TC Helicon VoiceTone X1 - Vocal Processor Manual

Important Safety Instructions

1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with dry cloth.
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
8. Do not install near heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
9. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
10. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

• To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and ensure that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the equipment.
• Do not install in a confined space.

Service

• All service must be performed by qualified personnel.

You are cautioned that any change or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment.

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.

Introduction

VoiceTone X1 brings a modern, "down and dirty" quality to live vocals with tinny megaphones and sharp vocal distortion effects under singers' control.

X1 is for singers who want to crank up the intensity of their vocals. Kicking in a distorted vocal effect or a telephone voice is a great way to capture the audience's attention with some ear candy. VoiceTone X1 offers you the ability to create these effects instantly in an affordable and easy-to-use vocal effect pedal.

Features

• 8 preset styles arranged in Phone, Distortion and Amp categories
• Easy connection between your mic and mixer
• Drive control allows you to reduce or add distortion to the current style
• Filter control tailors frequency band for the current style
• Phantom power always available
• USB connection to free VoiceSupport application offering updates, product-specific news and more
• Mic Control (patent pending) allows remote on/off switching with optional TC-Helicon MP-75 mic

Overview

1. Effect on/off footswitch
2. MIC GAIN input level control
3. Style selector (8 positions)
4. Drive: raises or lowers distortion amount
5. MIC: Balanced XLR mic input
6. OUT: Balanced XLR mono output
7. Power in
8. USB connector to computer
9. Input level LED; green=signal, red=clip
10. Filter: controls frequency band
11. MIC CONTROL via optional MP-75 mic: in=on
12. Effect on/off

Connecting

MIC jack - Connect your mic here using a balanced XLR cable. Phantom power is always on.

OUT jack - Connect to your PA mixer, another VoiceTone pedal or powered speaker.

Power in - Connect the supplied 12VDC power supply.

Optional:
USB - Connect to a computer running the TC-Helicon Voice-Support application for registration, latest version and tips.
Download VoiceSupport at www.tc-helicon.com

• Turn down your PA when making all connections
• The latest version of VoiceSupport is available free from www.tc-helicon.com\voicesupport
• The USB connection does not provide power to the unit

Phantom Power

There is no switch to enable phantom power on the VoiceTone singles. Phantom power is available when the product is powered up. Microphones that don't require phantom power will operate properly.

First Setup and Use

1. Turn down your PA's master volume or the channel you will connect to.
2. Connect the AC adaptor to power the unit. Cycle the footswitch to confirm the unit is powered.
3. Connect your mic and PA as shown in the diagram. For live performance, a USB connection to a computer is not required.
4. Sing into your mic while adjusting the MIC GAIN control so that the input level LED flashes green to orange. Brief flashes of red on the LED on your loudest singing are ok.
5. Select a style.
6. Activate the effect with the footswitch (LED will light).
7. Sing while slowly turning up your PA volume to a comfortable level.

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING FEEDBACK

The effects in X1 are more likely to produce mic feedback than other effects such as echo or reverb. While all efforts to make the product more feedback-resistant have been made including the incorporation of an audio gate (see below) and careful style creation, feedback may still occur with loud monitors, close PA speaker placement etc. Use low volumes when first turning the effect on in a new setup.

The Style Selector

"Styles" are preset effects offering a wide range of sounds you can load quickly. They are grouped into three categories:

Phone: These three styles recreate the sounds of telephones and megaphones. They utilize EQ that narrows the frequency band and adds a narrow presence peak to emulate these devices.
Dist (distortion): These two styles produce full bandwidth distortion effects. Neither of these uses any EQ to narrow the frequency band as the Phone and Amp styles do. The two styles could be characterized as "a lot of distortion" and "a lot more distortion"!
Amp: These three styles use a combination of distortion and band limiting EQ to achieve a sound similar to amplified devices like guitar amps.

The Drive Control

Any style you select can temporarily be modified by the Drive control. This control can add to or reduce the distortion that is pre-set in the current style. This is useful when you need to balance intelligibility of your lyrics (less distortion) and intensity of your delivery (more distortion). Each style has a different distortion voicing to allow you maximum tonal range. When you change styles the edited setting will be lost though you can re-adjust later to approximately the same position via the knob indicator.

The Filter Control

This control allows you to temporarily adjust the EQ frequency band of the current style. There are 3 filter types distributed among the styles to offer maximum sonic flexibility: Hi Pass (Low Cut), Low Pass (Hi Cut) and Band Pass. Again, any setting you make on this control is lost when changing styles.

The Gate

There is an effect in X1 that helps to control feedback called the Gate. Because feedback often occurs when the effect is switched on but you aren't singing yet, the gate shuts off the mic until you sing at a loud enough volume to "open" the gate. You may have noticed that some quiet parts of your singing such as S sounds or when you sing further from the mic are not heard when the effect is on. This is the gate working to minimize feedback.
To adjust the Gate: While holding the footswitch, turn the Filter knob right from the center default so you have to sing louder to open the gate (higher threshold). Adjust left of center so quieter singing will open the gate (lower threshold). With loud PA/monitors, you will most likely need to turn the knob to the right.

Global Effect Volume Trim

You can raise or lower the effect active level versus the effect off level if desired. You can raise the effect level in situations where feedback is not as much of an issue or lower it when feedback is an issue.
To adjust Global Effect Trim: While holding the footswitch turn the Drive control right from the center default to increase the level up to 6dB or turn it left to reduce the level up to 6dB.

Using Multiple VoiceTone Single Pedals

It is possible (even encouraged!) to use more than one VoiceTone Singles pedal at a time. You only need to adjust the MIC GAIN control of the first pedal in the chain. On the rest, MIC GAIN should be set to the minimum (fully left) position. The order of the pedals is important. See the following for signal flow:

Microphone > T1 > C1 > D1 > H1 > X1 > E1 > R1 > To PA

Using the Mic Control Feature

Mic Control allows you to turn the main effect on and off from the optional TC-Helicon MP-75 mic. Each VoiceTone Single pedal has a switch labelled MIC CONTROL that can be pushed in allowing remote on/off control for that pedal. Mic Control can be used for single or multiple pedals on any or all pedals. When Mic Control is not desired, ensure the Mic Control switch is out.

Additional Tips for Avoiding Feedback

• Ensure your monitor and/or PA speakers don't aim directly at the front of your mic
• Sing close to the mic, even touching the grill with your lips
• Try a super-cardioid dynamic mic such as TC-Helicon's MP-75 and MP-70
• Set your PA channel EQ and overall graphic EQ flatter or off
• Have your band play quieter

FAQ

Why am I hearing distortion when the effect is turned off?
Likely the MIC GAIN knob is set too high. Ensure that the Input LED is green most of the time with only brief and rare peaks of red. When you hear distortion with the effect on, it is working correctly!

Can I use the product on an auxilliary send/return?
Yes. Ensure that the MIC GAIN knob is set to minimum to accept the line level signal from your mixer. Note that the noise floor may rise slightly in this setup.

Will I need a DI box to connect to a mixer?
No.

Why is the product turning the effect on and off by itself?
This can happen when you have the MIC CONTROL knob pushed in and the Mic input is connected to a mixer send with "pseudo balanced" outputs. Unless you are using only the TC-Helicon MP-75 mic with the Mic Control feature, the MIC CONTROL knob should be out.

Technical Specifications

Due to continuous development, these specifications are subject to change without notice