TC HELICON Voicelive 3 Extreme Unrivaled Vocal and Guitar Effects Performance Floor Pedal User Guide

: June 6, 2024
: TC-HELICON

TC HELICON Voicelive 3 Extreme Unrivaled Vocal and Guitar Effects

Performance Floor Pedal User Guide

Voicelive 3 Extreme

Unrivaled Vocal and Guitar Effects Performance Floor Pedal with Backing Tracks, Looping, Automation and Audio Recording

Important Safety Instructions

Terminals marked with this symbol carry electrical current of sufficient magnitude to constitute risk of electric shock.
Use only high-quality professional speaker cables with ¼” TS or twist-locking plugs pre-installed. All other installation or modification should be performed only by qualified personnel.

This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage inside the enclosure – voltage that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock.

Caution

These service instructions are for use by qualified service personnel only.
To reduce the risk of electric shock do not perform any servicing other than that contained in the operation instructions. Repairs have to be performed by qualified service personnel.

Read these instructions.
Keep these instructions.
Heed all warnings.
Follow all instructions.
Do not use this apparatus near water.
Clean only with 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.
Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.
Use only attachments/accessories specified by the manufacture.
Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
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.
The apparatus shall be connected to a MAINS socket outlet with a protective earthing connection.
Where the MAINS plug or an appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.
Correct disposal of this product: This symbol indicates that this product must not be disposed of with household waste, according to the WEEE
Directive (2012/19/EU) and your national law. This product should be taken to a collection center licensed for the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The mishandling of this type of waste could have a possible negative impact on the environment and human health due to potentially hazardous substances that are generally associated with EEE. At the same time, your cooperation in the correct disposal of this product will contribute to the efficient use of natural resources. For more information about where you can take your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your local city office, or your household waste collection service.
Do not install in a confined space, such as a book case or similar unit.
Do not place naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, on the apparatus.
Please keep the environmental aspects of battery disposal in mind. Batteries must be disposed-of at a battery collection point.
This apparatus may be used in tropical and moderate climates up to 45°C. Music Tribe accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description, photograph, or statement contained herein. Technical specifications, appearances and other information are subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Midas, se.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Music Tribe accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description, photograph, or statement contained herein. Technical specifications, appearances and other information are subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Midas, Klark Teknik, Lab Gruppen, Lake, Tannoy, Turbosound, TC Electronic, TC Helicon, Behringer, Bugera, Oberheim, Auratone and Coolaudio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Music
Tribe Global Brands Ltd. © Music Tribe Global Brands Ltd. 2021 All rights reserved.

LIMITED WARRANTY

For the applicable warranty terms and conditions and additional information regarding Music Tribe’s
Limited Warranty, please see complete details online at musictribe.com/warranty

Diagrams

To give you clear and concise representations of what goes where, we have provided several connection diagrams in the “Making connections” (page 10) section. There are a few things we would like you to keep in mind as you follow these diagrams:

Signal sources that go into your VoiceLive 3 (e.g. microphone or guitar) will always be shown to the left of the back panel image (1).
“Downstream” devices (mixers, speakers) will always be shown to the right of the back panel image (2).
The box in the lower left corner shows what signals you will hear from the VoiceLive 3 headphone output.
The box in the lower right corner shows what you will hear from your mixer / PA speakers. This could be anything from a “stick system” or a portable/all-inone loudspeaker system to powered studio monitors or even a DAW recording interface. In many cases, what you hear from the VoiceLive 3 headphone output and your PA will be the same (5) – but it can also be different. Please note that we do not account for other inputs or instruments in these diagrams – so you won’t see pictures of drums (4) etc. When a setup example includes a connection to your guitar amp, we do not show that amp being miked and sent through the PA (which often is the case) – we are just showing you how to connect VoiceLive 3 in a particular setup. This means the “what you hear” section in the lower right corner does not show guitar sounds coming from the PA – even though they might at a gig.

Legend

The following symbols are used in the setup examples section of this quick guide:

Introduction

Thank you for purchasing
VoiceLive 3!
Your new Vocal, Guitar and Loop processor is quite an amazing piece of technology. With literally thousands of effect combinations and many versatile controls, you can completely customize your sound.
VoiceLive 3 replaces stand-alone vocal processors, guitar multi effects units and phrase loopers – reducing your “gig weight” to what you can throw in a backpack.
We’re really excited to get you up and running quickly, so let’s get started!

In the box

The VoiceLive 3 box should contain the following items:

1 VoiceLive 3 vocal processor
1 power adaptor
1 USB cable
1 guitar/headphone cable
this manual.
If you are missing an item, please contact your retailer immediately. Inspect all items for signs of transit damage. In the unlikely event of transit damage, inform the carrier and supplier.
If damage has occurred, keep all packaging as it can be used as evidence of excessive handling force.

VoiceLive 3 key features Just to whet your appetite, here is a basic overview of VoiceLive 3’s many exciting features!

Vocal Effects Suite
Adaptive Tone
EQ
Compression
De-ess
Reverb
Delay (Echo)
Double
Harmony
Choir
Vocoder / Talk Box / Vocal Synth
Rhythmic
μMod (pronounced “micro mod”): Flanger / Chorus / Detune
Transducer
HardTune
Whammy

Guitar Effects Suite

Amp Simulation
Reverb
Delay
μMod: Flanger / Chorus / Detune
Drive
Compressor
Rhythm / Tremolo
Wah Wah
Octave Down

Multi-Phrase Looper

Loop Assist quantization
Swap Mode – For easy verse / chorus / bridge style looping
Onboard loop storage
Customizable button layout – Completely remappable footswitches
Easy Top-Level Editing – Deep controls when you’re ready
HIT function – Add multiple effects to Vocals, Guitar or both with one button press
Direct guitar out – go straight to your amp
Independent headphone mix – Perfect for in-ear monitoring without an expensive transmitter/receiver system

Making connections

Inputs

Connect the supplied power adapter to the 12 V DC jack of your VoiceLive 3 and plug the adapter into a wall outlet.
Do not power up your VoiceLive 3 yet.
Plug your microphone into the MIC / LINE jack using an XLR cable.
Connect your guitar to the GUITAR IN jack using a ¼” Tip Sleeve (TS) cable (i.e., a regular guitar cable).
Connect your MP3 player or smartphone to the AUX jack using a 1/8″ cable.
Connect your MIDI master keyboard or synthesizer to the MIDI IN jack using a MIDI cable.
Plug your Switch-3 into the FOOTSWITCH jack using a ¼” Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) cable (the cable that came with the Switch-3).
Plug your Expression pedal into the EXPRESSION jack.

Do you have a condenser, MP-75 or e835FX microphone? When the unit is powered up (there’s a few more steps before that happens), you’ll need to enable Phantom Power. To enable Phantom Power, press SETUP
and navigate to the INPUT tab using the < and > buttons below the large control knob. Find the Mic Type parameter and change it to Condenser. Press SETUP to exit. These instructions are also printed on the bottom of your VoiceLive 3.

Outputs

Depending on what kind of amplification system you are using, there are lots of options. We cover a few common setups on the following pages. In the reference manual, we’ll show many more connection options,
including incoming monitor mixes.

Vocals and guitar using guitar/headphone cable

This setup utilizes the included guitar/headphone cable, which is perfect for personal monitoring in any setup. You will see that the two smaller ends of the cable are different. One end has a male headphone jack beside the guitar jack. Connect these to the GUITAR IN and HEADPHONE jacks. The other end plugs into your guitar and has a female jack for your headphones/in-ear monitors.

. Stereo vocal and stereo guitar (2 channels)

This is a very common setup for both live performances with a stereo PA (double-check that the venue PA system is actually in stereo!) or for basic 2 channel recording

. Stereo vocals and stereo guitar (4 channels)

VoiceLive 3 features “jack sensing” on several inputs and outputs. With this connection setup, all guitar signals are removed from the XLR signal path when ¼” Guitar
OUT connections are made. This gives you separate stereo channels for your vocals and guitar. This is a great setup for connecting to a 4 channel audio interface.

Mono vocals and mono guitar (dual mono mode)

If you are not using a guitar amplifier, this is a common connection setup for most live venues, since the PA is typically in mono. It also allows a sound tech to control
the overall balance between your vocals and guitar. Output modes can be changed in the Setup/Output menu.

Stereo vocals and guitar amplifier

Keep in mind that your guitar amp may be miked and come out through the PA. That part of the signal flow isn’t shown in this setup example.
Guitar output is automatically muted in the XLR signal path when a 1/4″ guitar out connection is made.

Mono vocals and guitar amplifier

Keep in mind that your guitar amp may be miked and come out through the PA. That part of the signal flow isn’t shown in this setup example.
Guitar output is automatically muted in the XLR signal path when a 1/4″ guitar out connection is made.

Stereo vocals and MIDI keyboard

VoiceLive 3 is not a synthesizer and cannot convert MIDI note messages to audio. The MIDI connection is only used for NaturalPlay chord detection and other control
data. You will still need to connect your keyboard to the PA or an amplifier for it to be heard!

Let’s get going!

Make all connections as seen in “Making connections” (page 10). Before you power up VoiceLive 3, make sure that the amplifier or PA it is connected to is muted or turned all the way down!
Press the POWER switch on the back of the unit.

Booting will take a few seconds – so it is normal if you see a blank screen for a short while

Auto Gain

The easiest way to set the input levels for your microphone and guitar is to press and hold the Setup butto

Auto Gain

The easiest way to set the input levels for your microphone and guitar is to press and hold the Setup butto

You will see a series of on-screen instructions. When you are done, gain settings will be optimized for your microphone and guitar.
You should only have to use Auto Gain once. There is no need to go through this procedure each time you power on the unit.
If you have a condenser, MP-75, or e835FX mic, this is a good time to enable it. Follow the instructions printed on the bottom of your VoiceLive 3.

Setting input gain on your mixer

While singing and playing at your loudest volume, slowly turn up the input gain/ trim knobs of the mixer channels your VoiceLive 3 is connected to. When the clip
indicator on your mixer lights up, reduce input gain/trim slightly.

For additional information on input trim, please refer to your PA or mixer’s instruction manual. If you need a bit more guidance, check out this “Craig’s
Corner” video explaining mixer setup: youtube.com/watch?v=qq0AOtafIjs

Time to have some fun!

It’s time to hear what your VoiceLive 3 really can do! Set the VoiceLive 3 channel faders on your mixer to 0 or “Unity”, whichever applie

Slowly turn up the master/main volume on your PA/Mixer (and on your guitar amp if you are hooked up to one). If you encounter feedback, turn the master volume down until it goes away.
For more information on feedback and how to overcome it, check out this “Craig’s Corner” video: youtube.com/watch?v=VlN1RJ4gcA

Explore the sounds

The best way to get an idea of your VoiceLive 3’s potential is to browse the presets. The factory presets have tons of great sounds, so we suggest you carve out a little time to go through and listen to them.
To browse presets, press the footswitches with the up and down arrows on the far left.

Note which presets you enjoy the most – you can use them as a starting point for creating your own presets later.

VoiceLive 3 for acoustic guitar players

VoiceLive 3 comes with pristine reverbs, modulation effects, EQs and delays to make your acoustic guitar sound better than it ever has. However, you may not want heavy overdrive or radical flanging applied to the output of your handmade masterpiece… If you have a nice effects setup for your acoustic guitar that you want to use for all your songs, press SETUP, go to the SYSTEM tab and set ALL GUITAR FX GLOBAL
to ON. This will “lock” the guitar effects so they won’t change when you switch presets.

Let’s make it a HIT!

When you are checking out presets, be sure to press the HIT button.

HIT allows you to add (or remove) multiple effects for both your vocals and/ or guitar with a single button press. It can be used as a flexible “A/B” feature for two variations of a preset, or as a “turbo”. E.g., HIT allows you to bring in Harmony at just the right time, or you can use it to turn off the Delay and activate the Vocoder in the bridge of a song. Be adventurous – HIT really brings out new and interesting facets of the presets. Editing HIT settings is covered in the reference manual.

Are we there yet?

Frankly, we haven’t even started…
By now, you have probably realized that we have merely scratched the surface of what you can do with your VoiceLive 3 – there is a lot to learn and do! If you really want to know how deep the rabbit hole goes, download the full reference manual for your VoiceLive 3. It will show you how to…