer with Reverb, Double and Harmony activated. ►► To Vocal Layer with some guitar effects remapped to vocal effect footswitches. You may find that you would like to “hang out” on a particular Layer (Vocal or Guitar) and have access to a key effect or effects from another Layer. Remapping footswitches allows you do to just that.
Introduction If it is a different Preset, enter Step management and then use the Preset Up and Preset Down footswitches to locate the Preset you would like to add as a Step. Adding a different Preset as a Step ►► To accept changes, tap the Step footswitch. ►► To delete the current step, tap the Layer footswitch. ►► To cancel, press the Home button. The Step footswitch can be globally reassigned to several different functions – such as Tap Tempo, HIT, Set Key, any Vocal or Guitar effect and more.
Introduction Reverb footswitch HIT footswitch Double/Comp footswitch Tap the Reverb footswitch to turn the Reverb effect on or off. Tap the HIT footswitch to activate or deactivate HIT. HIT can control: On the Vocal Layer, tap the Double/ Comp footswitch to turn the Double effect on or off. The Reverb block encompasses effects such as Hall, Club, Room and Plate. ►► Vocal This effect can be configured and used separately for the Vocal and Guitar layer.
Introduction Harmony/Drive footswitch On the Vocal Layer, tap the Harmony/Drive footswitch to turn the Harmony effect on or off. Harmony encompasses effects such as High (3rd up), Low (4th below) and Low & Lower (4th below and 6th below). For more information, see “Harmony effect block / tab”. On the Guitar Layer, tap the Harmony/Drive footswitch to turn the Drive effect on or off. Drive encompasses effects such as Boost, Boost & Drive and Drive. For more information, block / tab”.
Introduction Back panel inputs and outputs VL3X offers extremely robust input and output routing. Using the Monitor IN/THRU and dedicated Guitar outputs effectively, you can greatly reduce the amount of gear you need to take to a performance.
Introduction Inputs 1. 2. 3. 4. DC Power connector XLR and ¼” Combo jack input ¼” Guitar input 1/8” Stereo Aux and XLR Monitor input jacks. Please note that Aux input and Monitor input are mutually exclusive. Only one may be used at a time. 5. MIDI Input 6. Footswitch. Connect a TC-Helicon Switch-3 or Switch-6 here. You can also connect a second expression pedal here – see “Working with a second expression pedal”. 7. Expression pedal input 8.
Outputs 7 Introduction you connect the Guitar Out(s) to your amp(s), guitar sounds will be removed from the Main outputs. 6. MIDI Out: The MIDI Out jack sends MIDI Control Change messages (MIDI CCs) related to footswitches and buttons pressed on VL3X. If no CC is sent, there is likely no CC assigned to that particular action. Currently, Vocal & Guitar effects ON/OFF and their respective levels are represented by MIDI Control Change messages.
VL3X overview VL3X overview VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 30
VL3X overview Setting up Instead of jumping directly into a whole bunch of descriptions of parameters and fine tuning controls, now is a good time to back up a bit and approach VL3X from a “Let’s use this thing!” perspective. First, if you haven’t read through the Quick Start Guide that came in the box, we suggest you do so now. If you would prefer to use VL3X via your PA, you will need one or two additional XLR cables to connect VL3X’s XLR outputs to inputs at your mixer.
XLR Male XLR Male Diagram legend XLR Male XLR Female The following icons are used in the diagrams in this manual.
VL3X overview Diagrams On the following pages, you will see some connection diagrams. We have set things up to give you clear and concise representations of what goes where. There are a few things we would like you to keep in mind as you look at the diagrams: 1. Inputs to VL3X will be to the left of the back panel image. 2. Outputs from VL3X will be to the right of the back panel image. 3. There are two boxes on the bottom of each diagram.
VL3X overview Stereo PA connection for vocals (and guitar if applicable) This diagram shows a “Stereo” output mode. Stereo sends a Left and Right signal via the XLR outputs to your PA or mixer. This allows you to enjoy the full benefits of stereo audio effects. Setting Output Mode to Stereo Changing VL3X from Mono (default) to Stereo output: ►► Press Setup. ►► Use the < or > Arrow buttons to move to the Output tab.
VL3X overview Dual Mono PA connection for vocals (& guitar if applicable) This diagram shows a “Dual Mono” output mode. Dual Mono sends two mono signals from the XLR outputs on VL3X. One XLR carries the vocal sounds and the other XLR carries the guitar sounds. This allows you to balance the vocal and guitar levels via your mixer. Dual Mono can be especially effective at a venue with a sound tech.
VL3X overview Stereo vocals and a guitar amplifier You may want to make a quick adjustment to the guitar output if you are connected to an amp. It might be desirable to turn off VL3X’s speaker simulations while preserving all of the other guitar effects. This will allow the “character” of your amp to stay the same from Preset to Preset. Follow the instructions in “Stereo PA connection for vocals (and guitar if applicable)” to change your output mode to Stereo. Turning speaker simulation off ►► Press Setup.
VL3X overview The kitchen sink – everything hooked up It’s unlikely that you will have absolutely everything seen here hooked up to VL3X – but this diagram can serve as a general connection diagram that you can use to configure your personal setup. Aux Send SWITCH-3 Computer or DAW Stage Monitor PA Speakers The setup shows: 1. Microphone 2. Guitar 3. Music Player 4. Incoming Monitor (or cue) mix from the Front Of House mixer 5. Monitor THRU to another monitor 6.
VL3X overview Quick troubleshooting tips After following the VL3X Quick Start Guide and referring to the diagrams in “Setting up”, you should hear your voice and instrument(s) via your VL3X. “I’m not hearing my voice!” “I’m not hearing my guitar.” Do the Level LEDs near the Control Knob light up when you sing? ►► Check Here are a few troubleshooting ideas if you are not hearing sound. No? ►► Try a different cable. ►► Try a different microphone.
Getting to know VL3X Getting to know VL3X VL3X – Reference manual (updated Getting to know VL3X) 39
Getting to know VL3X Amazing Grace We can (and will!) fill page after page with descriptions of VL3X’s fantastic features – but nothing beats hearing (and trying) them for yourself. If you want to get an idea of VL3X’s potential, ►► plug in a microphone, ►► connect VL3X to a set of speakers or your favourite headphones ►► select Preset 10 and ►► press the HIT footswitch (which in this Preset is associated with the Backing Track playback function, so it is shown as “Track” in the display).
Getting to know VL3X A guided tour While some product manuals take a path through all of the functions and features, we are going to lead you on a tour of VL3X from a practical use standpoint. If you follow along on your VL3X while reading the following pages, you will get a good grasp of most of the key features in the box. It may seem as though we jump around through various menus and operations – but trust us that this is a good way to get to know the unit while making practical changes in the process.
Getting to know VL3X There’s no place like Home Using all the features described on the following pages, you might find yourself deep in some submenu or parameter list. Don’t panic! Just press the Home button, and you will return to VL3X’s “Home” screen. The Home screen shows… ►► The number of the current Preset. name of the current Preset.
Getting to know VL3X Using the Control knob ►► While on the Home screen, the Control Knob moves through Presets. ►► Turning the knob clockwise (right) will move up through Presets. ►► Turning the knob counterclockwise (right) will move down through Presets. ►► Pressing the control knob while on the Home screen will set the current Preset as a Favorite. For more information, see “Using Preset Genres and Favorites”. ►► On an Edit or System screen, the Control Knob acts as a vertical scroll control.
Getting to know VL3X Using the Arrow buttons Use the two small Arrow buttons located beneath the Control knob to move through Presets and edit pages. ►► While on the Home screen, use the Arrow buttons to move through Presets. ►► To select the next Preset, press the right Arrow button. ►► To select the previous Preset, press the left Arrow button. ►► On an Edit or System screen, the Arrow buttons allow you to move left and right through the “tabs” in that menu.
Getting to know VL3X What is a Preset? VL3X and many other TC-Helicon devices are based on the concept of “Presets”. Essentially, a Preset is a record of all the settings for a group of effects that you can recall quickly and easily. The Preset concept is extremely flexible. A Preset can be general purpose – like a simple Reverb or Harmony sound. But a Preset can also represent a specific song or portion of a song via multiple effects and settings.
Getting to know VL3X Using Steps A Step is, at its core, a Preset within a Preset. Here’s how it works… Let’s use a typical song pop song structure as an example. So, let’s assume that you have created the three different presets that represent your three song sections.
Getting to know VL3X Using Preset Genres and Favorites If you are playing classical pop, you may not care much for Presets that have been optimized for Alternative rock – and vice versa. And if you have created or fine-tuned ten Presets for your show, you may now want to scroll through the hundreds of other Presets that you are working with in the studio. Genres to the rescue! As described earlier, the Genre feature allows you to filter the Presets in VL3X based on the musical genre or primary effect.
Getting to know VL3X What is NaturalPlay? A device creating harmony voices and correcting what you are singing to the right scale is a wonderful thing. But how do you tell that device what key the next song is in? Do you have to program it as part of a Preset? Do you have to set it up for each song? What if you get it wrong on stage? NaturalPlay to the rescue! If you have a guitar connected to VL3X, it will automatically guide key and scale for any Harmony voices or HardTune effects.
Getting to know VL3X Using Global Key/Scale If you do not have an instrument or a pre-produced song that can guide VL3X’s Harmony and HardTune features, you may want to make a small change to the System setup so you can define the key and scale for the song you are singing and change Presets without having to change the Key setting each time. ►► Press Setup. the < and > Arrow buttons to navigate to the System tab. ►► Using the Control Knob to highlight Global Key/Scale.
Getting to know VL3X Setting Key/Scale manually If you are a singer without an instrument, you may not want to rely on sone external input. Instead, we’ll set the Key/Scale for your song manually. For simplicity, let’s sing “Happy Birthday” in C using our Major 2 scale. You will need to find C as your starting note (unless you have perfect pitch – then you are awesome). Depending on the song you are singing, “Major 2” (MAJ2) may not be right for you.
Getting to know VL3X Let’s try Harmony! Navigate to Preset No. 2 (“Classic 3rd up”) using the Preset up/Preset down switches or the Control Knob. ►► Make sure that you are on the Vocal Layer. The LEDs around the footswitches should be blue. If they are not, press the Layer button. ►► You should see the Reverb, HIT and Harmony footswitch lit in blue. If Harmony and HIT are not lit, press the HIT button.
Getting to know VL3X Using the HIT footswitch As you sing your song, with guitar or without, try tapping the HIT footswitch. In this Preset, HIT will activate and deactivate the Harmony effect each time you press the button – once on and once for off. music. It may take a while to get the hang of things if you have never used footswitch based effects before. Don’t worry if you are not very good at it right away! T footswitch As you sing your song, with guitar or without, try tapping the HIT footswitch.
Getting to know VL3X Using individual effects Next, turn off Harmony using the HIT button. Try tapping the Double button to add the Double effect to your voice. Do the same with Delay and µMod. Try a few of the effects together and see what it sounds like.
Getting to know VL3X Change a button from Latched to Momentary mode When you are turning effects on and off using the footswitches, the default behavior for each switch is to work in “latched” mode. This simply means that you press the button once to turn the effect on and again to turn the effect off. Latched mode works for a lot of cases, but there are probably times when you would like an effect to be active as you hold the button down – and inactive as soon as you release it.
Getting to know VL3X Remapping a footswitch Since you have just seen the Buttonmap page, this is a good time to remap a footswitch to a different effect. If you look at the top left corner of the screen, you should see HardTune there, µMod will be gone. Here are some Buttonmap examples: ►► Remap a Guitar effect to Shift, so you have easy access to the Octaver effect.
Getting to know VL3X Layer. To control multiple Vocal and Guitar effects simultaneously without having to leave the current Layer, you can assign Vocal HIT to the HIT footswitch and Guitar HIT to the footswitch right next to it (Double) Double footswitch on the Vocal Layer remapped to Guitar HIT Remember that remapping a Guitar effect to the Vocal Layer needs to be done via the Vocal Buttonmap.
Getting to know VL3X Talk/Tuner Mode Before you get too far into playing your guitar through VL3X, it’s a good idea to become familiar with the Talk/Tuner mode. The tuner offers a couple of neat features for both guitar and vocals – so non-instrumentalists might want to read this section, too. Exiting Talk/Tuner mode To exit Talk/Tuner mode, simply press both the Preset up and Down button simultaneously again. When exiting, there is no need to hold for two seconds.
Getting to know VL3X Guitar Effects For those of you playing guitar, this is a good time to try out the various guitar effects in VL3X. If you are a vocalist without a guitar, go get a coffee or follow along to learn about the Guitar Layer… Press the Layer footswitch. You should notice that VL3X’s LEDs turn RED – indicating you are now on the guitar Layer. Look at the screen, too.
Getting to know VL3X Editing HIT Return to the Vocal Layer by pressing Home. If you are on the Guitar Layer (indicated by red LEDs), press the Layer button until the Vocal Layer is active. ►► Press HIT. Notice that µMod (and Harmony) turns off. ►► If you would like an effect to be ON regardless of the HIT button’s state, just activate it for both HIT ON and HIT OFF. For some effects such as Reverb, it is common to leave them on all the time.
Getting to know VL3X Using ALL HIT What’s better than being able to have separate HIT footswitches for the Guitar and Vocal Layer? How about one footswitch to rule them all? This feature is called ALL HIT, and you can easily assign it to a footswitch as described in “Remapping a footswitch”. ►► Press the Vocal button. ►► Press and HOLD the right Arrow (>) to “jump” all the way to the end of the available effects pages. ►► Use the < or > button to locate the Buttonmap page.
Getting to know VL3X HIT – Dynamic vs. Snapshot VL3X’s default HIT behavior is “dynamic”, which means you can make edits to the effects contained within the HIT variation of the Preset by simply turning them on and off as described under “Editing HIT”. It’s a very quick and intuitive way of combining effects – especially while editing a Preset.
Getting to know VL3X Changing HIT mode from Dynamic to Snapshot ►► Press the Setup button. the < or > buttons to navigate to the System page. ►► Use the Control Knob to scroll down to the HIT Behavior parameter. ►► Change HIT Behavior from Dynamic to Snapshot.
Getting to know VL3X Storing Presets Since we are talking about storing a change to your Preset – let’s do it. Tapping the Store button accesses the Store screen, where you may name, assign and save your Presets. Cursor (assigned to Mix Knob 1) Letter (assigned to Mix Knob 2) Use Mix Knob 1 to move the cursor (the currently selected character). This is handy for quickly navigating to a position in the Preset name. Use Mix Knob 2 to select the letter, number or symbol for the current cursor position.
Getting to know VL3X Ins(ert) / Del(ete) (assigned to Mix Knob 3) ►► Turn Mix knob 3 clockwise (right) to insert an empty character (a blank) to the left of the currently highlighted character. ►► Turn Mix knob 3 counter-clockwise (left) to the left to delete the currently highlighted character. Store to (assigned to Mix Knob 34) Storing Presets and HIT Behavior Use Mix Knob 4 to select the Preset number where the current Preset will be stored.
Getting to know VL3X Tapping tempo You can use Tap Tempo to have the tempo-based effects align with the tempo of your song. ►► Press and HOLD the Delay footswitch. ►► You should see the Delay footswitch pulse with a purple LED, and the current tempo (in beats per minute) will be displayed. ►► Tap the Delay footswitch in time with the song you are performing (or about to perform). ►► After a few beats, stop tapping the footswitch and wait for the Tempo display to disappear.
Getting to know VL3X Using Global Tempo Depending on how you would like to manage tempo within VL3X, you can choose whether tempo information is recalled from each individual Preset or managed globally. If you would like to store specific tempos within your Presets, simply set the tap tempo as described in “Tapping tempo” and save the Preset. If you would like to set one tempo and have all Presets “follow” it, you will need to head into the System menu. ►► Press the Setup button.
Getting to know VL3X Editing an Effect Now that we have heard some sounds, let’s edit an effect in a Preset. You can choose to edit either the Vocal or Guitar effects, whichever you like. To edit the Vocal effects within a Preset, press the Vocal button. Editing Vocal effects To edit the Guitar effects within a Preset, press the Guitar button. Editing Guitar effects Both effect layers (Vocal and Guitars) have a series of “tabs”.
Getting to know VL3X ►► Change the Style parameter using the Mix Knob directly below “Style” on the screen. Notice how the sound of the effect changes. It can be a subtle change or a drastic one, depending on the Style. own one of our other products, like VoiceLive 2, you may recognize some or all of the advanced controls.
Getting to know VL3X Defining and using Global Effects Each effect in VL3X can load and use Global settings. Global settings make editing effects much easier and faster, but you need to understand the concept to use it effectively. How do Global Effects work? Tip: Keep your Global Preset safe First, you define a “Global Preset” in the System menu. This Preset is the Preset from which any other Preset can “pull” settings for any effect. Think of this Global Preset as a template or master.
Getting to know VL3X Defining the Global Preset the Setup button. < or > to navigate to the System tab. ►► Use the Control Knob to highlight “Global Preset” ►► Use the Mix Knob below “Global Preset” to change its value to represent the Preset number you would like as your Global Preset. Using an effect from the Global Preset ►► Press ►► Use ►► Select a Preset that you would like to link to the Global Preset. ►► Press the Vocal or Guitar button (depending on which effect you would like to edit).
Getting to know VL3X Important: The link between the Global Preset and other Presets goes both ways Before you make any tweaks to the effect you have just made Global, there is something you should know. If Global is ON in any Preset and you make changes to the settings of the respective effect, this will change the settings of the Global Preset (and all other Presets where that particular effect is set to Global on). That can be really handy – or a disaster, if you are not prepared for it.
Getting to know VL3X MIDI Sync MIDI sync allows you to send tempo information from an external device (computer, keyboard, sampler etc.) to VL3X and have it maintain the same tempo as the Master device. To enable MIDI Tempo, navigate to the SETUP – MIDI menu and turn MIDI Tempo ON. Setup – MIDI menu VL3X can act as a MIDI Tempo slave only. It cannot generate or send MIDI Tempo. For more information, see “Looping and MIDI Sync”.
Getting to know VL3X Backing Track Import Let’s now tackle the very first step in working with Backing Tracks: Getting them into your VL3X. For working with Backing Tracks, see “Backing Tracks”. First, you will need to get your hands on a USB flash drive (also called a USB memory stick or thumb drive). An external hard disk drive should work too, but please note that there is no official support for using external hard disk drives.
Getting to know VL3X Please note that if the TRACK IMPORT tab was already selected when you inserted the USB flash drive, you will need to exit and re-enter that tab for the tracks to show up. The track list is not updated in real time, so the menu needs to redraw.
Getting to know VL3X VL3X Backing Track audio format The internal audio file format of VL3X for Backing Tracks is 16 bit resolution and 48 kHz sampling rate. If you convert your audio files to this format directly from the signal source (e.g. your DAW), you can save up to 60% of the import time. If your audio files are MP3 files or WAV files with another resolution or sampling rate, they need to be converted. When the conversion is done, you can start using these tracks. This process can take a while.
Getting to know VL3X Backing Tracks Backing Tracks and Presets In this section we will discuss how Backing Tracks and Automation (Sequences) relate to VL3X Presets. Think of the Preset as a “container” for… ►► the vocal/guitar effects settings, Backing Track and ►► the performance data that you have recorded. ►► the Associating a Backing Track with a Preset the Looper touch button. the > Arrow button (below the Control Knob) to navigate to the far right BACKING TRACK tab.
Getting to know VL3X Backing Track Gain Track gain allows you to adjust the gain of a particular Backing Track on a per-Preset basis. Playing Backing Tracks associated with a Preset There are three ways to play Backing Tracks. Playing Backing Tracks using the Backing Track interface Press and hold the LAYER button to enter the Backing Track player. Please note that the first place you should go to adjust the overall level of your Backing Tracks is the MIX page(s).
Getting to know VL3X ►► Press the STEP footswitch to select the currently highlighted Backing Track. ►► Press the LAYER footswitch to cancel Backing Track selection. ►► Skip Back ►► Skip Forward ►► Stop: Stop playback of the Backing Track. ►► Play: Start Backing Track playback. ►► Circle/R icon: Use this to initiate Sequence recording. Press and hold to change to “Sequence Overdub” mode. More on this under “Overdubbing”.
Getting to know VL3X Playing Backing Tracks using a Switch-3, Switch-6 or the STEP footswitch Here is how to assign Backing Track playback to a Switch-3, a Switch-6 or the STEP footswitch on your VL3X. If a Backing Track is playing and a sequence exists, it’s not possible to change presets. You’ll need to pause or stop the Backing Track playback before presets can be changed. ►► Press the SETUP button. the left or right Arrow to navigate to the FOOTSWITCH tab.
Getting to know VL3X Backing Track Sequence Recording (Automation) First, a definition of automation as it relates to VL3X: What gets recorded into the sequence? What does not get recorded into the sequence? ►► You When recording a Sequence, ay vocal or guitar effect footswitch you toggle (including HIT and ALL HIT, plus any STEP changes) will be recorded. Parameter changes (like panning etc.) are not recorded. We don’t track real-time changes to things that are “under the hood”.
Getting to know VL3X How should I approach sequence recording? There are two schools of thought for recording performances. a.) The “experienced live performer approach”: You already know the exact “moves” you would normally make during the performance of a song and just want to go for it. b.) The “studio wizard approach”: You want to “build” the song one part at a time, perhaps using controls that would be physically impossible to replicate in real-time.
Getting to know VL3X Overdub Mode activated (indicated by the Circle icon) Once you are in overdub mode, pressing the button again will begin an overdub recording. This will add any new button presses into the sequence while preserving existing ones. To deactivate Overdub mode, press and hold the RECORD button again.
Getting to know VL3X Importing and Exporting Performances We’ve made it really easy to import and export Performance Export Performance Import ►► a ►► From ►► With your USB stick inserted, press the STORE Preset, associated Backing Track and ►► Sequence information. ►► the The file format is called “package”, with the “.VL3pkg file” suffix. the Backing Track screen, press the Preset UP button to enter the Function menu. ►► Press the Reverb button (USB stick icon) to export your performance.
Getting to know VL3X Direct to USB Recording Another great feature of VL3X is the ability to stream stereo audio directly to a connected USB flash drive. Here is how to use Direct to USB Stereo Recording: ►► Simply connect your FAT32-formatted USB flash drive to the host port. ►► Wait about 5 seconds for the device to be detected and set up. ►► To initiate recording, press and hold the GENRE and SETUP buttons simultaneously for about 2 seconds.
Getting to know VL3X Using the Mix Controls As you probably have realized by now, there is a lot going on under the hood of your VL3X. Wouldn’t it be great if you could control the levels of the signals going in and out of VL3X? Main Mix Main Mix controls the sounds that come from the XLR Out and Guitar Out jacks. As it turns out, you can – and you do not even have to press any buttons.
Getting to know VL3X Headphone Mix Headphone Mix allows you to independently set the signal levels for the headphones or IEM connected to the Headphone jack. In other words: You can have a headphone or in-ear-monitoring mix that is independent of what goes out to the XLR outputs. limitation this imposes is that you cannot set the Guitar or Loop controls in the Main Mix to Off and still hear them in your headphones.
Getting to know VL3X Tips and tricks for working with layers and effects General Vocal & Guitar Layer usage As we discussed in “Concepts” and “Footswitches overview” , VL3X is comprised of three “Layers”: Vocal, Guitar and Looper. The basic concepts of accessing effect settings and going from simple to advanced editing are explained in “Editing an Effect”. Tapping the Layer button will give you access to the Layer you would like to control: Guitar or Vocal.
Getting to know VL3X Mic Control and Footswitch tabs: Remapping footswitches We have already made some changes on the Buttonmap tab in “Remapping a footswitch” – so you have seen it before. Let’s dig a little deeper into it now. ►► Enter the Vocal or Guitar edit screen. to the Mic Control or Footswitch tab. ►► Navigate Earlier in the “VL3X overview”, we remapped a footswitch and changed the Mode from Latched to Momentary.
Getting to know VL3X Exp. Pedal tab: Getting the most out of your expression pedal If you have connected an expression pedal to your VL3X, you can define what the expression pedal should control in each Preset. Being able to define the expression pedal “target” in each Preset gives you a lot of flexibility from one pedal. completely. To achieve this effect, you would set MinPos to something higher than 0% (try something like 50 or 70%).
Getting to know VL3X to one side and then add effects. There’s a Delay Pan control in the Delay edit parameters too. Try panning the lead vocal to the far right and the Delay Pan to the far left for interesting results. Preset tab for the Vocal Layer Preset tab for the Guitar Layer When you are adding effects to the (Vocal or Guitar) signal path, each of these effects inevitably adds some gain (volume) to the signal chain.
Editing the Vocal Layer Editing the Vocal Layer VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 91
Editing the Vocal Layer Introduction Press the Vocal button to enter the Vocal edit screen. For more information about editing Style, Level, Control and other parameters associated with each effect, see “Editing an Effect”.
Editing the Vocal Layer Harmony effect block / tab Harmony is TC-Helicon’s most popular effect – and some might argue the most impressive one, too. The Harmony effect creates harmony vocals from your lead voice. This harmony can contain up to four voices, each with different intervals, key/scale sources, pan, humanization and other settings.
Editing the Vocal Layer High Low Lead High Low Harm. (1) Harm. (2) Voice Harm. (3) Harm. (4) NaturalPlay, Scale, Fixed & Pedal Modes < Left Right > Panning Harmony Voices To further expand, try adjusting the Smoothing and Humanization parameters for each of the four voices, so that each voice ends up a bit different from the other. ►► On the Buttonmap tab of the Setup menu, you can remap the Step footswitch to various controls. Try remapping the Step footswitch to Harmony Hold.
Editing the Vocal Layer Double effect block / tab Often referred to as “Doubling” or “Double Tracking”, the Double effect mimics a singer recording multiple versions of the same vocal passages and playing them back simultaneously. The small differences in timing and pitch that result from the two recordings create a more full and “doubled” sound.
Editing the Vocal Layer Vocal Delay effect block / tab Delay is often referred to as “echo” and emulates sound “bouncing” or repeating at regular intervals. As opposed to Reverb – whose reflections of sound can be somewhat chaotic in the representation of a physical space – Delay is much more consistent in its sound output.
Editing the Vocal Layer Tips and tricks for working with the Vocal Delay effect ►► Make sure to set the correct tempo for any Preset with Delay, either ►► via tempo tapping (see “Tapping tempo”) or ►► on the Delay Edit tab. Delay timed to your song sounds great, while off-time delays can sound terrible. ►► Experiment with different amounts of the Feedback parameter. More Feedback creates more echoes, while very low amounts of feedback can create “Call and Answer” style effects.
Editing the Vocal Layer Vocal Reverb effect block / tab Reverb is one of the most basic effects. You will probably find some form of Reverb at every live performance and on every recording. Essentially, Reverb simulates a physical space and how the sound of your voice is positioned in it. Typically, Reverbs are defined by the space they are trying to replicate or the device/processor/medium used to generate the reverb effect.
Editing the Vocal Layer least the same “Style” for each, so the listener gets the impression of vocals and guitar being in the same simulated physical space.
Editing the Vocal Layer HardTune effect block / tab This effect has become very, very common in recent years. Most people remember when Cher released the song “Believe”, featuring the first commercially represented use of heavy and robotic-sounding pitch correction. Since the release of “Believe”, there have been many advances in pitch correction technology, allowing both extreme and subtle or transparent vocal correction. It’s a misnomer to only equate vocal pitch correction with AutoTune™ and T-Pain™.
Editing the Vocal Layer Tips and tricks for working with the HardTune effect ►► When you want the “HardTune” sound, choose the “Pop” style. takes some practice to sing the right way and get the most out of HardTune. Practice sliding and gliding from note to note, in order to emphasize the jumps in pitch provided by the “Pop” setting. After a while, you will be able to enhance the effect as you sing.
Editing the Vocal Layer Synth effect block / tab Synth effects are created when a “carrier” sound modifies a signal (your voice) to create an interesting combination of the two elements. Common use includes the classical guitar “talk box”, where the notes played on an electrical guitar dictate the pitch and sound of the voice output, regardless of what you sing. You don’t have to use a guitar though – it could also be sounds from a keyboard or other instrument.
Editing the Vocal Layer Transducer effect block / tab The Transducer effect is often referred to as “Megaphone” or “Distortion”, but it really covers any manipulation of gain structure and EQ filters. Distortion and filter effects are common across Rock, Pop, Country, Hip Hip, EDM and other genres.
Editing the Vocal Layer Vocal µMod effect block / tab Pronounced “Micro Mod”, the µMod block includes effects like micro-pitch shifting (hence Micro Mod), Flanger, Chorus, Rotor and more. These effects can be subtle, like “Thicken”, or quite extreme with “Tube Up” or “Alien Voiceover”.
Editing the Vocal Layer Choir effect block / tab Formerly a part of the Harmony effect block, Choir was split into its own effect in the TC-Helicon VoiceLive Touch 2. Separating these effects gave us the opportunity to provide more styles and parameters for controlling the Choir sound. We have defined Choir as its own effect block in VL3X too, so you have extra control over the way it sounds. Choir makes a great companion to Harmony, especially when you are trying to create a “group” sound.
Editing the Vocal Layer Vocal Rhythmic effect block / tab Rhythmic effects use VL3X’s tempo to chop, break up, pan or otherwise manipulate your voice in time with the music. Depending on how you set the depth and target controls, Rhythmic can be mild or wild and apply to either your lead vocal or the Harmony voices.
Editing the Vocal Layer Stutter effect block / tab Stutter is essentially a small sampler, used to make a quick recording of your vocal and play it back repeatedly, in time with the music. Depending on the division setting, the sample used for the Stutter effect can be longer or shorter.
Editing the Vocal Layer Vocal Buttonmap tab Buttonmap is probably one of the coolest new features in VL3X.
Editing the Vocal Layer Remapping Loop Triggers Loop triggers allow you to map a specific loop to a specific button, PER PRESET. This can be used for a loop you have saved and want to integrate into every performance of a specific song or can even be used to store an entire song that you can associate with the Preset. Remapping a Loop Trigger is slightly different from the Vocal or Guitar effects because you need to define a couple of additional parameters.
Editing the Guitar Layer Editing the Guitar Layer VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 110
Editing the Guitar Layer Introduction Press the Guitar button to enter the Guitar edit screen. For more information about editing Style, Level, Control and other parameters associated with each effect, see “Editing an Effect”.
Editing the Guitar Layer Amp effect block / tab The Amp effect not only simulates physical amplifiers, but also provides controls for ►► EQ (pre and post) ►► Gain (pre and post) ►► Tube/Transistor simulation and ►► speaker emulation.
Editing the Guitar Layer Tips and tricks for working with Amp simulation ►► On some amplifiers, what is called “PreGain” and “PostGain” in VL3X is called “Gain” and “Volume” respectively. ►► More PreGain results in more distortion at high levels. If you want a crunchy or distorted sound, turn down the PostGain, adjust PreGain until you reach the amount of distortion you like, then turn up PostGain until the output volume is similar to that of other guitar Presets. You can do this by ear.
Editing the Guitar Layer Drive effect block / tab VL3X’s Drive effect can act as a Boost, Drive or both. Essentially, the Drive block has its own set of PreGain and PostGain parameters, which are independent from the Amp simulation block. When Boost is active, these settings replace the currently active Amp settings, changing your sound. There are a few preconfigured Drive styles – make sure you give them a try.
Editing the Guitar Layer Guitar Delay effect block / tab The Guitar Delay block works in the same manner as the Vocal Delay block. Please see “Vocal Delay effect block / tab” for an overview of the Vocal Delay block.
Editing the Guitar Layer Guitar Reverb effect block / tab The Guitar Reverb block works in the same manner as the Vocal Reverb block. Please see “Vocal Reverb effect block / tab” for an overview of the Vocal Reverb block. Using surgical skills that would make Victor Frankenstein green with envy, we have transplanted TC-Electronic’s popular Hall of Fame Reverb pedal into VL3X’s Guitar Layer.
Editing the Guitar Layer Comp(ression) effect block / tab Compression is used across almost all modern music production styles, from studio to live. In a nutshell, Compression “brings the loudest bits and quietest bits” of the music closer together in apparent volume, creating a more even sound.
Editing the Guitar Layer Wah (Wah-Wah) effect block / tab If you haven’t heard “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix (or later Stevie Ray Vaughan) go listen to it now. That’s Wah in a nutshell. youtube.com/watch?v=d81fdU8EP28 (In fact, there’s also some interesting delay effects and reverb in there, too.
Editing the Guitar Layer µMod effect block / tab Similar to the Vocal version of this effect, µMod provides micro-pitch shifting and timing effects for your guitar. Some of the most famous µMod effects include Flanger, Chorus and Detune. Guitar µMod effect block parameters We have conspired with TC-Electronic’s guitar pedal gurus – namely Tore Mogensen – to recreate two of their best modulation effects for VL3X: Vortex Flanger and Corona Chorus.
Editing the Guitar Layer Octaver effect block / tab When we released VoiceLive Play GTX, lots of folks loved the guitar processing, but kept on asking for a single guitar effect addition: an Octaver. The ability to “play bass” on your guitar opens up a whole new world of song composition, especially when looping.
Editing the Guitar Layer Guitar Rhythmic effect block / tab The Guitar Rhythmic block basically works in the same manner as the Vocal Rhythmic block. Please see “Vocal Rhythmic effect block / tab” for an overview of the Vocal Rhythmic block. For the Guitar Rhythmic block, we have included an improved “tremolo” sound to better replicate the classic effect.
Editing the Guitar Layer Guitar Buttonmap block / tab The Guitar Buttonmap works in the same manner as the Vocal Buttonmap. Please see “Vocal Buttonmap tab” for an overview of the Vocal Buttonmap. Keep in mind that the Vocal and Guitar Buttonmap settings are independent of each other, representing the Vocal and Guitar layers respectively. To learn how you can create inter-Layer mappings, see “Remapping a footswitch”.
The Looper The Looper VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 123
The Looper Introduction VL3X has a three-track Looper, which is an extremely powerful performance tool. We have taken our experiences from past products – including VoiceLive Touch 2 and VoiceLive Play – to create our most exciting and flexible Looper ever.
The Looper Loop button parameters Press the Loop button to access the following parameters. Current Slot display Mix Looper to NP parameter The Current Slot display shows you which Slot the Looper is currently working with. You can’t change the slot from here. This is just a reference so you don’t have to go back to the Looper Layer to know what Slot you’re on. Use the Mix Looper to NP parameter to mix the audio output from the Looper into the NaturalPlay algorithm.
The Looper Auto Met On parameter Auto Met Mute parameter ODub Decay parameter If you set the Auto Met On parameter to ON, the Metronome will activate as soon as you press RECORD. If you set The Auto Met Mute parameter to ON, the Metronome will mute when you finish your first recording on any track. Use the Overdub Decay parameter to reduce the level of any previous loop (per track) when an Overdub is recorded. This prevents audio level overloading.
The Looper Queue ODub parameter If you set Queue Overdub parameter to ON, each overdub will be forced to start at the beginning of that track’s loop. If you press ODub at any point during playback, the ODub will hold off until the track “comes around again” then will automatically begin the ODub. VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) MET FOLLOWS PLAYBACK parameter If you set the MET FOLLOWS PLAYBACK parameter to ON, the Metronome will mute and unmute automatically whenever the Loop is playing.
The Looper Basic loop concepts and terms Let’s make sure that you understand the basic concepts and the terminology used in this chapter. ►► Loop: A “loop” or “loop track” is a basic recording of music (or any kind of audio, for that matter) that can be recorded and then played back repeatedly. ►► Overdub: Something that is recorded while another, previously recorded piece of audio/ music is being played back.
The Looper Entering and exiting Loop mode To enter Loop mode, press and hold the Layer button. The LED of the Layer footswitch will turn purple, and the screen will display loop tracks and other information. The loop screen shows a combination of controls, which relate to the six footswitches, and track “thumbnails” that show you what you have recorded. To exit Loop mode and return to the previously active Layer (Vocal or Guitar), press and hold the Layer button.
The Looper Your first loop Just to get you started, let’s make a quick loop. Setting up the metronome ►► If ►► Let’s you are not already on the Looper Layer, go there now by pressing and holding the Layer button. turn on the Metronome (MET) so you can make your loop to a consistent beat. As you can see, there are six segments in the display, which correlate to the six footswitches. The lower left segment is labeled “MET” and represents the HIT footswitch. ►► Tap the HIT footswitch.
The Looper Start recording Set + Overdub vs. Set + Play Overdubbing ►► When ►► While ►► For you are ready to start recording, press the footswitch associated with REC A (the Harmony/Drive footswitch) to begin recording your first loop track. You can sing, play your guitar, or do both. ►► When you reach the end of the segment you want to record, try to press the REC A footswitch as close to the beat as you can. Our LoopAssist feature helps with this, but try to be as accurate as possible.
The Looper Recording Loop track B ►► Now, while Loop track A is still playing back, we will record something else onto Loop track B. Yes, it’s another cake! ►► When you are ready, press REC B (Reverb footswitch). ►► If you chose Set+Odub, continue to record overdubs until you are finished, then tap End Odub.
The Looper Undo and Redo Using Swap Have you made a mistake, maybe in your fourth or fifth overdub? No reason to throw away the whole track. You can easily undo your last overdub (i.e., remove it from the Loop track) – and if you change your mind, you can restore it. Swap is a great new feature that allows you to maintain your Loop track A, while moving seamlessly between two additional tracks (Loop track B and Loop track C). ►► To undo the last overdub, tap the Looper footswitch.
The Looper The Utility menu We will now explore the UTIL(ity) menu, where you will find many of the Looper options. ►► Tap the footswitch linked to the Utility menu (the µMod footswitch) to enter the Utility menu. ►► If you see “SWAP” in the top left menu segment, press and hold the µMod footswitch to enter the Utility menu. This press/hold action is designed to allow the Swap button to do double duty, depending on whether you have a “B” and “C” loop recorded.
The Looper ►► Select the option you want to use by tapping the respective footswitch. ►► Press BACK to exit the INPUT menu. Save Metronome sub-menu ►► Tap Tap MET (the HIT footswitch) to enter the Metronome sub-menu. In the Metronome sub-menu, you can turn the metronome on or off and change its sound. SAVE (Reverb footswitch) to store your loop to the current Loop slot. The current Loop slot number is shown below the UP and DOWN arrows on the far left of the Loop display.
The Looper ►► TAP: Tap TAP (HIT footswitch) rhythmically to define a new tempo. While you are tapping a tempo, the Preset Up and Preset Down footswitches will be lit in blue, indicating that you can use them to fine-tune the tempo in BPM steps. ►► SOUND: Tap SOUND (Reverb footswitch) to open a new sub-menu where you can choose which sound the metronome should make. When you have chosen a sound you like, press BACK. cannot be changed later.
The Looper SERIAL When you choose SERIAL in the Sync submenu, Loops are played back one after the other, waiting for each loop to finish before proceeding to the next. In SERIAL mode, Loop tracks A, B and C play independently and cannot be played at the same time. QUANTIZE Just like SMART, QUANTIZE uses VL3X’s LoopAssist™ feature. It will make your loops fall onto the nearest beat of the current tempo. But other than SMART, QUANTIZE does not extend or trim Loops.
The Looper FREE This one’s easy to explain: No metronome or other sync. Loops are all recorded completely independently and can take any form/length. Go crazy! Erase sub-menu Tap ERASE (the Harmony / Drive footswitch) to enter the Erase sub-menu.
The Looper Loop limits Individual loop Tracks can be up to 8 minutes. Your total remaining loop time, across all slots and tracks, can be displayed by pressing and holding the GENRE button for two seconds. Look for “FREE LOOP STORAGE” to find out how much you have left. It should be a lot! Press any button to exit the “About” screen.
The Looper Loop Management Loop Slot sub-menu Since our release of the original VoiceLive 3, we have made some big changes to what you can manage (in terms of settings) with the Looper. When you have read the Looper chapter, you know that each loop uses a SLOT as the “container” both for the loop audio tracks and the general settings for how the Looper should behave (synchronization, metronome etc.).
The Looper Preset sub-menu UTIL – Preset submenu This submenu contains parameters related to the specific Preset you are currently on. For example, these parameters will allow you to load a specific Loop Slot when loading a Preset. For a loop performance, the combination of Slotbased and Preset-based controls allow you to load both the settings for the Looper and the vocal/guitar sounds you need by simply changing to the appropriate Preset.
The Looper Loop Triggers It is possible to assign any Track or Track combination (A, B, C, A&B, A&C) from Slots 1 to 50 to a button on your VL3X or Switch-3 or Switch-6 and play these Tracks back at any time. This is called a Loop Trigger. Loop Triggers and Presets You can map an audio effect – such as HardTune – to a button and use it in multiple Presets, where you have individual settings for this effect in each Preset. Loop Triggers work the same way.
The Looper Assigning Loops to Loop Triggers To set up what goes in each Loop Trigger, go to LOOPER > PRESET. Here, you will see Loop Triggers A to H with a setting for SLOT and TRACK. Assigning Loop Slots and Tracks to Loop Triggers Simply choose which Loop Slot and Track(s) you want to trigger with each button, and you’re done. Additionally, if you’d like to globally assign Loop Triggers, you can turn on “Global Triggers” at the bottom of the menu.
The Looper Looping and MIDI Sync The easy question is: “Will the VL3X looper stay in time with MIDI Tempo I send to it?” In practice, it’s pretty cool. You can… ►► play The answer is a bit more complex – but essentially “yes”. If you have not yet recorded a loop and are feeding MIDI Tempo to VL3X, the MET will be set to the incoming tempo, and the loop will be recorded at that tempo.
Setup Setup VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 145
Setup Introduction Setup contains all of the system-wide parameters for VL3X. Each page or tab is described in its own section of this chapter. ►► Tap the Setup button to enter the system menu. ►► Tap the Arrow buttons to switch between the tabs of the system menu.
Setup Input tab The Input page contains settings for all of the inputs in VL3X. Mic Gain parameter Use the Mic Gain parameter to adjust the input level for the Mic input. If you have completed the Auto-Gain procedure from the Quick Guide, you likely won’t need to adjust this. To adjust the gain manually, do the following. ►► Plug in your microphone. ►► If you have a condenser microphone, change Input Type to Condenser. ►► Sing at your loudest.
Setup Global Pitch Correct parameter Lead Delay parameter Lead Mute parameter Use the Global Pitch Correct parameter to apply auto-chromatic pitch correction to your incoming microphone signal. This feature is separate from the HardTune effect block and will be overridden when HardTune is active. Use the Lead Delay parameter to apply latency compensation between your lead voice and effects. Use the Lead Mute parameter to mute all incoming lead vocal signals.
Setup Aux Gain parameter Aux Vocal Cancel parameter Monitor Level parameter Use the Aux Gain parameter to control the level of the signal received at the Aux input jack. If you are getting distortion when connecting an external music source to the Aux input, try turning this control down. When you activate Aux Vocal Cancel, VL3X will attempt to remove vocals from recorded stereo music coming into the Aux input.
Setup RoomSense Auto-Detect parameter Use the RoomSense Auto-Detect parameter to add the RoomSense microphones built into your VL3X to the available NaturalPlay sources. Parameter settings: ►► On: VL3X will “listen” to the RoomSense microphones for Key/Scale information if no Guitar, MIDI or Aux signal is present. ►► Off: VL3X will ignore any music “heard” by the RoomSense microphones.
Setup Output tab XLR Output Mode parameter XLR Output Level parameter Use the XLR Output Mode parameter to select the output mode for VL3X. Use the XLR Output Level parameter to set the relative level of the signal going to the XLR outputs. Parameter settings: Parameter settings: ►► Stereo: ►► The left XLR output jack carries the left stereo channel. ►► The right XLR output jack carries the right stereo channel.
Setup Talk Trim parameter Use the Talk Trim parameter to adjust the volume of your lead voice when “Talk/Bypass” mode is engaged. It’s not uncommon for performers to want a little bit more or less volume through the PA when effects are bypassed. Setting the Talk Trim parameter to OFF allows you to mute the microphone during TALK/TUNER mode.
Setup Guitar tab Input Gain parameter Phase parameter Speaker Sim Enable parameter Use the Input Gain parameter to adjust the input level for the Guitar IN. To set this correctly, do the following: Use the Phase parameter to invert the phase of the guitar signal. Use the Speaker Sim Enable parameter to switch the speaker simulation portion of the guitar Amp effect block on or off. Parameter settings: ►► Plug in your guitar. ►► Turn your guitar’s volume control to maximum.
Setup Output Mode parameter Gate Threshold parameter Use the Output Mode parameter to specify if guitar output levels should be variable or fixed. Use the Gate Threshold parameter to set the threshold for the guitar gate. A gate “closes” or mutes the sound when it reaches a specific low volume threshold. Parameter settings: ►► Unity Gain: Maintains a constant guitar level output, regardless of Mix settings.
Setup MIDI tab Source parameter MIDI Tempo parameter Use the Source parameter to determines which MIDI input VL3X should use. Use the MIDI Tempo parameter to ON to have VL3X follow the MIDI tempo from an external MIDI clock source, e.g. a DAW. Input Channel and Output Channel parameters Use the Input Channel parameters to set the MIDI Channel that VL3X “listens to”. Parameter settings: ►► USB: VL3X receives MIDI information from the USB port.
Setup Input Filter and Output Filter parameters Use the Filter parameters to filter specific MIDI information from the incoming or outgoing MIDI data stream. These parameters are helpful if you would like VL3X to respond to certain types of information – like program changes – but not others, such as Continuous Controller (CC) messages. The parameter setting you choose here tells VL3X what not to send or respond to.
Setup Pitchbend Range parameter Split Note parameter Split Direction parameter Use the Pitchbend range parameter to define the range that pitch bend information can affect the current note(s). This value is represented in semitones. The default value is 12 (1 octave). It is possible to define a specific area of your MIDI keyboard for VL3X to respond to. Use the Split Note parameter to define a split point. Use the Split Direction parameter to control whether notes above or below that note are included.
Setup Vibrato Boost parameter Sysex ID parameter Use the Vibrato Boost parameter to set how VL3X should process incoming MIDI modulation data. Use the SysEx ID parameter to set the Sysex ID that is used for addressing devices. Parameter settings: If you are using VoiceSupport for firmware updates and/or Preset management, you need to set the SysEx ID to 0. ►► Boost: The modulation data received via MIDI is added to the vibrato already applied to Harmony voices.
Setup Tone tab VL3X is equipped with a voice-optimized Tone block that applies Compression, EQ, Gating and a De-esser to the lead voice. The settings for these components are not stored as part of Presets, they are applied globally. Tone parameter De-ess parameter Use the Tone parameter to switch the Tone block on or off. Use the De-ess parameter to adjust the amount of adaptive de-essing (removal of “sss” sounds) that should be applied to your voice. The default setting is 50.
Setup Compression mode parameter Use the Compression Mode parameter to choose between adaptive (automatic) and manual compression. Compress parameter (Adaptive Compression mode only) Threshold parameter (Manual Compression mode only) Use the Compress parameter to control the amount of adaptive compression applied to your voice. 50 is the default. Use the Threshold parameter to set the signal level where compression should be applied.
Setup Ratio parameter (Manual Compression mode only) Use the Ratio parameter to set the amount of compression that should be applied when the signal level is over the Threshold. The Ratio is defined as a “1:X” ratio, where “X” is the number of decibels (dB) of reduction in level for every 1 dB over the “Threshold” value. Gate parameter The gate turns down the volume of the microphone/line signal when the input signal falls under a certain threshold.
Setup Harm(ony) Atten(uation) parameter (Adaptive & Manual Gate mode only) Threshold parameter (Manual Gate mode only) Use the Harm(ony) Atten(uation) parameter to set the attenuation of the harmony voices once the signal falls under the threshold. Use the Threshold parameter to set the threshold for the Gate. When the signal level falls under this value, the gate is activated and attenuates the signals as specified by the Atten(uation) parameters.
Setup Shape parameter (Adaptive EQ mode only) Warmth parameter (Adaptive EQ mode only) Low / Mid / High gain parameters (Manual EQ mode only) Use the Shape parameter to control the amount of adaptive equalization applied to your voice. The default setting is 50. Use the Warmth parameter to adjust the character of adaptive equalization. When you set it to On, the equalization will sound warmer.
Setup Low / Mid / High Freq(uency) parameters (Manual EQ mode only) Mid BW parameter (Manual EQ mode only) Use the Low, Mid and High Freq(uency) parameters to set the frequencies of the low, mid and high bands of the EQ. Use the Mid BW parameters to set the bandwidth of the EQ’s mid band. Parameter range: Narrow, 0.11 to 8,77, Wide. Parameter range: 20 to 20480 Hz.
Setup System tab Global Tempo parameter Global Preset parameter Global Key/Scale parameter Use the Global Tempo parameter if you want to use one global tempo setting instead of using the tempo settings stored as part of each Preset. Use the Global Preset parameter to define a Global Preset that should be used as a starting point/reference for all Presets where effect blocks are set to Global ON. Use the Global Key/Scale parameter if you want to use one global key/scale.
Setup All Guitar FX Global parameter Global NatPlay Source parameter Mix RoomSense to NaturalPlay Use the All Guitar FX Global parameter to “lock” the guitar effects in their current state. This is a great feature if you would like to use one “set” of guitar effects across all Presets, much like individual stomp boxes instead of having guitar effects change with every Preset. Use the Global NatPlay Source parameter to define a global signal source for the NaturalPlay feature.
Setup Tuner Reference parameter Hit Behavior parameter Aux In Type parameter Use the Tuner Reference parameter to set the reference frequency for the built-in tuner. Use the Hit Behavior parameter to define how manually switching effect blocks on or off should affect the HIT function. Use the Aux In Type parameter to specify the signal you are feeding to the Aux in jack. Available settings are “Live” and “Tracks”. For more information, see “HIT – Dynamic vs. Snapshot”.
Setup Contrast parameter Mix Screen Time-out parameter Use the Contrast parameter to set VL3X’s display contrast. Use the Mix Screen Time-out parameter to set the time, in seconds, that the mix screen is active before it automatically times out and the display returns to the last used Layer. Depending on the angle that you view the screen from, different contrast settings may make things easier to read.
Setup Mic Control and Footswitch tabs Every VL3X Preset has its own Buttonmap tabs, allowing you to remap the six effect footswitches (µMod, Delay, Reverb, HIT, Double / Comp and Harmony / Drive) both for the Vocal and the Guitar Layer. For more information, see “Remapping a footswitch”.
Setup Mic Control tab Mic Switch Function parameter Use the Mic Switch Function parameter to activate Mic Control and assign a function to the switch/switches on your Mic Control-enabled microphone (MP-75, MP-76, Sennheiser e 835 fx). Set the microphone you will be using on the INPUT TYPE parameter on the INPUT menu first! E.g., to map all four switches of a MP-76, you will need to select that Microphone type first. For more information, see “Input tab”.
Setup Mic Switch Mode parameter Use the Mic Switch Mode parameter to set the operation mode of the switch on your Mic Control-enabled microphone. ►► Latched: Tap the Mic switch to activate the assigned effect, tap it again to deactivate it. ►► Momentary: The assigned effect is on only when you keep the Mic switch pressed. For more information, see “Change a button from Latched to Momentary mode”.
Setup Footswitch tab Step Button Function parameter Use the Step Button Function parameter to remap the Step footswitch to another function. One of the following functions can be mapped to the Step footswitch. This setting is not stored as part of your Presets, it is applied globally. The Step footswitch LED will light in blue (Vocal), Red (Guitar) or Purple (Loop/System), depending on what you have assigned to it.
Setup Step Button Mode parameter Footswitch jack parameter Use the Step Button Mode parameter to set the operation mode of the Step button. You can use the Footswitch jack on your VL3X to connect either a TC-Helicon Switch-3, a Switch-6 or a second expression pedal. ►► Latched: Tap the button to activate the assigned effect, tap it again to deactivate it. ►► Momentary: The assigned effect is on only when you hold down the footswitch.
Setup Expr(ession) Pedal Function parameter If you have connected a second expression pedal to the Footswitch jack, use the Expr(ession) Pedal Function parameter to assign a function to this expression pedal.
Setup FOOTSW-1 to FOOTSW-3 or FOOTSW-1 to FOOTSW-6 parameters FOOTSW parameter settings Each Switch-3 or Switch-6 footswitch can be assigned to one of the following controls: These parameters are only available when the Footswitch jack parameter has been set to Switch-3 or Switch-6.
Setup FOOTSW MODE parameters Use the (three or six) Mode parameters below the FOOTSW parameters to set the operation modes of the footswitches on a TC-Helicon Switch-3 or Switch-6 connected to your VL3X. ►► Latched: Tap the footswitch on your Switch-3 or Switch-6 to activate the assigned effect, tap it again to deactivate it. ►► Momentary: The assigned effect is on only when you hold down the footswitch. For more information, see “Change a button from Latched to Momentary mode”.
Setup Pedal Calibration tab For more information on pedal calibration, see “Calibrating your expression pedal”.
Setup Product info tab The Product Info tab contains important information about your VL3X, including: ►► Installed Firmware Version ►► Serial Number ►► Manufacture Date This information is valuable if you ever need to contact TC-Helicon support.
Appendix Appendix VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 179
Appendix MIDI CC List For effects that can be switched on or off: Value 1-63 = off, 64-127 = on CC No.
Appendix System Maintenance/Factory Reset You can boot VL3X in a special System Maintenance that will allow you to perform several system maintenance functions, including a factory reset. VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) Entering System Maintenance Mode off your VL3X. headphones (if attached) ►► Using a toothpick or a small wire (we recommend a straightened paper clip), press the button that is inside the Headphone jack. The button is small and at the very end of the inside of the jack.
Technical Specifications Technical Specifications VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 182
Technical Specifications INCLUDED EFFECTS VOCAL EFFECTS GUITAR FX µMod, Echo & Delay, Reverb, Harmony, Double, Transducer, Rhythmic, HardTune & Correction, Choir, Stutter, Vocoder, Adaptive Tone Amp Modeling, Drive, Delay, Reverb, Compression, Resonant Filter, Wah, µMod (Flange, Chorus, De-tune), Shifter, Rhythmic/Tremolo, Talkbox (part of Vocoder) CONTROL 250 factory presets Memory for 500 presets 10 steps per preset 10 footswitches 6 preset-assignable footswitches for enabling/disabling FX blocks Backi
Technical Specifications CONNECTIONS ANALOG INPUTS Voice Connector Input Impedance Balanced Mic Input Level @ 0 dBFS Line Input Level @0dBFS EIN @ Max Mic Gain Rg = 150 Ohm Mic SNR Phantom Power A to D Conversion Guitar Connector Guitar Input Impedance Guitar Input Level @ 0 dBFS Guitar Input SNR >108 dB A to D Conversion Monitor Connector Input Impedance Balanced Monitor Input Level @ 0 dBFS Aux Aux Aux Input Level @ 0 dBFS ANALOG OUTPUTS Voice Connectors Output Impedance Balanced/Unbalanced Output Range
Technical Specifications D to A Conversion Headphone Guitar thru Buffered Guitar Input Connector Output Impedance Bal/UnBal Monitor thru 24 Bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream, 106 dB SNR A-weighted 1/8“ Mini stereo jack, 50 Ohm, +14 dBu max 1/4“ TRS phone jack 270/540 Ohms Direct connection to Monitor input Connector: Balanced XLR VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 185
Technical Specifications CONTROL USB MIDI Pedal Mic Control SAFETY AND REGULATIONS POWER External Power Supply Mains Voltage Power Consumption SAFETY EMC – Complies with Safety – certified to ENVIRONMENT Operating Temperature Storage Temperature Humidity VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) USB A, Mini-B In/Out 5 Pin DIN 1/4“ TRS phone jack Using TC-Helicon MP-75, TC-Helicon MP-76 or Sennheiser e 835 fx microphone 100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (auto-select) < 14 W EN 55103-1:2009, EN 55103-2:2009,
Technical Specifications VL3X – Reference manual (updated 2015-05-12) 187
