TC-Helicon VoiceLive 2 Vocal Floor Processor

zZounds' Take on TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 Floor Processor

Whether you're a lead singer looking to pull off studio-quality vocal effects live, or a solo performer who wants to thicken up your sound and add live sampling to your show, the TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 is an incredibly powerful and easy-to-use vocal processor pedal. Even if you've never used a pedal before, the VoiceLive 2 can help take your performance from good to great, with effects from gentle pitch correction that uses your guitar or keyboard as a guide, to a stunning 8-part choir backing you up. Impress your bandmates -- and your audience -- with a huge vocal sound, thanks to TC Helicon's top-of-the-line VoiceLive 2.

Simple Interface -- Powerful Processing

Guitarists are known for being gung-ho about stringing pedals together, but vocalists are sometimes shy about geeking out on gear. So the TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 is set up to be simple to use, even for a beginner. When you look down at the box, you'll see clearly-labeled footswitches for Delay, Reverb, Harmony, Doubling, Micro-Mod (think "thickening") -- all the most-wanted effects for a vocalist. Another switch is labeled FX, and you can use it to access a wide range of processors from a megaphone-simulator to the T-Pain effect.

Look left to find dedicated Up and Down switches that you can use to easily page through 205 editable, storable built-in presets with your foot. For each preset that you call up, a red ring will light up around the footswitch for each effect block as you turn them on. Now it's easy to thicken up your voice on a chorus or bridge section, or quickly engage a delay on the verses. The Shortcut and Step switches provide access to your user-defined presets -- so you can customize your vocal effects ahead of time for each section of each song in your setlist. Everything you need is laid out on the board's graceful sloped front.

Just Add Vocals -- The VoiceLive 2 Does the Rest

Do more singing and less knob-tweaking with the VoiceLive 2's automated parameter settings. Just sing, and Auto Mic Gain will automatically set a level. The Auto Gate shuts when you're not singing to reduce feedback. Adaptive Tone engages a studio-quality EQ, compressor and de-esser that adjusts depending on your singing style. And automatic ducking reduces reverb and delay during your vocal lines to prevent muddiness, and automatically increases level after your last syllable for a big finish. It's like a studio engineer is inside this box!

Speaking of engineers, the VoiceLive 2 has a "Line to Mic" setting that steps down the line-level output of the VoiceLive 2 to the mic-level output that live sound engineers expect from a vocalist. You can easily plug the VoiceLive 2 in to a snake onstage and give your sound engineer the mic-level signal that they're expecting -- just like a DI box for your voice.

NaturalPlay Harmonies Back You Up

Is your bassist not quite cutting it as a backup vocalist? The VoiceLive 2 can generate smart harmonies by "listening" to your voice. Plug in your guitar to the VoiceLive 2 to hear it generate 4 harmony voices based on the chords you're playing. With a MIDI keyboard plugged in, the VoiceLive 2 can generate up to 8 discrete voices. There's also the Choir algorithm, which doubles four voices of harmony to create an incredibly full and rich choir effect, perfect for everything from those Queen covers, to a gospel group led by you.

You can pass a guitar signal through the VoiceLive 2 transparently into your regular guitar pedalboard or DI box -- or take advantage of the guitar effects on board the VoiceLive 2. And if you're strictly a singer, not an axe-slinger, plug in your MP3 player with karaoke-style backing tracks to the VoiceLive 2's 1/8-inch aux input to hear it generate harmony voices based on the chords of the backing track as it goes by. Each of 15 harmony styles (such as 2 voices above, 1 above and 2 below, and so on) are fully editable -- you can change the gender of your harmony voices, "humanize" them with subtle time and pitch variations, adjust vibrato, and much more.

Live Sampling and Beyond

The VoiceLive 2 has a built-in looper that lets you sample up to 30 seconds mono (15 seconds stereo) so you can sing over looped vocal or guitar inputs, with your effects of choice applied. The live sampling possibilities are endless: record a tambourine or handclaps into your vocal mic, or try running a trumpet or flute through a mic into the VoiceLive 2 and see how its reverb can sweeten your horn sound.

As a vocalist, your instrument is priceless and one-of-a-kind. Why trust your live vocal sound to whatever cheesy reverbs the venue happens to have on hand? Deliver a stunning live vocal performance every time, with the TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 pedal. But watch out: with all this sound-shaping power under your feet, your band's lead guitarist just might get envious.

Features:

- Bright LCD, well-spaced buttons and 8 stompbox-style footswitches are designed for live use
- 205 on-board presets and 250 preset slots -- create your own custom presets with up to 50 steps for each song you perform
- Individually accessible effects blocks include reverb, delay, micro-mod, harmony, doubling, and FX from "telephone" to Hard-Tune
- Automatic mic gain, gate, compression, EQ, de-esser and reverb/delay ducking for a studio-quality vocal sound -- fast
- NaturalPlay harmonies generates up to 8 voices based on your guitar, MIDI keyboard or your voice alone
- Rhythmic effect lets you "freeze" and repeat phrases
- VLOOP looper lets you live-sample your voice and guitar
- Wizard button to help you find the right preset
- USB I/O for software updates, backing up settings, and streaming audio
- 1/4-inch guitar input, MIDI I/O, stereo 1/8-inch input for your MP3 player

Manufacturer's Description for TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 Vocal Floor Processor

The original VoiceLive caused a sensation as it sought to do for vocalists what TC Electronic's G-System does for guitarists. By combining a studio's worth of indispensable processors into a single floor unit, the processor lets front-men and -women achieve a level of live performance previously unattainable without a team of engineers and a multi-million-dollar touring budget. Now, TC Helicon takes that same multi-effect concept and makes it simultaneously more powerful and even easier to use.

User-Friendly Effects Power

The VoiceLive 2 has an impressive number of effects for either sweetening your vocal tone or warping it beyond recognition. From basic flavors like reverb, delay and EQ, to radical algorithms like 8-part harmony, megaphone simulation, and the all-important "Auto-Tune" effect, it can do it all. Amazingly, the upgraded processing architecture allows you to use all the processor's effects simultaneously.

A Harmonizer That Listens To Your Music

Traditional harmony generators -- even those labeled "intelligent" -- still only work off a fixed pitch or key signature for reference. While that may be fine for some music, what if yours is a little more interesting? Like a professional arranger and crack squad of backup singers all rolled into one, the VoiceLive 2's adaptive harmonizer effect actually listens to your music, and instantly generates harmonies that make sense in the larger context of the song. Simply plug in your guitar, keyboard, or even MP3 player loaded with backing tracks into input section, and the unit actively listens for shifts in harmonic content.

Vocal Engineer-In-A-Box

Not only does the VoiceLive 2 take on the role of a loyal and able chorus of backup singers, but it also acts as a seasoned and attentive vocal engineer. Just as its harmonizer function is always listening to changes in the music, it features adaptive EQ, compression, and de-essing modules that are some of the most advanced around.

Built to last and built to perform, the TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 puts more vocal processing power at your disposal than ever before, and makes it easier than ever to access.

Features:

- Six stompbox-style effect blocks
- Find presets easily with the Wizard function
- Chain presets easily with the Step feature
- Update and stream audio easily with USB connection
- Harmonizer compatible with MIDI, guitar or MP3 input
- Up to 8 simultaneous harmony voices
- Reverb, tap delay, autotune, distortion, and much more
- All effects usable simultaneously
- Aluminum and steel chassis
- Mic / Line input
- Guitar input
- Stereo 1/8" input
- XLR, 1/4", and stereo outputs

About TC-Helicon

Dedicated purely to the needs of vocalists, TC-Helicon makes some of the best vocal effect processors in the world. Their units are used by professional musicians and home enthusiasts alike. zZounds is an authorized dealer of TC Electronic and TC Helicon products.

Analog Inputs
Connectors, balanced:
- Mic.: XLR, Line: 1/4 in. phone jack,
- Guitar: 1/4 in. phone jack,
- Aux: 1/8 in. stereo mini jack

Impedance: Balanced/Unbalanced
- Mic.: 2.14/1.07 kOhm, Line: 13/6,5 kOhm

Mic Input Level @ 0 dBFS: -49dBu to +10dBu

Line Input Level @ -37 dBu to +22 dBu: -37 dBu to +22 dBu

EIN @ Max Mic Gain Rg = 150 Ohm: -126 dBu

Mic/Line Input SNR: > 107 dB

Guitar Input impedance: 1 MOhm

Guitar Input Level @ 0 dBFS: 14 dBu to -4 dBu

Guitar Input SNR: >104dB

Aux Input Level @ 0dBu: +2dBu

A to D Conversion: 24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream, 110dB SNR A-weighted

Analog Outputs
D to A Conversion: 24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream, 115dB SNR A-weighted

Connectors, balanced: XLR and 1/4 in. phone jack

Output Impedance Balanced/ Unbalanced: 100/50 Ohm

Output Range (Line/Mic Level): 16 dBu / 0dBu

Dynamic Range: > 109 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Frequency Response: +0/-0.3 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Headphone Out: 1/8 in. Mini stereo jack, 32 Ohm, +16dBu max (180mW max)

Digital Inputs and Outputs
Connectors: RCA Phono (S/PDIF)

Formats: S/PDIF (24 bit), EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958

Sample Rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz

EMC
Complies with: EN 55103-1 and EN 55103-2 - FCC part 15, Class B, CISPR 22, Class B

Safety
Certified to: IEC 65, EN 60065, UL6500 and CSA - IEC 65, EN 60065, UL6500 and CSA

Environment
Operating Temperature: 32 F to 122 F (0 C to 50 C)
Storage Temperature: -22 F to 167 F (-30 C to 70 C)
Humidity: Max. 90 % non-condensing

Control Interface
USB: USB-B

MIDI: In/Out/Thru: 5 Pin DIN

Pedal: 1/4 in. TRS phone jack

Supplementary
Display: 192 x 64 Blue STN LCD, White Back light

Dimension: 13.8 x 3 x 8.5 in. (350 x 76 x 216 mm)

Weight: 5 lb. (2.3 kg)

External Power Supply Mains Voltage: 100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (auto-select)

Power Consumption: <14 W

Warranty Parts and labor: 1 year

Dimensions and Weight in Packaging

Shipping Weight: 7 lbs

Shipping Dimensions: 20 x 11 x 7 in