VoiceWorks Harmony | Correction | Effects USER’S MANUAL
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 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.
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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION SONG MODE Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Text Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 BASIC OPERATION Front Panel . Rear Panel . Signal Flow . Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Preset Handling Parameter Types . . . . . Preset Types . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the TC-Helicon VoiceWorks Harmony, Pitch Correction and Effects processor. Designed for live and recording situations where superior vocals are a must, this state-of-the-art product creates the world's most natural sounding harmonies while offering innovative processing for the lead voice as well. VoiceWorks is an end-to-end solution.
FRONT PANEL POWER KEY On/Off switch for the unit. Note: In order for SETUP and current preset parameters to be saved, the unit must be powered off using this switch. Powering down by removing AC power will result in the loss of changes to these parameters. LINE INPUT LEVEL KNOB Adjusts the Line Input level. Range: 24dB INPUT METER Peak meter shows Input level. The Meter range is: 0 to -40dB. INPUT CLIP LED Indicates that the input level is too high possibly causing digital distortion.
FRONT PANEL SONG MODE KEY Press to enter song mode. Step through sequenced presets during live performance (using a footswitch or MIDI controller). SETUP KEY Press to enter the setup menu. Setup contains all global parameters not stored in individual presets including parameters relating to EQ, Comp/Gate, Audio, digital I/O, MIDI, and footswitch configuration. Pressing this key repeatedly will advance to the first parameter in the next logical group of parameters.
REAR PANEL Balanced Mic Input with +48V Phantom Power Balanced Jack Analog Input Balanced Jack Analog Outputs Note! The microphone input on the VoiceWorks has +48V phantom power capability. Never plug single ended (unbalanced) microphones or instruments or signal processors (balanced or unbalanced) into the mic input if +48V phantom power is on. Digital S/PDIF Input/ Output MIDI In, Out, Thru MIDI Cable DIN CONNECTOR 5POLE - MALE 45 degrees DIN CONNECTOR 5POLE - MALE 45 degrees max.
SIGNAL FLOW 9
APPLICATIONS Live Setups Using the VoiceWorks live is like bringing 4 professional backup singers to your gig! You’ve got several options when it comes to controlling the VoiceWorks Live. For best results you can use (in various combinations) the Switch-3 footpedal, a MIDI keyboard, a MIDI CC controller, and of course the controls on the box itself. We’ve provided setup examples below for a few common situations.
APPLICATIONS Computer Based Digital Studio Setup The VoiceWorks’ pristine -128dB EIN (Equivalent Input Noise) mic preamp and 24 bit A/D conversion alone justifies its place in your Studio rack. The industry’s best sounding pitch correction and the ability to create harmony vocals with quality good enough to solo in a mix make this unit a a must-have for anyone working with Vocals. We’ve put together an example setup below for a basic digital studio setup.
PRESET HANDLING Parameter types The VoiceWorks has over 100 useful parameters and a user interface that lets you view and edit efficiently. Some parameters are preset based and some are setup based. Preset parameters are all the parameters found under the eight Voices & Effects keys. Each preset has its own set of these parameters. Setup parameters are global and do not change when a different preset is recalled.
PRESET HANDLING Press any other key at any time during previewing to return to the currently recalled preset. • If connected to a sequencer, arm it to record SYSEX data and press ENTER on the VoiceWorks. All 100 presets shipped with the VoiceWorks can be modified or overwritten. You can always restore a preset to its factory default from the setup menu. The VoiceWorks is always ready to receive MIDI System Exclusive Dumps.
VOICES & EFFECTS EDIT PARAMETERS Introduction A VoiceWorks Preset is made up of all parameters under the eight Voices & Effects keys. These include INDIVIDUAL VOICES (4), overall HARMONY, lead voice THICKENING, EFFECTS, and PITCH CORRECTION keys. A single click on a Voices & Effects key will activate/deactivate its processing, a Double click will enter its edit menu. Lit key LEDs indicate that the respective processing is enabled. INDIVIDUAL VOICE KEYS These are the keys with the four human body icons.
VOICES & EFFECTS EDIT PARAMETERS harmony note as desired. • Select various other input notes and remap as desired. Repeat the above steps for each harmony voice. • The custom map can be transposed under the Harmony Edit page by changing the SCALE ROOT. HARMONY KEY This key allows the enabling/disabling/editing of the harmony parameters that affect all 4 harmony voices. A single click will turn on/off the all harmony voices.
VOICES & EFFECTS EDIT PARAMETERS LEV Sets the volume level of the lead voice thickening effect. FX LEVEL Sets the overall volume of the combined Reverb and Delay effects. DET Sets the amount of lead voice detuning. REV/DLY Reverb/Delay mix. SPRD Sets the amount that the detuned voices are panned. A value of 100% results in the detuned voices being hard panned R and L. A value of 0% results in the detuned voices panned to center. LE-REV SND Lead to Reverb effects send.
VOICES & EFFECTS EDIT PARAMETERS REVERB TYPE The list of reverb types includes the following acoustic simulations: Living Room, Chamber, Club, Classic Hall, Concert Hall, Large Cathedral, Vocal Studio, Vocal Room, Vocal Hall, Ambience, Live Reverb, Plate1, Plate2, and Spring. PingPong1 and PingPong2 Delay ay Send HF Damping Delay Left Delay Out Delay Right Delay Out Feedback Amount REVPREDLYT Reverb Pre-delay time. Sets the delay time prior to the reverb output.
VOICES & EFFECTS EDIT PARAMETERS PITCH CORRECT KEY This key allows the enabling/disabling/editing of the pitch correction parameters. The VoiceWorks will listen to the pitch of your voice, compare it to the selected correction scale, and then apply pitch correction in realtime. The amount of correction applied is governed by the various amount and timing settings available.
SETUP PARAMETERS Introduction Parameters in the setup menu are global and are not stored within the preset. They are parameters that would typically be set for a given situation based on the singer, microphone or studio configuration and then left that way as a basis for the presets within the VoiceWorks. Setup parameters can be backed up via MIDI sysex dumps. (see the “Preset Handling” section of the manual for details).
SETUP PARAMETERS INPUT Analog or Digital. Please note that selecting Digital input will automatically change the Sample Rate to external. The sample rate may at that point be adjusted back to what is desired. GLOBAL EFF Global Effects. The effect settings from the chosen preset become global for all recalled presets. TUNING Sets the tuning reference based on A-440. MIDI Parameters MIDI CHANNEL Sets the base MIDI Send and Receive channel.
SETUP PARAMETERS / SONG MODE (effects are on only when the pedal is pressed) HarL Harmony toggle mute HarM Harmonies toggle mute - momentary (harmonies are on only when the pedal is pressed) Hsus Harmony Hold. MIDI DUMP Allows SYSEX MIDI dumping of all or individual presets, all or individual songs, and the VoiceWorks setup data. • Select what you would like to backup using the DATA WHEEL. Pn denotes a preset; Sn Denotes a song; Setup is all setup data.
HARMONY AND TUNING Harmony Here's where we can go into a little more depth about harmonies. We've tried to keep it practical, focusing on what VoiceWorks can do for you. Harmony Hold Truly an innovation, the Harmony Hold feature lets you (on a whim) sustain the backing harmony voices while you continue to sing through them.
HARMONY AND TUNING You might have noticed that each harmony note can cover more than one input note, or that each input note doesn’t necessarily have a unique harmony note. For instance, C and D both have E as the 3rd above, E and F share G, and so on. This gives a more stepped sound to the harmony as the changes are both greater in magnitude and less frequent than when using other harmony methods (shift mode for example).
HARMONY AND TUNING nc nc D F nc nc C Eb nc nc Ab C B D nc nc D F nc nc C Eb nc nc A C Bb D D F nc nc D F D F C E nc nc C Eb nc nc nc nc Ab C Bb D nc nc A C Bb D D F D F C E nc nc nc nc A C C E B Bb D F C E A G# nc nc nc nc A C B D F# F G D F Diatonic and Chromatic We've described scalic and chordal harmonies as diatonic, and shift harmonies as chromatic; but what do those words mean? Look at a piano keyboard.
HARMONY AND TUNING Theory aside, the best way to get great sound is to experiment with all of VoiceWorks' possible harmony modes. Not only will you develop an intuitive sonic sense of what works best where, but by investigating different permutations and combinations you could discover some delightful sounds you might otherwise have missed.
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION Parameter Name Advanced CC# GM-Basic CC# Range / Description Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice 1 Level 1 Voicing 1 Gender 1 Vibrato Style 1 Vibrato Amount 1 Pan 1 Active 11 12 13 89 90 16 106 46 14 29 89 90 16 106 0-127 Harmony Mode Dependent 0-127 0-Number of Styles 0-100 0-127 0-63 Off, 64-127 On Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice Voice 2 Level 2 Voicing 2 Gender 2 Vibrato Style 2 Vibrato Amount 2 Pan 2 Active 17 18 19 92 93 20 107 17 18 19 61 62 20 107 0-127 Harm
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION Parameter Name Advanced CC# GM-Basic CC# Range / Description Fx Level Fx Rev:Delay Mix Fx Lead2Reverb Send Fx Harmony2Reverb Send Fx Aux2Reverb Send Fx Lead2Delay Send Fx Harmony2Delay Send Fx Aux2Delay Send Fx Delay2Reverb Send Fx Reverb Type Fx Reverb PreDelay Level Fx Reverb Decay Time Fx Reverb Color Low Freq Fx Reverb Color High Freq Fx Delay Type Fx Delay Time Fx Delay Feedback Fx Delay High Freq Damp Fx Delay Source Fx Bypass 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 46 63 14 65
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION Parameter Name Advanced CC# GM-Basic CC# Range / Description Setup FootSwitch 1 Assign 102 Setup FootSwitch 2 Assign 103 Setup FootSwitch 3 Assignt 104 102 103 104 0-9 0-9 0-9 Bypass All Harmony Hold CC Control Global Vibrato 114 119 1 114 119 1 0-63 Off, 64-127 On 0-63 Off, 64-127 On 0-127 Song Step Forward Song Step Backward 115 9 115 9 >63, Song Steps Forward” >63, Song Steps Backward” *Special CC’s (same for both the Advanced and GM-Basic CC maps) Pitch Correction Scal
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Digital Inputs and Outputs Connectors: Formats: Sample Rates: Frequency Response DIO: RCA Phono (S/PDIF) S/PDIF (24 bit), EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz DC to 22/23.9 kHz ± 0.01 dB @ 44.1/48 kHz Analog Inputs Connectors, balanced: Impedance: Balanced/Unbalanced Line Input Level @ 0 dBFS: Line Sensitivity @ 12 dB headroom: Mic. Input Level @ 0 dBFS: Pad Off/On Mic. Sensitivity @ 12 dB headroom: Pad Off/On Line, Mic. @ Min gain, Dynamic Range: NF/Vi @ Max. micamp.
PRESET LIST Mixed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Modes Hit Vocals Vibrato Sync Barbershop Church Choir Subtle Lead Solo Vibrato Super Octavs Super Thick Midi Notes Radio Voice Shift Mode 51 Funky Octavs 52 Gregorians 53 Funky Fifths 54 Doubled Tons 55 Doubled +Vib 56 BigGuysSing 57 DownAnOctave 58 Up An Octave 59 Urban Double 60 Porta-Pitch Scale 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Mode Fat Lead+3rd Fat 3rd +5th Fat-4th +3rd Fat-6th -4th Fat-6th +5th SuperFat 3rd 7th chord Jazz Guys WayUp
PRESET LIST Delay/Reverb 91 TapPing 92 Slap 93 Ping-Pong 94 MiniShift 95 Bright Hall 96 Chamber 97 Live Room 98 Cavernous 99 Revved Delay Blank 100 Blank Preset 31
