PDF Manual of the TC Electronic VoiceWorks Plus - Direct Pro Audio

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONSEMC / EMI.This equipment has been tested and found to comply withthe limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15 ofthe FCC rules.These limits are designed to provide reasonable protectionagainst harmful interference in residential installations. Thisequipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequencyenergy and, if not installed and used in accordance with theinstructions, may cause harmful interference to radiocommunications. However, there is no guarantee thatinterference will not occur in a particular installation. If thisequipment does cause harmful interference to radio ortelevision reception, which can be determined by turning theequipment off and on. The user is encouraged to try tocorrect the interference by one or more of the followingmeasures:• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.• Increase the separation between theequipment and receiver.• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit differentfrom that to which the receiver is connected.• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technicianfor help.Certificate Of ConformityTC Electronic A/S, Sindalsvej 34, 8240 Risskov, Denmark,hereby declares on its own responsibility that thefollowing product:VoiceWorksPlusHarmony | Modeling | Effects Processor- is covered by this certificate and marked with CE-labelconforms with following standards:EN 60065Safety requirements for mains(IEC 60065) operated electronic and relatedapparatus for household and similar general useEN 55103-1 Product family standard foraudio,video, audio-visual and entertainment lightingcontrol apparatus for professional use. Part 1: Emission.EN 55103-2 Product family standard for audio,video, audio-visual and entertainment lighting controlapparatus for professional use. Part 2: Immunity.With reference to regulations in following directives:73/23/EEC, 89/336/EECIssued in Risskov, 03 - 2004Mads Peter LübeckChief Executive OfficerFor the customers in Canada:This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à lanorme NMB-003 du Canada.

INTRODUCTIONThank you for purchasing VoiceWorksPlus, a vocalprocessing powerhouse designed to enable the singingmusician to produce captivating vocals in recording andlive performance. Everything from exciting harmonyparts to evocative character impersonations to simplybetter vocal sound is possible with VoiceWorksPlus.Features:Generates up to 4 additional harmony “voices” with avariety of musical input methodsExclusive TC-Helicon pitch, timing and energyhumanization that effectively mimics singing groupsVocal modeling effects such as breathiness, growl, andresonance help create alternate voice “personalities”Vocal pitch correction blockTC Electronic Reverb, chorus, tap delay effects & moreDistortion, megaphone and telephone effects3 band EQ, compressor and gateHandy top level edit knobs100 Factory / 100 User presets and MIDI controlMicrophone preamp, stereo analog and digitalinput/outputOptional footswitch controlWe update our manuals and various support materialson a regular basis. For the most up to date informationwe encourage you to visit our website at:www.tc-helicon.comWe hope you and your fans enjoy VoiceWorksPlus,The TC-Helicon Team

TABLE OF CONTENTSProduct Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Front Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Back Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Editing Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Harmony Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Harmony Background and Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Lead Voice Model Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Pitch Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Reverb, μMod and Delay Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33The Transducer Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37The Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Signal Flow Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44MIDI Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45VoiceWorksPlusEnglish VersionManual version 1.1Software version 1.01Prod No.: E605064113

PRODUCT OVERVIEWVoiceWorksPlus can be thought of as a rack full ofvocal processing in one single rackspace unit with acouple of specialty effects thrown in for good measure.The specialty effects, vocal harmony and modeling,offer you the advantages of:- Producing rich harmony vocals and doubling fromone voice during live performance- Saving time when recording vocal harmonies- Changing the characteristics of your singing voicewith modeling to create interesting vocal hooksand effectsThe remaining processing blocks, including themultieffects, dynamics and EQ add to your list ofadvantages allowing you to :- Make your live performances sound more like afully-produced CD- Make your recordings sound more professional- Save time preparing for mixes or performances byusing factory presets and settingsSee the diagram at right for a rough algorithmic pathoverview.4

FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS1 2 3 41. Power SwitchPress to turn the unit on or off.As the unit shuts down,it saves any setup data you may have changed.2.Alphanumeric LED displayThis 15 segment LED display shows the current presetnumber whenever the EDIT and SETUP buttons arenot lit. There are dots on the bottom line indicatingwhether the current preset is in the Factory or Userbank. The legend below the display indicates which dotrepresents which bank. When you press the EDIT orSETUP buttons, this display shows a letter and anumber making up the address of the current editscreen.3. Metering LED displaysThere are several conditions indicated by these LEDsand they are described in the following paragraphs.Output ClipThis LED will light showing the output of the producthas clipped due to internal level overload, possiblycausing audible distortion. This LED can light eventhough the Input Clip LED has not. This is becauseVoiceWorksPlus has effect blocks such as Harmony forexample, that can potentially add significant level to theinput signal.Input ClipSteady flickering of this LED with audio input showsthat the level of the signal received at the input toVoiceWorksPlus is too high given the input sensitivitysetting. To correct this, reduce the send level toVoiceWorksPlus from the upstream mixer or enter theSetup menu to reduce the LineSens (Line inputsensitivity).Input LED StackThese LEDs allow you to gauge how much level tosend to VoiceWorksPlus from your mixer. They usePPM (Peak Program Meter) weighting which is a way toview signal level when using digital processors. Therange shows logarithmic steps down from 0 dB whichis the maximum allowable level. It's important to adjustthe send level from your mixer within the proper rangeshown by these meters. Sending too little audio signallevel contributes to noise buildup and unsatisfactoryperformance of the voice algorithms. Too much inputsignal level causes distortion. If your mixer is sendingits maximum level and these meters show insufficientlevel, or vice versa, you can adjust the Input Sensitivitysetting by pressing the SETUP button and entering theSetup menu.MIDI IN indicator LEDThis will light to confirm the MIDI data is received byVoiceWorksPlus on the correct MIDI channel. Toensure that it will respond correctly to the incomingdata, check to see that both your sending device andVoiceWorksPlus are set to the same MIDI channel.4. Main LCD displayDuring normal operation (none of the EDIT, SETUP orSTORE buttons are pressed), this display shows thename of the current preset on the top line and themain harmony or modeling parameter values on thelower line. A slight turn of any of the soft knobs willchange the display to show master mix levels. Whilethe mix levels are shown, the four soft knobs allowediting of the mix.After a few seconds the display willrevert to preset name. After the EDIT, SETUP orSTORE buttons have been pressed, this display showsup to four editing parameters on the top line and theirassociated values on the bottom. After a parametervalue has been changed, an asterisk (*) will be shownto the left of the name when you return to normaloperation. This is to warn that you will lose anychanges should you recall another preset unless it issaved first.5

FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS6 78955. Soft knobs overviewDuring normal operation these controls act as a mixer,allowing you to quickly modify the global mix levelswithout entering an edit menu. Moving any of theknobs will momentarily switch the LCD display so thatit shows the levels before reverting to the preset nameand the information line.When either the EDIT, SETUPor STORE buttons have been pressed, the soft knobscontrol up to four editing functions from left to rightin the editing menus.Global LEAD LEVEL controlThis adjusts the level of the "Lead" voice. This path iscalled Lead because it has no Harmony or Modelingprocessing applied. Note that this path may have PitchCorrection enabled if the Correction switch from theupper switch group is lit.Global HARMONY / MODEL LEVEL controlAdjusts the overall level of any harmony voices that areturned on or the level of the modeled voice dependingon which configuration is chosen in the current preset.Make sure the Harmony / Model switch above thisknob is lit or this control will have no effect.Global FX LEVEL controlAdjusts the master level of the μMod , Delay, Reverband Transducer effects blocks for all presets. Theindividual effects blocks have their own leveladjustment controls which may be turned downpreventing you hearing them when you turn the FXLevel control. Make sure the FX switch above this knobis lit or the FX Level control will have no effect.Global OUTPUT LEVEL controlThis control raises, lowers or mutes the master outputof VoiceWorksPlus.6. Block On/Off button groupThese 3 buttons allow selective muting of blocks ineach preset to simplify editing.HARMONY / MODEL buttonWhen this LED is lit, the current preset is configuredto produce harmony or a modeling effect. You canpress this button to disable the current effect and seewhat other effects are enabled in the preset.CORRECTION buttonThis button allows you to quickly disable pitchcorrection when needed.If this button is off in a preset,turning it on will enable pitch correction with defaultsettings which may or may not be optimum for yourpurpose. In this case you can edit the settings in theEdit menu at location C0.FX buttonIf the FX (effects) button is lit, pressing it will mute allsignal from the μMod, Delay and Reverb blocks . TheTransducer effect will not be muted. If this button isnot lit in a preset, pressing it will patch in a defaulteffects setting.7. Mode Button GroupEDIT buttonPress this button to enter and exit the preset Editmenu. All settings relating to the current preset onlyare accessed here. The last edit screen you accessedwith the Data Wheel is remembered to reduce timerequired to locate specific edit menus.SETUP buttonPress this button to access all of the global audiosettings, MIDI functions, the EQ and Dynamicsprocessors and preset backup and restore. Press againto return to recalling presets.6

FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONSBYPASS buttonPressing BYPASS mutes all processing blocks ofVoiceWorksPlus. Any audio signal that is received atthe line or mic input is passed directly to the left andright audio outputs.STORE buttonPressing STORE initiates the storing sequence andpresents the preset name and target user presetnumber in the main display. In Store mode, you can editthe name of the new preset by turning the EDIT 1knob to highlight the letter positions and then usingEDIT 2 to change the letter.You can press either EDITor SETUP to cancel a Store operation or press STOREor the Data Wheel to complete.microphones requiring phantom power. When usingnon-phantom powered mics, leaving this off is best.-20 dB switchThis switch reduces the sensitivity of the mic inputwhen you use mics that have a high output level. Youwould press this switch when you notice that eventhough the MIC GAIN knob is set to minimum (fullyleft), the Input Clip LED shows clipping during singing.In this case, press the -20 dB switch and you will havemore range adjustment with the Mic Gain control.8.The Data WheelThe Data Wheel has two actions: you can turn it andyou can press it. When the display shows a presetname, turning the Data Wheel allows you to browsethrough the available presets. You can then press theData Wheel to load the preset of your choice.If you’ve pressed the EDIT or SETUP buttons, thiswheel cycles up and down through the menus availablein these modes. Pressing it has distinct functions insome menus.When the STORE button is lit, turning the Data Wheelallows you to choose a user bank preset number inwhich to store your edited preset and pressing itcompletes the Store operation9. Mic Input control groupMIC GAIN knobThe MIC GAIN knob allows you to tailorVoiceWorksPlus’s input gain to match yourcombination of microphone sensitivity and singinglevel.MIC IN buttonThe Mic In switch controls which of VoiceWorksPlus'sinputs: Mic In or Line In, will drive the unit.This switchmust be lit before any adjustment of the MIC GAINand phantom power will have any effect.48V buttonYou must press and hold this button for approximately1 second to send DC voltage to condenser7

BACK PANEL DESCRIPTIONS1 2 3 4 561. Mic InputWhen the MIC IN switch on the front panel is lit, thisbecomes the main analog input. It accepts a balancedmic level XLR cable carrying a monophonic vocalsource.2. Line InputWhen the MIC IN switch is not lit, this 1/4” jackbecomes the main analog input.You can connect eithera balanced (3 conductor TRS) or unbalanced (2conductor TS) -equipped cable here. The inputsensitivity for the line input is located in the Setupmenu.This jack can alternately be used as an auxilliary inputto the μMod, Delay and Reverb effects blocks inVoiceWorksPlus. This allows VoiceWorksPlus to dodouble duty as both a harmony processor for yourvoice and also a multieffect for other instruments orvocals in your mix.To use this input, the MIC IN mustbe set as the main vocal input.The effects level settingsare located in the Edit menu.3. Balanced OutputsThese are the balanced analog, line level stereo outputof VoiceDoubler.You can connect either a balanced (3conductor TRS) or unbalanced (2 conductor TS) -equipped cable here. You can sum the left and rightoutputs to mono by changing the Output parameter inthe Setup menu.must be set to Digital for the digital input (DI) toreceive audio. Also, the ClockSrc must be set toExt(ernal) for proper audio synchronization whenusing the digital input.5. MIDIThis is the standard MIDI In, Out and Thru interfaceused to allow editing, preset selection, preset dumpand restore functions.6. PedalThis input accepts a single function footswitch or atriple function footswitch. Any normally-open passivefootswitch will work for the single function footswitch.A triple function footswitch is available from TC-Helicon called Switch 3. The switch type or volumepedal is detected automatically on power up. If you plugyour footswitch in after power up, you may getunexpected operation.Footswitch (Pedal) features:1 button footswitch: Bypass only3 button footswitch: individually selectable inSetup menu4. Digital I/OSends and receives digital audio. Using digital I/Oinstead of the analog I/O bypasses VoiceWorksPlus’converter circuitry for enhanced audio clarity whenused with compatible systems.The digital output (DO)is configured to always produce the same audio as themain outputs.The Input parameter in the Setup menu8

QUICK STARTGetting set upThere are several ways to connect and useVoiceWorksPlus, including using a microphone, analogline input and output or digital input and output, but inorder to speed things up during this quick start, we’llassume you’re using analog connections betweeneither a mic and PA system or a computer setup witha couple of monitors.Note: When connecting the unit to a computer, you’llneed to know how to route your dry vocal track to aseparate, auxilliary output.Unpack1. Remove the product from the packaging. Store thebox and documents that came with it.2. Place the product on a non-skid surface or in a rack.It’s best to have easy access to the rear panelconnectors for the first few days while you sort outwhich I/O scheme you prefer.Prepare3. Before connecting power or turning the unit on, setup your mixer or computer interface to receive audiofrom VoiceWorksPlus.4. Set your PA or monitoring levels to zero before poweringup the unit! This is just good practice when setting upnew gear or even the same gear in a new situation.Back panel connections5. Connect the power cord to VoiceWorksPlus andplug the other end into an AC outlet.You can turn theunit on now because you’ve safely set your monitoringlevels to off right?6. Connect the audio cable from your source toVoiceWorksPlus.This can either be an XLR cable fromyour mic or the line level 1/4” connector from yourcomputer’s audio interface.7. Connect the VoiceWorksPlus outputs to your mixeror computer inputs. Stereo is best, as this delivers thesounds as they were programmed. If you can onlyconnect in mono, you’ll have to enter the Setup menuand adjust this parameter.8. You can optionally connect a MIDI keyboard whichallows you to check out the harmony methods usingMIDI input for selecting harmony intervals.Demo setup #1: Mic input and analog mixerDemo setup #2:Analog to computer interfaceFront panel setup9. Press the BYPASS button so it lights.We’ll check thataudio is flowing properly in Bypass first and then moveon to checking out the effects.10. If you’re using a mic for input, press the MIC INbutton so it lights.You’ll need to adjust the MIC GAINknob so that no red shows on the LED stack when yousing.Apply 48V phantom power if needed and press the-20 dB button if the lowest setting of the MIC GAINknob still causes peaks while you sing.11. If you’re using the Line Input, make sure the MIC INled is not lit. Start playback on your computer.There isno front panel input level knob so adjust the send fromyour mixer or computer so the LED stack shows nored on peaks.9

QUICK START12. Hopefully, you’ve waited until now to raise yourmonitoring/PA levels and if you have, you should begreeted by a voice that sounds nice and dry at areasonable level.13.Turn off BYPASS by pressing the button so the LEDis off.Turn the DATA WHEEL to preset number 1 andpress the wheel to load this preset.You’re now readyto explore the factory presets in VoiceWorksPlus.Making front panel tweaksBefore you get to exploring the presets, here are sometips that will help you.Browsing presetsWhen you first turn on VoiceWorksPlus, the last presetloaded will be loaded for you.Turn the Data Wheel tobrowse through the preset list.As you do so, the nameand information fields of the next preset will bepreviewed in the main LCD and the effect buttons willflash indicating which effects will turn on. An “H:” onthe lower line indicates a harmony preset. An “M:”indicates a modeling preset.To load presets, push the Data Wheel.Adjusting the mixYou can vary the global mix (all presets will be affectedin the same way) by adjusting the soft knobs. As youturn one of them, the LCD display will temporarilychange to show the value of all four levels beforereturning to the main display. Note that a value of “0”denotes full level, not Off.You can use the soft knob onthe far right as a master volume instead of your mixerif that is more convenient. Any adjustment of thesesettings will remain through subsequent power upsessions.Enabling and disabling the effectsblocksThe three block on/off buttons above the soft knobsallow you to temporarily enable or disable:1. the Harmony or Modeling block in the preset. (In aharmony preset this is the harmony mute button).2. pitch correction in the preset3. the reverb, delay or μMod effect in the presetReloading the preset or loading another will return theblock on/off status to what was stored.10

QUICK STARTExploring the presetsThe presets are grouped by the different abilities of theproduct which makes it much simpler for browsing.The different harmony modes require different inputsfrom you and the preset groupings make it easier tocompare presets of a harmony single control methodwith others of that same method.Harmony presets that utilize MIDIinputPresets 1 to 10: Chord harmony modePresets 11 to 20: Notes harmony modePresets 57 to 60: Combi harmony modeIf you have connected a MIDI keyboard or the outputof a MIDI sequencer track to VoiceWorksPlus, you canuse these presets to produce harmony for anycombination of melody and musical accompaniment.MIDI Channel channel 1 is recognized by default so setthe output of your keyboard or sequencer track tosend on channel 1.The text on the lower line of the lcd display will showan H: indicating that it is a harmony preset and either“Chord”,“Notes” or “Combi” which are the names ofthe MIDI-controlled harmony modes.In the Chord harmony presets, the chords you play onyour keyboard are interpreted by VoiceWorksPlus toproduce related harmony intervals that move whileyou sing. Holding a chord and singing a melody orarpeggio will result in a moving harmony arrangement.In Notes presets, you play melodies or chords thatdefine the exact harmony intervals while you sing.Holding a chord or a note while you sing a melody orarpeggio will “freeze” the harmony arrangement on thenotes held on the keyboard. VoiceWorksPlus willrecognize up to 4 MIDI notes at a time although somepresets may be set to mono (1 voice) or duophonic (2voices) operation.Combi mode presets use the same key and scale inputas Scale presets do with the extended ability totemporarily insert MIDI chords from a keyboard toadjust inappropriate Scale voicings. To work best, thesung melody note should be in the chord played.Harmony presets you set with Keyand ScalePresets 21 to 30: Scale harmony modeThese presets require that you input the key and scaleof your song. No further input is generally requiredbecause the musical intelligence built intoVoiceWorksPlus shifts the intervals automatically whileyou sing.The factory default key setting for all of thesepresets is A major so, if you sing a song in this key youwon’t have to keep changing key and scale each timeyou load a new preset.To change key and scale, press EDIT and turn the DataWheel to locate edit screen H0. Use the soft knobs toselect the combination of key and scale for your songthat sounds good over your chord changes. Note thatVoiceWorksPlus is configured so that all presets sharethe key and scale settings saved with the last preset.If you wish to change this so each preset has a differentkey (perhaps for different songs in live performance),the Setup menu has a parameter called Chord/Keywhich is set to “Global”.You can set this to “Preset” ifyou prefer.The Scale harmony technique works best when theaccompaniment uses the simple chord changes foundin pop and blues. A preset with a single 3rd harmonyinterval will usually produce pleasing harmony withmore songs than presets that have a 5th or additionalinterval.Presets that change voice characterPresets 31 to 40These presets use modeling and the hybrid shifter tomodify the timbre and pitch of your voice. In most ofthese presets, your dry voice is replaced with themodeled version so you can use them to mimic othersingers’ growl, rasp or timbre and create cartooncharacters. In a few of the presets, a duet is createdwith the modeled voice and your dry voice hardpanned left and right.There is an “M:” on the lower line of the displayindicating that the preset uses modeling.The remainderof the text on the lower line shows the amount ofpitch shifting in cents (hundredths of a semitone), if anyis enabled in the preset.Load any preset from this group and talk or sing intoyour mic.11

QUICK STARTPresets that create automaticdoublingPresets 41-50You can use these to recreate the lush thickness ofvoices singing in unison along with your dry voice.Some presets feature multiple harmony voices, othersuse the model to create a unique character to singalong with you and at least one uses the μMod effectto create the doubling illusion.Though some presets display a key and scale, no keyand scale adjustment or MIDI input is required to enjoythem.Presets that offer Pitch CorrectionPresets 51 to 56You can explore pitch correction with this group ofpresets.You should be aware that, when set optimally,the effect of pitch correction is subtle compared to theother effects in VoiceWorksPlus especially when youare singing through the product (as opposed to playingback a recorded track).To be effective, pitch correction needs key and scale tobe set so that it matches your song. Like the Scaleharmony presets, the default setting for these is Amajor.To change the key and scale of pitch correction,press the EDIT button and scroll to menu C0 with theData Wheel.Several presets are devoted to pairing pitch correctionwith the Chord, Notes and Scale harmony modes.Note that the harmony information shown on thepreset main screen e.g. “H:Scale A Major2”, does notreflect the pitch correction key and scale settings. Toview the key and scale of the pitch correction in one ofthese presets, briefly bypass the Harmony/Modeleffects by pressing the Harmony/Model button. Onceyou’ve learned the correction information, you can reactivatethe Harmony/Model effects.There is one preset that uses a chromatic scale inwhich all notes are valid and no key or scale isrequired.Presets that feature the TransducerPresets 71 to 80The presets in these group send your voice throughthe Transducer to provide interesting distortion,megaphone and telephone effects. Care must be takenwhen using this effect because it can cause feedbacksimply because of the nature of distortion which tendsto raise the average level of the signal. You can takesteps such as pointing your mic away from the speakerand turning down the volume until you get used tohow this effect reacts with your PA setup.Classic vocal effectsPresets 81 to 90There is a group of presets in VoiceWorksPlusconfigured to produce classic effects such as reverb,delay, chorus, and flange etc.These are best auditionedin stereo although they are useful in mono as well....And the restThe presets described above will give you a goodoverview of the capabilities of VoiceWorksPlus Thereare, of course more presets scattered throughout the100 preset slots that are variations on these themes.12

EDITING OVERVIEWEditing overviewWhen you want to make a change to the sound you’rehearing from VoiceWorksPlus, you’ll need to press theEDIT button to navigate the various menus, find thesetting you want to change with the Data Wheel andthen press STORE to name and save the result to theUser preset bank.The first editing menus are different for Harmony andModeling presets as you can see in the graphic at theright. Both types, however share the same editingmenus from the Pitch Correction menu, C0 to the end.There is extensive editing ability within this productand we’ve made every effort to balance easycustomization with access to useful parameters.Understanding the control layersconceptThe following paragraphs discuss the concept of thethree control “layers” that help you find the sound youneed.PresetsThe factory presets have been designed to cover asmany musical styles and effect combinations as possibleso that you don’t need to do much editing if you’dprefer not to. While at the preset level, the four softknobs and the block on/off buttons on the front panelallow you to make changes to the effects withoutrequiring a trip into the EDIT menu.StylesTo make quick edits, you can press the EDIT buttonand navigate to the “styles” edit screens e.g. R0: ReverbStyle. The styles are like presets-within-a-presetallowing you to make large changes to the reverbsound, for example, without requiring time consumingindividual parameter changes. Style values can beedited and stored with a preset but the edited stylecannot be used in other presets.ParametersAdjusting individual harmony voice levels, for example,cannot be done easily with styles, so parameters suchas these are available individually. Even if you are anexperienced effects programmer, it’s a good idea tobrowse through the parameter descriptions in thefollowing pages to familiarize yourself with the uniquefeatures available in VoiceWorksPlus.How to find the EDIT Menu youwantEach edit screen has an alphanumeric address to makefinding it easier. For example, the Delay edit screensshow D0 to D4 in the LED display. The followinggraphic shows the addresses in the order found in theEDIT Menu:PCPreset configuration screenPreset Type is set toHarmony/DoublingHCHarmony controlV0-V5Harmony voicingH0-H5Harmony editingDVDry voice levelC0-c2CorrectionX0-x2FX (Effects) mixerM0-M8μMod settingsD0-D4Delay settingsR0-r3Reverb settingsT0-T4Transducer settingsPreset Type is set toLead Voice ModelL0-L9Modeling settingsS0-S2Shifting settingsMVMain vocal mix13

EDITING OVERVIEWQuick editing guidesThe following quick guides cover standard edits youmay require.How to store modified presetsWe’ll discuss this first so you can get on with modifyingand saving right away.1. Make a parameter change to a preset2 Press the STORE button.The main LED and theSTORE button’s LED will flash indicating storemode.3. Select a user location for the new preset with theData Wheel.This only scrolls through the 100user locations so don’t worry about overwriting afactory preset.3. Name the new preset. You can use the left twosoft knobs as a cursor and letter selectorrespectively.Your name can have up to 15characters.4. You can press STORE or the Data Wheel tocommit the preset to memory. If you decide tocancel the store operation, press either the EDITor the SETUP button.How to change the effect (FX)settings in a presetThe following should help when you’ve found aharmony or modeling preset you like but, for example,the reverb effect is too long or too quiet or maybethere is a delay effect you want to use instead.To disable effects in the presetIn the main preset operating mode where both theEdit and Setup LEDs are off, press the FX button abovethe soft knobs so the LED turns off.You can now storethe modified preset.To adjust effect levels and styles in a presetPress the EDIT button and scroll the Data Wheel untilyou see X2 in the main LED display.This is the addressfor the effects mix screen.The soft knob at the far leftsets the Out parameter to either Wdth (stereo width)or Lev (effect level). The remaining soft knobs allowyou to individually adjust the levels of each effectprocessor in VoiceWorksPlus. Note that “0” means fullvolume, not “off”.If you turn up the level for an effect but you don’t hearit, this could be because:1. The main FX button on the front panel is off. If so,press the button to turn it on.2.The main FX level soft knob is turned down. Exit Editmode and turn the FX mix knob (#3) clockwise.3.The Send to the effect is off. Re-enter Edit mode andscroll to menu X1. The leftmost soft knob selectswhich effect processor you want to adjust and theremaining soft knobs allow you to set the sendamounts from the Lea (dry or corrected lead voice),H/M (harmony or modeling), and Aux (auxilliary input)to “0”.4. The effect you want has no Style loaded. Use theData Wheel to scroll to screens M0, D0 and R0.Theseare the style selection screens for μMod (micromod),Delay and Reverb. Select any styles you prefer.If you want to make further edits to the effects, consultthe discussion of edit parameters in the followingchapter.How to add pitch correction to apresetPitch correction is generally added to your lead voicein a mix of harmony voices but the following is the fulllist of the possibilities.You can add pitch correction to:o your dry voice when it’s mixed into a harmony,doubling or effects-only preset,o your modeled voice created in a modeling preset,o your dry voice fed through transducer presets.1. Load a preset that meets the above criteria2. Press EDIT and scroll to menu C0 with the DataWheel. Enter the key and scale of your song using thesoft knobs.This could be the first or last chord in yoursong.3. Scroll to screen C1 and set the Wndow (Window Size),Attk (Attack Time),and Amnt (Correction Amount) settingsto 100, 20 and 100 as a good starting point. If you stay onthis screen while you sing, you can adjust the settings toyour liking. Note that you should sing with an instrumenttuned to A=440 for correction to work correctly.4. Store the modified preset to the user bank. If youdon’t want to edit your preset before singing songs indifferent keys, you may want to store your preset inseveral locations with different correction settings.14

EDITING OVERVIEWHow to change the levels and panposition of the harmony voicesIn the case where one or more of the voices in aharmony preset stand out or are too quiet, or youwould like to change pan position of each voice, youcan do the following and then store your edited presetto the user bank.This procedure also allows you to addor remove harmony voices to the preset.1. In a harmony preset, press EDIT and scroll to menuV0 with the Data Wheel. Here you’ll see how manyvoices are enabled and their relative levels.2.Adjust the voice levels with the soft knobs while yousing. To lower the overall harmony volume for yourpreset, adjust each voice by the same amount.3.To edit pan positions, scroll to the next menu,V1, andadjust the positions with the soft knobs. If any voicesare Off in the previous menu screen, adjusting theirpans will have no effect.4. If you raised the level of any voice that was set toOff, you’ll need to set the new voice’s interval in menuV2.How to adjust Humanization andvibrato settings in a presetHumanization in VoiceWorksPlus is controlled byseveral settings that impose time, pitch and levelvariances upon the harmony voices or to the modeledvoice to mimic human singing.You can choose to addmore of these effects or reduce them with thesemenus.In a harmony or doubling preset:1. Press the EDIT button and scroll to menu V4 tospeed up (lower number) or slow down (highernumber), or disable (value=0) the Portamento, or glidetime between notes.2. Scroll to menu V5 to adjust the amount ofSmoothing, which, at lower numbers acts as pitchcorrection for the harmony voices.A value of 0% is fullcorrection and 100% yields smooth transitionsbetween note changes.3. Scroll to menu H0 to choose a differentHumanization style for each voice or disable it bysetting the value to Off/No Style. Menu H1 allows youto adjust the amount of each Style.4. Scroll to screens H2 and H3 to change vibrato stylesand adjust the amount on each voice.5. In menu H4 you can adjust the overall amount ofdetuning to all voices with a single Det (Detune)amount parameter and trim the three effects set by thecurrent Humanization style. These include Pit (Pitchmodulation, Tim (Timing variation) and Lev (Levelmodulation).Note that these values are not reset when you changeHumanization styles and if you reduce any value tozero and then change styles you will not get the fulleffect until you turn it up again.In a modeling preset:1. Press the EDIT button and scroll to menu L0. Hereyou can choose the Humanization style you prefer andadjust the amount in the same screen. These are thesame styles as those available for the harmony voices.2. In menu L1, you can adjust the individual amounts ofPitch,Time and Level randomization (Rand) set by thecurrent Humanization style. The leftmost soft knoballows selection of the Pitch,Time or Level parameterfor adjustment by the next two soft knobs.3. Editing the amount (ScpAmt), duration (Dur) andrandomization over time (Rand) of the pitch event thatoccurs at the start of each sung note is set in menu L2.These values are changed each time you load a newHumanization style. A ScpAmt value of 0.0st (zerosemitones) disables the effect.How to change the pitch shift in amodeling presetModeling presets allow chromatic or scale-based pitchshifting. If you have no dry voice mixed-in in menu DV,the modeled voice, with it’s shifted pitch replaces yourvoice. If your dry voice is mixed in, the modeled voicecan be used as a harmony or duet voice.1. Load a modeling preset, press EDIT and scroll tomenu S0.2.With the left soft knob, select which type of shiftingyou prefer: Chroma (chromatic) or one of the scaleshifts from Maj1 (major 1) to Cust (custom intervals).3.You can either adjust the chromatic shift amount incents (hundredths of a semitone) or set a new key,scale and voicing interval as you would with a Scaleharmony preset only with a single modeled voice.15

HARMONY EDITINGChapter OverviewPresets are configured as Harmony or Modeling. Thefollowing pages detail only the editing interface forpresets configured to produce harmony. The editinterface for modeling presets is discussed in thechapter entitled Lead Voice Modeling Editing.Preset Type - menu PCThis configures the current preset’s edit menus foreither Harmony/Doubling processing or LeadModeling processing.Harmony Control - menu HCThe parameters in this screen determine the type ofharmony processing for the current preset and it’sassociated musical requirements.Mode allows you to choose between the multivoiceshift modes.The menu interface will change adding orremoving additional parameters depending on themode chosen.o Shift - no additional parameters in this screeno Scale - Key and Scaleo Chord - Chord Root and Typeo Notes - no additional parameterso Combi - Key and ScaleWhen the current value is Scale or Combi, this screenis where you set Key and Scale your song.If the current value configures the preset for Chordmode, you can store the preset with default values forthe Root and Chord Type.Voicing Screens - menus V0 to V6These edit screens apply to the pitch shifting aspects ofyour four harmony voices.V0:Voice LevelThe four EDIT knobs control the volumes of each ofthe voices. Note that the range of values goes from Offto +6 dB. Typically, you would avoid the 0dB to +6dBvalues unless only a single voice is active and you needextra level for it. The presets were created at thefactory at optimum levels designed to minimize outputdistortion that may arise when adding the levels of thevoices together at high levels.V1:Voice PansEach voice may have a unique pan position. There are100 possible steps in each of the left and right panpositions.V2:Voicing: Harmony IntervalsHere you set the pitch shifting intervals depending onthe harmony mode chosen in the Harmony Controlmenu.The representations of the pitch shifts also varyaccording the current harmony mode.In Shift mode, you may pitch shift the voice inchromatic (fixed), one semitone intervals up to twooctaves in either direction.In Scale mode, the pitch shift follows diatonic (movingthird) rules.The choices are musically useful and coverthe +/- two octave range.In Chord mode, the interval range covers the range ofharmony motion defined by Chord mode.In Notes mode voicing is determined by the notes youhold down on your MIDI keyboard and so adjustmentis not applicable in this screen.In Combi mode the intervals are the same as for Scalemode because these two modes are similar.V3:Voicing GenderEach voice has its own timbre adjustment in the formof Gender control. Values below 0 lend each voice amore masculine and deeper effect and values above 0lend a more feminine or thinner effect.V4: Portamento TimesEach voice has its own Portamento time. Portamentois a delayed response to the pitch movement of yoursinging voice. It is also referred to as “Glide” insynthesizers.The range of values equals approximatelyhow long the upwards or downwards slide will take toreach each new note. Setting each voice to differentvalues greatly assists the illusion of other singerssinging with you.V5: Smoothing AmountLike Portamento, setting each voice with a unique value ofthe Smoothing parameter helps the harmonies soundmore natural. At low values, Smoothing acts like pitchcorrection of the harmony voices according to the shiftingrules applied by the current harmony mode. With thevoices corrected like this, some Portamento is usuallyrequired to help soften note to note transitions. Highervalues offer progressively less correction.17

HARMONY EDITINGHumanization - menus H0-H7The term “humanization” simply means the applicationof processes designed to increase realism.All harmonymodes usually benefit from careful application ofhumanization styles that make each harmony voicerespond slightly differently to your singing voice.Humanization is especially useful to make Notes andChords harmonies sound more natural.The rigid pitchdefinitions imposed by MIDI don’t automatically lendthemselves to matching the small pitch wobbles, timinginconsistencies and varying volume envelopes of ahuman singing group.Humanization styles are made up of:o Onset pitch events - This is also known as“scooping” which adds a generated pitchtrajectory for each new note that is different thanthe sung note.o Pitch modulation - a random wave generatorwobbles the pitch in non-periodic ways tosimulate even the finest singers’ pitch variation.o Timing delay and modulation - Singers are unableto start notes at the same time with theexactness of a machine so this algorithm appliesslight delays to the onset of notes and then addsmodulated time variation to sustained portions ofnotes.o Level (volume) modulation - This effect is like asubtle tremolo with a non-periodic or semirandomwaveform that simulates the way differentsingers change note volumes as they sing.H0: Humanize StyleYou may choose from 24 pre-programmedhumanization styles that were created at the factory tospeed editing. Each voice can have a unique style. Thestyles are loosely ordered from subtle to overt with ageneral style quality indicated by the name. As youchange the values with the EDIT knobs, the screenbriefly shows the name of the style you have selectedbefore reverting to the menu name.The styles were designed in groups of four so that ifyou apply all four numbered “Natural” styles (one foreach voice) for example, each voice would respondslightly differently but still would remain within the“flavour” of the style name. Applying similarly-namedhumanization styles to multiple voices is not requiredhowever, allowing you can mix and match to yourliking.All humanization styles but the last four have scoop, oronset events pre-programmed into them in varyingdegrees.The last four, called PitTimLvl 1 through 4, havenone to allow you more programming variation.H1: Humanize AmountYou can vary the amount of humanizationindependently for each voice. All the styles except thelast four were designed at middle values to allow youto add or remove effects as you see fit. The last fourwere designed at low values so you can create wildspecial effects as you experiment with high values.H2:Vibrato StyleVibrato assists in providing separation between yourdry singing voice and the harmonies. Even the smallestamount of vibrato applied to your harmony voices canachieve this. There are 28 styles available inprogressively more intensity as you browse down thelist.Again, they are grouped in fours for when you havefour voices enabled that you want vibrato on but youwant them slightly out of sync to sound more natural.Of course, mixing styles is useful and recommended.Note that changed style or parameter values will beheard at the next sung note.H3:Vibrato AmountYou can vary the amount of vibrato intensity of thecurrent vibrato style independently for each voice. Allthe styles were designed at middle values to allow youto add or remove vibrato as you like.H4: Detune, Pitch,Time and Level TrimsDetune applies a slightly different amount of pre-setand opposite pitch shift to each voice as you raise thevalue.At maximum, +/- 50 cents of detune is applied.Pit (Pitch Trim),Tim (Timing Trim) and Lev (Level Trim)allow you to adjust the amounts of these componentswithin the current humanization style. For example, ifyou like the sound of the Pitch and Timing variation inthe style but would rather that the levels didn’tfluctuate, you could lessen or remove this part of theeffect. Note that a 100% value in this menu is only asmuch effect as what is applied in the Humanize Amountmenu (H1). The Detune parameter operates on itsown.H5:Tuning and Hold ReleaseThe Tuning parameter allows you to affect tiny pitchadjustments to your harmony intervals to achieveEqual, Just or Barbershop tuning.18

HARMONY EDITINGEqual tuning is the compromised tuning standard thatinstruments such as guitar and keyboards are designedto. This tuning mode allows you to play in any keywithout completely retuning your instrument for everychord.This value is the default from the factory.Just tuning is what is known as “perfect” intonationbetween harmony intervals. It is best to use this whenperforming with other instruments tuned to Equal, orstandard tuning.The pitches of major and minor thirdsand the fifth intervals are brought into exactmathematical symmetry which overcomes the“beating” of harmonics that occurs with Equal tuningmode.Barbershop functions exactly like Just tuning in allharmony modes except for Chord mode. In this case,Barbershop tuning uses your singing voice as the pitchreference where Just intonation uses the root of thecurrent chord played via MIDI.HoldRel (Hold Release) varies the amount of time ittakes for any notes held with the Hold feature todecay.This makes for a more natural release. Note thatno new harmony notes will sound until the time youset with this parameter has elapsed.H6: Notes Envelope,Attack, Decay and ReleaseThese settings affect only Notes mode harmony.Theyare designed to introduce level modifications to theharmony voices’ onset, duration and release for morenatural effect.All values are in milliseconds.The Attack parameter provides a gentle volume fade-inwhen you strike a MIDI note during a sustained sungnote.The Decay parameter adds a brief, pre-set level boostto the sustained portion of a MIDI note to separateNotes harmony from the dry voice better.Adjusting itdetermines the time to ramp in and out of the higherlevel.The Release parameter adds a smooth fade-out if yourelease your MIDI note as you continue to sing.H7: Notes Extension and LatchThe Notes Extension feature is a new feature for TC-Helicon harmony processors. It allows a harmony voicethat has been triggered in Notes mode to continuesounding while the singer sings after the MIDI note hasceased. This feature makes it possible for singers toimprovise by holding their sung notes longer withouthaving to reprogram the sequencer controlling theirharmony performance.Latch works in the Notes and Chord modes only. Itacts like an automatic sustain pedal.With Latch set toOff, you can sing a sustained vowel and press the noteson your MIDI keyboard on and off to bring theharmony voices in and out. With Latch set to On,removing your hands from the keyboard will cause nochange to the chord or notes you played.When turning Latch On in Notes mode, you musttrigger the same number of notes for the subsequentchord as there are voices turned on in the preset. Forexample, if four voices are enabled in the preset (Levelsare more than zero) and you play a four note chord onthe keyboard while you sing, you will hear fourharmony voices. If you remove your hands from thekeyboard and play two different notes, the harmonywill not change. Only when you hold four notes atonce will the harmonies change.Dry Voice Mix Screen - DVYou can vary the level of your singing voice in theharmony mix with the Dry Level and Pan controls. Inharmony presets in VoiceWorksPlus, the “Dry” voice isyour singing voice with or without pitch correction.19

HARMONY BACKGROUND AND TIPSChapter overviewBy now you’ve likely browsed through the harmonypresets in VoiceWorksPlus and are relatively familiarwith the harmony modes and features. This chaptergives some background and tips to help you producethe best harmony performances possible usingVoiceWorksPlus. Editing your settings is discussed inthe following chapter.Why are there different harmonymodes?For every note you sing, there are many notes thatcould qualify as good sounding harmony notes. In orderto have VoiceWorksPlus “sing the right notes” youneed to feed it some information and this is donethrough creating several harmony “modes”. Eachharmony mode requires different input from you and iscapable of producing unique harmonies from the samevocal performance. We will use a little allegory toexplain.When you and a fellow musician get together to playand sing, typically some musical information is passedfrom one to the other before commencing the song.You do this in order to make sure the music soundspleasant and not discordant.The information can be assimple as the name of a song you both know, a musicalkey or even pointing out the chords on yourinstrument. In this respect, VoiceWorksPlus is similar.You will need to share some musical information inorder for it to do its job properly.The different ways inwhich you can communicate this information toVoiceWorksPlus are through the “harmony modes”.Like your friend in our analogy, VoiceWorksPlus hasintelligence that can contribute to making good music.You can choose to use this intelligence or notdepending on the chord structure of your song and theharmony lines you have in mind.You make this choicewhen choosing presets to produce harmony in yoursong.The factory presets are organized on the basis of thefive harmony modes: Chords Notes Scale Shift CombiThe “intelligent” harmony modes, Scale and Chords,calculate an input note to output note harmony “map”with the following inputs from you:1.The note you’re singing at any given moment;2.The key and scale you’ve set at the beginning ofyour song for Scale mode;3. or the chord root and type interpreted byVoiceWorksPlus from your incoming MIDI inChords mode.This map has an output note associated with everyinput note.This creates a harmony melody that moveswith your lead melody while generally soundingharmonically correct with your accompaniment.The non-intelligent modes, Notes and Shift, eachhave unique requirements so we will deal with themindividually:The Notes harmony mode requires a MIDI keyboardor other MIDI source to dictate to VoiceWorksPluswhat harmony notes you’d like to hear during yourlead melody. Once a harmony note or notes are helddown on your MIDI keyboard or MIDI track, this iswhere they will stay regardless of your changing vocalmelody.Shift mode follows the pitch of the lead melody a fixedinterval away. This is most useful for unison doubling,octaves, special effects or Gothic-sounding 5ths. Assuch, it’s not as useful for creating what we callharmony which is usually made up of diatonic intervalsor those that vary their distance away from the sungnote depending on which note you are singing in ascale.See the following page for a comparison chart of theharmony modes.2121

HARMONY BACKGROUND AND TIPSA Comparison of the HarmonyModesThe following table gives an overview of the plussesand minuses of each harmony mode.Harmony Mode Input Benefits ChallengesScale Set Key and Scale of song Most natural sounding with minimalinput. Can be the fastest wayto produce harmony.Chord Play chords on a MIDI keyboard Works for nearly every chordchange accompaniment.Diatonic harmony doesn't workwith all chord accompaniments.Requires that you know how tochoose Key and Scale correctlyLimited harmonic movement notalways most realistic soundingCombiSet Key and Scale then use MIDIchords where needed to correctharmony/chord change errorsOptimal blend of natural soundingScale harmonies and Chordmode arrangement flexibilityRequires that you know how tochoose Key and Scale correctlyShiftSet shift amount with the Voicingparameter or choose Shift-basedpresetEasiest to useFixed interval less useful formusical harmonyNotesPerform harmony melodies onMIDI keyboard or use MIDI trackplaybackComplex harmonies can be createdthat move independently ofsung voice melody.Requires keyboard skills. Widepannedvoices may swap sidesdue to voice allocation.Notes 4 ChannelPerform harmony melodies onfour MIDI channels/tracks using aMIDI keyboard and/or sequencerAny harmony melody can be createdfor each voice. Unique pitchbends on each channel add realism.Pan and Gender assignmentslocked to voiceMore time required to inputmelodies. Sequencing knowledgerequired.Which is the best harmony mode foryou?From the chart above you can see which harmonymode is likely to become your favorite. Shift is notdescribed as it’s not a true harmony mode.“Are Chords presets the best for me?”If you play keyboards, presets based on Chords arelikely to work best for you.You just select a preset withthe arrangement of intervals above or below yourvoice and get down to playing your instrument.All youdo when you require harmony is to un-mute theharmonies with the Harmony Mute function on yourfootswitch and then play the chords in your song.A new TC-Helicon feature has been added toVoiceWorksPlus that greatly improves Chord modeflexibility and it’s called “Improvise” mode.This is foundin the Setup menu (press the SETUP button) at menuU2 and once set, it will affect all Chord harmonypresets. Improvise mode configures Chord modepresets so that only 3 note chords will trigger a chordchange, instead of each note as is the case with“Classic” mode.This allows you to play your keyboardarrangements more naturally, allowing runs, bass riffs,and chord partials while you sing and create harmonysimultaneously.“Are Scale presets the best for me?”If you are a guitar player in a live act, Scale mode willwork best because there is no requirement forongoing musical information during the song as there iswith the MIDI modes. All you do is set the Key andScale or load a preset you’ve saved with the song’sinformation before you start your song.This only takesa moment and then you can get on with playing. Duringthe song when you need harmony, you can use theHarmony Mute button on your footswitch to turnharmonies on and off. Some songs where thecombination of vocal melody and your music mayproduce odd harmony notes may occur, but the songswhere you can create harmonies handsfree willcompletely impress your audience.“Are Combi presets for me?”For someone who uses a sequencer to help withbackup music live or to at home to record their ownmusic, Combi mode can give you the excellentcombination of natural-sounding note to note22 22

HARMONY BACKGROUND AND TIPStransitions that Scale mode gives you with the benefitof a MIDI chord override that solves the Scale modedilemma. Because inputting a chord is only requiredduring problem sections, you have to be aware ofwhere these sections are and while you’re performing,your mind is usually focussing on your performance.Also, an intricate keyboard part is usually not requiredso limited keyboard skills are all that’s needed.“What about Notes and Notes 4 Channel?”These two modes, or rather the one with its submode,are highly useful for home recording enthusiaststhat can play a keyboard melody. Notes mode presetsgive you ultimate flexibility in allowing you to createharmony melodies that ascend or descend even whilethe pitch of your singing voice drones on a single noteor goes in a completely different direction. Notes is alittle unwieldy when you’re simultaneously playing a livepiano or organ part but it really shines when you needto create something new in your song harmonies.Notes 4 Channel, with its ability to accept multiplepitch bend performances and the fact that the voicesnever swap sides when hard panned left and right makeit a useful tool for recording or the creation of livebackup tracks.“How do I use Harmony Hold?”Harmony Hold is a feature that can be triggered by thesetting one of the Switch3 footswitch parameters toHold or by sending a MIDI CC messsage. When thehold feature is triggered during a held vocal note, thevowel sound creates a sustained harmony part for aslong as you hold down the pedal.At this point, you canimprovise over the sustained vowel sounds.The feature can make for very interesting live affectsthat seem to defy what one singer alone can produce.2323

HARMONY BACKGROUND AND TIPSScale types and voicingstableLead Voice C C# D Eb E F F# G G# A Bb BMAJ1 3rd Above E nc F nc G A nc B nc C D D5th Above G nc A nc B C nc D nc E F FMAJ2 3rd above E nc F nc G A nc C nc C D D5th above G nc A nc C C nc E nc E F FMAJ3 3rd above E nc F nc G A nc Bb nc C D D5th above G nc A nc Bb C nc D nc E F FMIN1 3rd above Eb nc F G nc Ab nc Bb C nc D nc5th above G nc Bb Bb nc C nc D Eb nc F ncMIN2 3rd above Eb nc F G nc A nc Bb C nc D nc5th above G nc A Bb nc C nc D Eb nc F ncMIN3 3rd above Eb nc F G nc Ab nc B C nc D nc5th above G nc A Bb nc C nc D Eb nc F ncThe table above illustrates the how the six scale typesdiffer. It shows the third and fifth intervals for inputnotes in the key of C.The bold line of notes at the top represent the sung orinput note.The symbol “nc” means no change, in that the harmonyvoice will simply stay on the previous note until thelead voice changes to a non “nc” note.The table at right shows the range of harmony voicingsavailable in Scale mode.Voicing intervals in Scale modepresets+2 Octaves (+2ve)++7++6++5++4++3++2+1 Octave (+1ve)+7+6+5+4+3+2Unison-2-3-4-5-6-7-1 Octaves (-1ve)- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -724 24

HARMONY BACKGROUND AND TIPSChord types and voicingstableThe following gives additional detail on Chords mode.It shows the range of chords recognized by Harmony4based on a chord root of C in the left column.To theright in the table is the combination of notes that arerequired to be played in order for Harmony4 torecognize each chord type.Recognized Chord Types with Rootof CType Required NotesMaj C E GMaj6 C E G AMaj7 C E G BMaj7sus4 C F G BMin C Eb GMin6 C Eb G AMin7 C Eb G BbMin7b5 C Eb Gb BbDim C Eb GbDim7 C Eb Gb Bbb (equiv. to A)Dom7 C E G BbDom7b5 C E Gb BbAug C E G#Aug7 C E G# BbSus C F GSus2 C D GSus7 C F G BbVoicing intervals in Chord modepresets+2 Octaves+1 OctaveUp 6Up 5Up 4Up 3Up 2Up 1UnisonDown 1Down 2Down 3Down 4Down 5-1 Octave-2 OctavesBass 2Bass 1Root 2Root 12525

LEAD VOICE MODEL EDITINGChapter OverviewWhen you load a preset that has modeling enabled youwill see an M: at the lower left of the display.The “M:”indicates that the primary effect is modeling.Information beside the M: shows the method of pitchshifting and the amount.Voice Modeling is a collection of the followingalgorithms that modify your voice:o Resonance (edited with the FreqncyStyleparameter)o Inflection (edited with the HumanStyleparameter)o Vibrato (edited with the VibratoStyle parameter)o Growl/Breath (edited with the GlottalStyleparameter)Voice Modeling can be applied to your voice to achievea diverse range of performance objectives:o enhance a thin-sounding vocal performancewithout EQo produce character voices to emulate popularsingers or for novelty effectso create duet tracks from one voiceIn addition, the modeled voice can be chromatically ordiatonically pitch-shifted to produce duets, doubling ormodeled harmony parts.Each Voice Modeling block can be used independentlyor combined with the others into a preset.The factorypresets have been created containing various groups ofthese blocks as a starting point. Understanding whateach block does will help you to use, edit, and createpresets effectively.The editing menu for each block contains a style andamount. The styles were created at a value of 50 toallow you room to increase or decrease the amount toyour preference.A note about styles in VoiceWorksPlus: “Styles” arepresets-within-presets that allow you to get the soundyou want faster. A large number of user and behindthe-sceneparameters are required to construct aparticular effect, so styles are created that combine thesettings. You can edit the styles, and the changes youmake will be stored with the preset.The following pages describe the effect menus thatallow editing of modeling settings.A brief discussion ofeach effect is followed by the location name and editparameters.Preset Type - menu PCThis configures the edit menus and effects blocks foreither Harmony/Doubling processing using all fourharmony voices or Lead Modeling processing which isa single voice processed through VoiceWorksPlus’smodeling blocks.Lead Voice Inflection (HumanStyle) -menus L0 to L2Inflection is the automatic pitch, timing and levelmodification block in VoiceWorksPlus.The effects fromthis block can be used to:o create a pitch event on the beginning of sung orspoken notes to create an alternate charactervoiceo introduce subtle timing and pitch modulationeffectso allow creation of bizarre, inhuman special effectsThe Humanization styles found in this menu are thesame as those in harmony presets with additionalcontrols for the “scoop” component of the effect.L0: Humanization Style and AmountEDIT 1 controls selection of the style and EDIT 2varies the amount.The styles are numbered 1 through4 to be used primarily with the four harmony voices.There are subtle differences between them that areuseful for modeled voices as well.L1: Pitch,Time and Level RandomizationAmount and RateRand (Randomization) allows you to chose Pitch,Timeor Level randomization for further adjustment.Amt (Amount) adjusts the modulation amount in cents(c), milliseconds (ms), or decibels (dB).Rate allows you to adjust the modulation rate for theeffect.27 27

LEAD VOICE MODEL EDITINGL2: Scoop Amount, Duration andRandomizationScpAmt (Scoop Amount) sets the amount of pitchswing (0 to 8 semitones) that a scoop can cover duringits onset. Note that each style has a slightly differentscoop trajectory curve.Dur (Duration) sets how long it takes for that scoopto reach its target note.Rand (Randomization) randomizes several values ofthe current style so that each time a new note is sungor spoken, a slightly different effect will be heard.Vibrato (VibratoStyle) - Menus L3 toL6Vibrato as a singing technique needs no introduction,yet its implementation in VoiceWorksPlus should beclarified. The Vibrato block can be used to create analternate singing persona for singers. If used duringrecording, a unique vocal backup group can be made bythe same singer overdubbing multiple tracks whilesinging through different styles from the Vibrato block.This is faster and more effective than the singerattempting to sing in an unnatural way for an extendedperiod of time.Strikingly real Voice Modeling modification is possibleusing the various Vibrato styles because they have beencreated by detailed examination of many singers'voices.To take full advantage of a different vibrato than yourown, it’s best to reduce or remove the vibrato fromyour singing voice. Also, note that when changingVibrato Styles, the effect won't change until a new sungnote triggers the new style.L3:Vibrato Style and AmountVibratoStyle allows you to choose with vibrato style foimpose upon your voice.You have the same choice ofvibrato styles as you have for harmony presets. Theyare numbered 1 to 4 to be more effective when usedon four harmony voices but the subtle differencesbetween styles that share the same first name can stillbe used effectively on a single voice.Amount increases or decreases the amount of pitchvariation set by the vibrato style you have chosen.“Nom” is the value at which the style was created.L4:Vibrato Amount, Envelope and TimeVibAm (Vibrato Amount) sets the pitch swing of thecurrent style in cents.An amount of 100c would swinga total of 100 cents although not necessarily equalamounts above and below your input pitch.Env (Envelope) allows you to choose Atk (attack time),Sus (sustain) and Rel (release time) for adjustment bythe Time parameter.Time sets the time in milliseconds for the Attack,Sustain and Release of the vibrato effect. If the Attackis set too long you may never hear vibrato unless yousing very long notes.L5: Frequency, Onset Delay and RandomizationVbFrq (Vibrato Frequency) controls the period, or rateof the vibrato waveforms.OnDly (Onset Delay) determines how long a note hasto hold before the vibrato enters theAttack/Sustain/Release phase. High values of OnDlymay cause you to never hear the effect!Rand (Randomization) actively varies the style settingsto be slightly different with each new sung note.L6:Tremolo and PhaseVbTrem (Vibrato Tremolo) controls the volume changein a vibrato sound.At 0dB there is no volume envelope,at 6dB, the effect is highly pronounced.Phase allows you to determine where the peaks andvalues of the volume changes occur in relation to thepeaks and valleys of the pitch modulation.A value of 0aligns the two exactly.Values above and below 0 alignthe volume envelope peaks and valleys at differentparts of the pitch envelope.Resonance (FreqncyStyle) - menu L7The Resonance block simulates changes in thephysiology of the vocal tract. In musical applications,this can be used for example to make a singer's voicesound deeper without shifting the pitch, or to make asinger sound younger. Resonance can also disguise asinger's voice as a special effect in the breakdown orhook section of a song. Singers who sing a number ofsimultaneous advertising spots in a single market coulduse resonance to disguise their voice and avoidoverexposure.2828

LEAD VOICE MODEL EDITINGFreqncyStyle (Frequency Style) allows selection of preconfiguredmodeling tones for your voice. The rangecovers thick-sounding effects to thin.Amt (Frequency Amount) allows you to add more orlessen the Frequency effect.The amount set when thestyle is loaded is what was created at the factory.Note that further Frequency modification can beperformed with the Trct (Tract) parameter in menu L9and the Frmt (Formant) and Hybr (Hybrid) parametersin menu S1.These are explained below.Growl/Breath (GlottalStyle) - menusL8 to L9The Growl/Breath block can be used to create theintimate sound of a breathy singer, whispers, or aneffect that evokes the gravelly voices of singers likeLouis Armstrong and Bob Seger. While a preset usingthese effects can be imposed on a recorded voice, a themost effective technique is to sing while hearing theeffect. It is possible to use either a Breath effect orGrowl effect but not both at once. Breath effects aresummed, or mixed with your voice whereas Growleffects are 100% wet at all times.L8: Glottal Style and AmountThe Glottal Style allows you to choose Brth (Breath)or Grwl (Growl) styles.Amount allows you to add more breath or growl effectto the maximum set by the style.L9:Voice, Glottal Mix and Tract ControlThe Voice and Glotl (Glottal Level) controls work forBreath styles only.The Voice setting allows you to reduce the level of yourvoice if desired to make the breath effect moreprominent. Note that you can remove your voicecompletely with this parameter allowing you to hearthe Breath effect alone.The Glotl (Glottal) setting allows you to add orremove level to of the Breath effect beyond the stylevalue.Trct (Tract) is a further modification of the Frequencyeffect. It is used to personalize the effect to theindividual singer. For a given style to sound its best, adeep-voiced singer would be set to values less than100 and a thin-voiced singer would be set above 100.Of course this can be used to attain interesting effectsas well!A value of 100 sets no Tract effect. If No Style is loaded,or the value of the current Frequency style is 0, noTract effect is possible.Pitch Shift - menus S0 to S3Pitch shifting adds tremendously to character voicesyou can create. From instant male/female duets todeep Bass singers to soaring Sopranos, this blockstimulates interest in your listening audience.Two types of pitch shift may be applied to the modeledvoice: Chromatic and Scale. You can use Chromaticshift to achieve octave transformations or anyunvarying interval from your input pitch. Scale shiftingallows the modeled voice to be used to sing harmonyin a particular key and scale much like the Scaleharmony capability of the harmony presets only with acharacter-rich modeled voice.S0: Shift Type,Amount and Key*Shift determines whether the pitch shift is chromatic(Chroma) or diatonic (Maj1-3, Min1-3, Cust).*Key - As you change from Chroma to the scales, thisadditional parameter appears in the display allowingyou to set the key to match your song. Key is onlyshown when the Shift type is non-chromatic.Amount sets the chromatic (fixed) or diatonic (movingthirds) interval. When the Shift is set to Chroma, theAmount is in cents. 0c is no shift.When Shift is set to the scales, this parameter worksin the same way as the Voicing: Scale parameter doesfor a harmony preset based on Scale mode. Uni is theunison (no shift) value.S1: Formant, Hybrid AmountFrmnt (Formant) affects the male or female timbre ofthe modeled voice independent of the direction ofpitch shift. This parameter sets the offset from -50,which is deeper and more male to +50 which is thinneror more feminine and at high levels, alien. At a settingof 0 there is no formant change.2929

LEAD VOICE MODEL EDITINGHybr (Hybrid Amount).This works only when the pitchof the modeled voice is shifted.Typically, there are twotypes of pitch shift techniques:o Formant corrected and;o “Instrumental” shifting.Applying a pitch shift using Formant correction betterpreserves natural humanlike sound when the pitch isshifted. Instrumental shifting does no such thing whichresults in the famous Chipmunk/Darth Vader effectscommon to special effects and old generation pitchshifting products. The Hybrid Amount parameterallows you to define midpoints between these twotechniques for finer control of timbre.The Auto setting is full formant correction.The valuesfrom 0 (full Instrumental shifting) to 100 (closest toAuto) give you fine control.S2: Portamento Time and SmoothingPorta (Portamento Time) slows pitch response as yousing up and down through a melody. It is useful formaking a modeled harmony voice sound more like youare singing with another person. This is because yourdry melody and the harmony are slightly out of pitchsynchronization at lower values and wildly out of syncat high values.The number value is roughly the time ittakes to glide between two pitches.Smooth (Smoothing).At low or zero values, Smoothingacts like a pitch corrector on the shifted voice.As yousing up and down through your melody, note-to-notetransitions become stepped and the pitches arecorrected even as your dry voice dips above and belowpitch. With low smoothing values it’s often useful toadd Portamento to soften the note attacks while theSmoothing keeps them in tune.As you progress through higher Smoothing values,generally above 60 or 70, the hard note transitionsbecome softer.Smoothing and Portamento apply to all shift modesincluding MIDI note-derived pitch shiftingS3: Unvoiced AttenuationThe UVAtn (Unvoiced Attenuation) reduces “Ess” typesounds to improve pitch shifting artifacts that occurwhen pitch shifting over larger intervals.Mixing - menus MV and DVIt is possible to vary the blend between the modeledvoice and your dry voice with the parameters in thesetwo menus.MV: Model LevelModel Level is the volume of the modeled voice. Avalue of 0dB is full volume.Pan allows you to place your modeled voice where youwould like in the left, right or in the middle of yourstereo spectrum.DV: Dry Voice LevelDry Level (Dry Voice Level) controls the volume ofyour completely unaffected voice. In VoiceWorksPlusmodelingpresets, the “Dry” voice is your singing voicewith no other effects processing.You would raise thelevel of your dry voice to create a harmony or duetperfomance in tandem with your modeled voice.Pan places your dry voice left or right in the stereofield.30 30

PITCH CORRECTIONChapter OverviewA brief intoduction to Pitch correction is discussed inthe Quick Start chapter.This Pitch Correction chapterprovides more detail on usage and the editing menusfor this feature.Setting expectationsWill I sound like (insert talented singer here) by justusing pitch correction? This question is best answeredby saying that it can make good singing sound better.Using pitch correction in real time (as opposed tooffline studio editing) can help your pitch performancebest while sounding transparent when:o the key and scale are set correctlyo you are singing wello the parameter values are set to reasonable valuesYou should be aware that the pitch correction effectmay be very subtle even when it’s working perfectly.Where can Correction be applied?Pitch correction works differently in harmony presetsversus modeling presets.In harmony presets, your dry voice can have pitchcorrection applied which in turn feeds the correctedpitch to the harmonies.You can think of this as havinga separate pitch correction device inserted betweenyour mic and one of our harmony processors.In modeling presets, it is only the modeled voice thatcan have pitch correction applied. While there is thepossibility of mixing in your dry voice alongside thecorrected modeling voice, your dry voice will not becorrected. This was done for pitch differentationbetween your modeled and dry voice paths to allowyou to create interesting doubling and duet effects.Can I add pitch correction to anexisting preset?If you like the sound of a particular harmony ormodeling preset and you want to add this feature,follow the directions discussed in the Editing Overviewchapter under the heading “How to add pitchcorrection to a preset”.Pitch Correction Menus CO to C2All correction parameters except the front panelCorrection On/Off button are located in these threemenus.C0: Correction Key and ScaleSet the key and scale here to match your song. Thescale options include:o Majoro Minor-Har (harmonic minor)o Minor-Nat (natural minor)o Minor-Asc (ascending melodic minor)o Chro (chromatic)o CustomThe active scale notes of these scales is shown in menuC2 for the current key you have set.The Custom scaleallows you to determine exactly which notes you wantcorrected.If your song changes key or modulates you have acouple of options:o use the Chromatic scaleo create two user presets with the only differencebeing the correction key/scale.C1: Correction parametersWhen you first turn to this menu, the upper line brieflyshows the names of the three parameters beforeswitching automatically to the correction meter. Thisdisplay will revert to the parameter names anytime avalue is adjusted.The meter shows the amount of correction generatedby VoiceWorksPlus. Extension to the right shows yourinput is flat according to the key and scale you’ve setand the correction algorithm is nudging you sharp tocompensate. If any of the three values are 0, no meterswing or pitch correction will occur.Wndow (Correction Window) is the setting in centsthat allows you to determine how close to a valid scalenote you have to be before the algorithm acts to pullyou in. For example, a value of 100 cents can be readas plus or minus 50 cents or half a semitone from thescale note.The maximum value is 200 cents which, in aMajor scale having no more than 100 cents on eitherside of any scale tone, would result in fulltimecorrection activity.31

PITCH CORRECTIONAttk (Correction Attack Time) determines how fastthe algorithm pulls you toward scale tones. A value of0 is essentially off and a value of 100 is instant resultingin something like the infamous “Cher” effect where thepitch correction effect is stair-stepped and obviouswhen using non-chromatic scales. Usually, valuesaround 20 yield acceptable results.Amnt (Correction Amount) allows you to soften thecorrection effect.A value of 50% for example will onlypull you halfway toward a correction scale target at thespeed set by the Attk parameter.C2: Scale display and customization screenIn this screen you can see the current scale and itsactive scale tones and make changes to both. Theleftmost soft knob allows you to change the scale. Asyou change the scale you can see the active scale tonesfor the key you’ve selected in menu C0. The secondsoft knob acts like a cursor to select scale tones andthe third changes the flashing scale note to active(shown by an “o”) or disabled (shown by a “-”).32

REVERB, μMOD AND DELAY EDITINGChapter OverviewThis chapter discusses editing of the “classic” effectsblocks that produce Reverb, μMod and Delay. Becausethe application of these types of effects is largelyunderstood, we’ll discuss only the editing parametersand not their usage.The Transducer effect functions slightly differently and isdiscussed separately in the next chapterThe method for adjusting effects is typically thus:o Decide which effect you would like to hear.o Decide which of the input paths: Dry,Harmony/Lead Modeling or Aux input paths youwould like to the effect upon.o Check or raise the send level for that input path.o Raise the level of the return from the effectyou’ve selected.Also, make sure the FX led onthe front panel is lit.o Go to the style selection screen for the effectyou’ve chosen and choose a style that soundsclose to what you want to hear.o Edit the effect style if you prefer.Note that if Global FX is activated any editing you dowill appear to be applied to the current preset but willactually be applied to the preset designated in theGlobal FX menu in Setup.Effects mixing menus X0-X2These screens allow you to adjust the send and returnlevels of the effects blocks. As always, 0dB means “fulllevel”.X0: Crossover feeds to Delay and ReverbμMod2Del: (Micromod send to Delay) This allows youto route the output of the μMod block to the input ofthe Delay block.Del2Rev: (Delay send to Reverb) You can route theoutput of the Delay block to the Reverb block input.X1: Sends to the effect blocksThe outputs of each of the Dry voice, Leadmodeling/Harmony, and Auxilliary input paths can berouted to the effects here.This is where you can adjustthe balance of reverb applied to your dry voice versusthe harmony voices for example.In order for an effect to be audible, both the send andreturn levels need to be set. Default send levels havebeen set for each expected effect configuration.Send: Turning the soft knob associated with thisparameter determines which effect you wish to adjustthe sends for. As you turn the knob, the send settingsfor each effect are shown in the display.Lead:This is where you can send your dry voice to theeffects.H/M: (Harmony and Lead Modeling sends) This iswhere you send the effects from either of theHarmony block or the Modeling block depending onthe configuration of the current preset.Aux: (Auxilliary input send) You can apply effects to anyaudio signal received at the Line Input when you havea mic plugged into the Mic Input.X2: Effect returnsThese parameters allow you to adjust the relative levelbalance and stereo width of the three effects blocks. Ifthe send level is 0 for any of the parameters in the sendscreen, turning up the returns in these screens willhave no effect.Out: Turning the soft knob associated with thisparameter selects the output level for each effect blockor the stereo width of each effect. Note that, for someeffects like mono delays, adjusting the Width will haveno effect. Unless you specifically prefer mono effects,this is best left Stereo. If you are using VoiceWorksPluswith a mono sound system, you can set the globalMono/Stereo parameter to Mono in the Setup menu.μMod, Dly(Delay), and Rev(erb): These allow you tobring the output of these effect blocks into the mainmix and to balance their levels.μMod block editing menus M0-M8These menus allow to select styles and performcustomization on this block.μMod is short for micro-modulation ("μ" is thescientific symbol for micro).The μMod effect is capableof creating many different sounds that range fromsubtle but lush thickening to creatively destructive. Ituses a combination of stereo pitch shifting (Detune),small amounts of stereo delay (Delay), and then acomplex path of filtering, feedback, and modulation.μMod does a faithful job of emulating classic detune,chorus, flange and thickening sounds.33

REVERB, μMOD AND DELAY EDITINGM0: uMod Style: (μMod style selection)Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter tochoose a μMod style you like.M1: Detune amountsLDetune, RDetune: (Left and right detune amounts).You can apply a small amount of pitch shift to the leftor right sides independently. This setting is shown incents and the maximum is +/- 25 cents.M2: Modulation rate and depthSpeed: (Modulation rate).This setting sets how fast thedelay time modulation occurs. In order for this to beaudible, the depth amount parameter has to be nonzero.L-Depth-R: (Left and right modulation depth) Sets thepercentage of modulation of the delay time for the leftand right delays.M3: Left and right delay timesDelayL, DelayR: (Left and right delay time) Sets the leftand right delay times. Up to 80 ms of stereo delay isavailable here to create effects from flange to slapback.M4: Feedback amountsFBL, FBR, (Feedback left and right) Re-introduces aportion of the audio output signal of the μMod blockback to the input to create flanges, tube and choruseffects.Values above 90 can add a high amount of gainand potentially cause feedback.XFL, XFR (Cross feedback left and right) XFL and XFRindicate cross feedback for the left and right delay lines.Cross feedback returns the delayed audio to theopposite side’s delay line for ping pong type effects andmore.M5: Modulation phase and waveformPhase (Modulation phase) This parameter defines thephase relationship between the left and rightmodulation LFOs (oscillators). In a flange style, settingthis to 0 degrees puts all of the effect in the centerwhile setting it to 180 degrees pulls the effect far intothe stereo field.Wave (Modulation waveform) You can choose themodulation waveform from Square,Triangle or Sine tovary the periodic nature of the modulation effect.M6: Low band filteringLowCutL, LowCutR (Low cut left and right) Thesesteep highpass filters allow you to limit the amount oflow frequencies sent to the μMod block to constrainthe effect to a narrow bandwidth.M7: Feedack high band filteringHiCutL, HiCutR: (High cut for left and right) Thesesteep lowpass filters allow you to limit the amount oflow frequencies sent to the μMod block to constrainthe effect to a narrow bandwidth.M8: Phase adjustmentOutPhase Inverse: (Output phase inversion) Thissetting puts the output of the left and right sides out ofphase, creating more 3D sound space around theeffect. Note that this may potentially limit the effect’sability to collapse to mono.Delay block editing menus D0-D4The delay effect is a configurable echo.You can controlhow far apart the echoes occur (Delay Time), andwhether the echoes fade out quickly, or build onthemselves. In addition, there are filtering and stereocontrols that allow you to create many popular delaysounds. Delays can be typically be categorized into thetwo listed categories below:Short Delays:- Initial reflections- SlapsLong Delays (the maximum stereo delay is 1800ms)- Mono taps- Stereo taps- Syncopated taps- Ping-pongs (delays travelling from left to right)D0: Delay Style (Delay style selection)Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter tochoose a delay style you like.D1: Delay time input source and time/tempoSrc: (Source from which to derive delay time)Determines which one of the three methods you wantto use to set delay times. These include setting theexact delay time for the left and right delay linesmanually(Time), tapping the Data wheel in time withyour music to have the times calculatedautomatically(Tap), or the unit can be set to derive it’sdelay times from incoming MIDI clock signal(MIDI).L-DelTime-R: (Left and right manual delay times) Thesesettings are shown when the Src is set to Time.You may34

REVERB, μMOD AND DELAY EDITINGset up to 1800ms (1.8 seconds) of delay for the left andright delay lines here.Tempo: This setting is shown when Tap or MIDI isselected for the Src parameter.There is one setting fortempo in beats per minute (bpm) that is used to derivedelay times for both the left and right delay lines thatis then subdivided by the division set in the nextscreen.L - Beat Div - R: (Left and right beat division) When theSrc is set to Tap or MIDI, turning the Data wheel willreveal this screen allowing you to divide the delaytempo into even or synchopated beats.D2: Delay feedback and cross feedback amountsFBL, FBR: (Feedback left and right) Re-introduces aportion of the audio output signal of the Delay blockback to the input to add repeats.XFL, XFR: (Cross feedback left and right) Crossfeedback returns the delayed audio to the oppositeside’s delay line for ping pong type effects.D3: Low band filteringLowCutL, LowCutR: (Low cut left and right) Removeslow frequencies from the audio delays to constrainthem to a specific band.D4: High band filteringHiCutL, HiCutR: (High cut left and right) Removes highfrequencies from the audio delays to constrain them toa specific band.R0: Reverb Style (Reverb style selection)Use the soft knob assigned to this parameter tochoose a reverb style you like.R1: Decay time and predelay settingsDecayTime: (Decay Time) Sets the length of the reverbtail.PreDly: (Predelay) Introduces a short delay betweenthe dry audio signal and the onset of reverb to simulatelarger spaces and to improve the audio separationbetween the dry signal and the reverb effect.R2: Reverb tail filteringLowColor, HiColor:These are preset filters that tailorthe low and high frequency response of the reverbtails.R3: Room and tail level balanceRoomLev: (Room level) Each reverb style has a preconfiguredshort initial reflection sound that can beboosted or attenuated with this control.TailLev: (Tail level) The “tail” is the long, decayingcomponent of reverb.You can adjust the mix betweenthe tail and the room with this control.Reverb block editing menus R0-R3Reverb is the arguably the most common vocal effect .It can add a spaciousness that softens the abruptbeginnings and endings of lyric phrases. Many reverbtypes are meant to imitate the natural sound of spaceslike churches, clubs and halls but not all. Some reverbeffects are recreations of electro-mechanical effectsmeant to imitate real spaces like plates and springs.Allreverbs are made up of early reflections (rooms), andthe longer reverberant sounds (tails). Commoncontrols are the level of the room (Room Level), andthe level and decay of the tail (Tail Level, ReverbDecay). Additionally, a small delay can be addedbetween the dry voice and the reverb signal (Predelay)that adds clarity. By far the most important control forreverb is the level. One reverb patch can have a verydifferent result for the audience whether it is mixedsubtly, or up front in the mix.35

THE TRANSDUCER BLOCKChapter OverviewThe edit screens and usage tips for the Transducerblock are discussed in this chapter.The Transducer is ablock that helps create so many of the megaphone andtelephone effects in popular music, as well asreplicating the vintage audio quality of older audioeffects and recordings.Within the Transducer there is aconfigurable distortion block with internal filtering andcurves, as well as a bandwidth block, which emulatesthe frequency response of various audio devices likephones and radios.The Transducer is a “serial” effect which means thatany signal going through it is typically meant to lose itsdry component.The FX button on the front panel will engage anddisengage the Transducer effect along with the Reverb,Delay and μMod effects.It is essential to have your input levels set correctly inorder for the distortion component of the Transducerblock to work. Setting the input level too low willresult in less or no distortion than is intended.Transducer editing menus T0-T4T0:Transducer insertion pointIn order to hear the effect, you must choose to applythe Transducer effect to either the dry voice path, theHarmony or Modeling path or on the master output.Applying the Transducer to the master output willeffect all Harmony/Modeling processing and theReverb, Delay and μMod effects. Any stereo signalsentering the Transducer will be summed to mono.T1:Transducer StyleHere you can choose from on of the twenty-one preconfiguredstyles that bring together all of thedistortion and filtering effects possible with theTransducer. You can also choose No Style and edit theparameters in the following screens to your liking.T2: PreGain PostGainThese controls apply only when a distortion type isselected in the following screen.These act similarly toa guitar distortion pedal or an amplifier with input gainand master level controls.PreGain: Boosts or attenuates the amount ofdistortion for the distortion type selected in menu T3.PostGain:When you adjust the PreGain parameter, justlike a guitar amplifier, the overall level of the effect goesup and down. Use this control to adjust the outputlevel of the Transducer block to properly balance thecurrent preset with the others.T3: Distortion type and amountDistort Type:These are pre-configured distortion stylesthat range from Overdrive through Saturation andDistortion and finally Fuzz. Each has a unique character.Though these styles have no direct controls like Delayor Reverb for example, you can add or reduce thedistortion component (T2) and apply filtering (T4) tocustomize them.Amt:Adjusts the amount of distortion for the currentdistortion style. This is not the same as the Pre andPost Gain controls which work on level adjustjment.The Distortion Amount control adjusts the algorithmicdistortion curve that you can further trim with the Preand Post Gain controls.Low-BandLimit-Hi: (Low and high band filters) Theseare attenuation-only filters that allow you to roll offhigh and/or low frequencies to simulate radios,telephones and the like. When the Transducer is setwith no distortion style, these can act as a filters forany of the audio paths selected in the TransducerInsertparameter.37

THE SETUP MENUIO to I4 - Inputs/OutputI0: Input sensitivityMicSens (Microphone sensitivity) This allows furtheradjustment of microphone input sensitivity. Normal isbest for the majority of microphones. However, theLow and High settings can be useful for extra highoutput or extra low level microphones.LineSens (Line input sensitivity) Sets the Line inputsensitivity, or maximum input level from 0dBu to 24dButo match with your mixer. The factory default settingof 15dBu is an average output level from most mixers.Adjust this up or down when you see the input metersconsistently low or in the red.I1: Digital input gainDigital In Gain: Here the digital in signal can beattenuated to reduce clipping. 0dB is unity and is theideal setting.I2: Input source and clock settingsInput: Here you select the Analog or Digital input.Selecting Analog input will use the input selected viathe front panel (Mic or Line). Digital input will use therear S/PDIF connectors. The digital output is alwaysavailable regardless of this setting.ClockSrc: (Clock source) This sets the audio clockfrequency and source. If using the analog inputs, thisparameter is best set to Int(ernal) 44.1. If you are usingthe digital input you should set this to sync toExt(ernal) clock. If no valid clock signal is recieved viathe digital inputs, an error message will be shown.I3: Output and bypass modeOutput: Collapses all stereo output to mono if desired.BypMode: (Bypass mode) This sets howVoiceWorksPlus operates in Bypass. The Stage settingpreserves any EQ and Dynamics settings you have setand matches the level of the Dry voice.The Studio setting removes all effect processingincluding the EQ and Dynamics and outputs the leadsignal at full level to the output.I4: Input on/off controlsDry VoiceIn: Setting this to Off removes the dry leadaudio from the signal path in any presets that mix inyour dry voice. This is useful when usingVoiceWorksPlus on an auxilliary mixer send and want100% wet output.AuxIn: (Auxilliary input) Setting this to Off removesthe dry Aux Input audio from the signal path. Thisallows VoiceWorksPlus to produce only 100% weteffects when receiving an effects send from a mixingboard into the Aux Input. (Only available in analoginput mode if Mic Input is selected)Q0 to Q4 - EQ/CompressorThe EQ and compressor in VoiceWorksPlus are globalmeaning that all presets will be affected once either ofthe compressor or EQ has been activated. Be carefulwhen adjusting these parameters because feedback ismore likely.Q0: EQ and compressor assignmentDynAssign: (Dynmics assignment) This allows you toassign dynamic processing (compressor and gate) tothe lead voice, harmony/model voices, both lead andharmony/model voices or neither. Hint: assigning onlyto the lead voice with a medium compressor setting(threshold: -15dB, ratio:2:1) keeps the lead voice aconsistent volume but keeps harmony levels followingthe singers level. This gives control of harmony levelswith mic technique.EQAssign: (EQ assignment) This allows assignment ofthe three band EQ to the lead voice, harmony/modelvoices, both lead and harmony/model voices orneither.Q1: Compressor controlsThe compressor in VoiceWorksPlus has automaticmakeup gain to a maximum of +20dB.This means thatthe volume level of the signal will be increased for mostvolume levels of input with the compressor enabled.Threshold: Sets threshold at which the compressorbecomes active level from 0 to -60 dB. A moderatesetting of -6 to -15 works well.Ratio: Sets your compression ratio range from 1.12:1to 64:1. This sets how much level reduction occursonce the input signal reaches the threshold you haveset.Q2: EQ settingsVoiceWorksPlus has a flexible 3 band EQ withfrequency-adjustable high and low shelving bands and afully parametric band with Q, frequency and gaincontrols.LoShelf: Sets the knee frequency for the low frequencyshelving boost or cut. Frequency Range: 80Hz to16kHz39 39

THE SETUP MENUCut/Boost Range: Sets how much boost or cut toapply to the low band. Range: -12dB to +12dB.HiShelf: Sets the cutoff frequency above which the highshelf EQ may be boosted or cut. Range: 80Hz - 16kHzCut/Boost Range: Sets how much boost or cut to applyto the high band. Range: -12dB to +12dB.Q3: Parametric mid controlsMidParaEQ: (Mid band parametric EQ) Sets the centerFrequency in Hz. Cut/Boost Range: -12dB to +12dB.Q: This value is equal to the center frequency of thefilter divided by the difference between the upper andlower -3dB frequencies. The higher the Q value thenarrower the filter. Range is .1 (shown as Wide) to 10(shown as Thin).Q4: LowCut and gate controlsLowCut: (Low cut) This feature reduces rumble andexcess low frequency which can cause muddy sound.The “knee” is 12dB per octave. Cutoff frequencyoptions include 60, 80 and 120Hz.NoiseGate: Sets the threshold at which the noise gateopens to allow sound through. If this is set above theinput level indicated on the led ladder, no sound will beheard.U0 to U5 - User SettingsU0: Global settingsGlblFX: (Global effects on/off) The Global Effectsparameter allows you to re-assign all presets to theeffect settings in a single preset of your choice.This isto keep one effects setting across multiple presets.Chord/Key: (Global chord and key) The Global Chordand Key setting works much like the Global Effectssetting only for musical input. When you change andsave a key and scale in any Scale-based preset, allpresets will now be based on this setting. For Chordmode presets, the last chord received at the MIDIinputs is the first chord all Chord mode presets willproduce harmony from.U1: Dry delay and tuning referenceDryDelay:Turning this On delays the lead vocal slightlyso the harmony voices will sound at the same time asyour lead voice. Turning this Off results in the leastamount of lead voice processing delay.Tuning: This sets the overall tuning reference withrespect to A-440.U2: Chord mode configurationChord Mode: The Classic setting sets the standardChord mode operation where any MIDI notes playedwill be interpreted by the chord detection algorithm. InImprovise chord mode, only 3 note chords trigger thechord detection algorithm allowing more freedom inplaying keyboard parts and controlling harmony at thesame time.U3: Notes Mode configurationSelects between 1 Channel and 4 Channel notes modefor all Notes presets in the product.U4: Footswitch assignmentsFootswitch 1-2-3: Allows custom assignment ofparameters to the Switch3 three button footswitch.None: no assignmentPre- : preset downPre+ : preset upByp: bypassEffL: effect on/off latchingEffM: effect on/off momentaryHarL: harmony on/off latchingHarM: harmony on/off momentaryCorL: correction on/off latchingCorM: correction/ff momemtaryHold: enables the Harmony Hold feature(momentary in harmony mode only)U5: Effects priorityLead FX Priority:When using Lead Model presets at 48kHz sampling rates, VoiceWorksPlus does not allowuMod and Transducer to be enabled simultaneously.The parameter sets which effect gets priority uponpreset or effect load.M0 to M3 - MIDI SettingsM0: MIDI settingsMidiCh: (MIDI channel assignment) Sets the input MIDIchannel for harmony and CC messages.When set thesame as incoming MIDI such as that from a keyboard,the front panel MIDI led will flash.When the channelsdo not match the led will not respond.Filter: Allows MIDI Program Change or SystemExclusive messages to be ignored for convenience.4040

THE SETUP MENUM1: Controller enable and disableCC-Ctrl: (CC control) Enables or disables CC messagecontrol.VibCtrl: (Vibrato control) Specifies how the ModWheel message affects vibrato. The Boost setting willadd more vibrato once the part of the wheelmovement reaches the corresponding amount ofvibrato and then return to the original amount oncethe wheel resets to its rest position.The Manual settingallows the full range of control of vibrato once thewheel is moved.To restore the factory vibrato amount,recall the preset.M2:VariousPB+-: (Pitchbend range) Sets in semitones the rangethat MIDI pitch bend information will alter pitch shiftsin both Harmony and Modeling modes.Trans: (Notes mode transposition) This transposes theharmony voices in Notes mode to allow it to becontrolled by upper or lower sections of a MIDIkeyboard if required.The value corresponds to octaves.SyxID (MIDI System Exclusive ID number) Whenaddressing multiple VoiceWorksPlus units on the sameMIDI In/Thru chain with a Sysex editor, each oneshould have its own ID or they all will be edited in thesame way.M3: Keyboard zone settingsKBSplitZone: (Split zone) Sets whether MIDI notesabove or below the split point are allowed for Notesmode and Chord mode presets.Note: Sets the MIDI note above or below which thekeyboard split will be active.F1: File functionsFunction: Pushing the data wheel triggers the listedfunction.Restore Setup: reverts all setup parameters backto factory settings.This includes the front panelmix settings.Erase User Bank: erases all user presetsCAUTION - do not leave this screen set to “EraseUser Bank” or you stand the chance of accidentallyerasing all of your presets in a return visit to the Editmenu.F0 to F1- Preset ManagementF0: MIDI Dump initiationSelect which VoiceWorksPlus information you want toback-up via MIDI:All (User+Setup): dumps all user settings and userpresets in one fileUser Bank: dumps only user presetsSetup: dumps only setup dataUser 1 to 99: dumps the individual user presetselected.Press the Data Wheel to start the dump.41 41

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSDigital Inputs and OutputsConnectors RCA Phono (S/PDIF)Formats S/PDIF (24 bit), EIAJ CP-340, IEC 958Sample Rates 44.1 kHz, 48 kHzFreq. Response DIO DC to 22/23.9 kHz ±0.01 dB @ 44.1/48 kHzAnalog InputsConnectors, balancedImpedance Bal./Unbal.Mic.: XLR,Line: 1/4" phone jackMic.: 3.6/1.8 kOhm,Line: 21/13 kOhmLine Input Level @ 0 dBFS+24 dBu to +0 dBuLine Sensitivity @ 12 dB headroom-12 dBu to +12 dBuMic. Input Level @ 0 dBFS Pad Off/On-14 dBu/+6 dBu to -51 dBu/-31 dBuMic. Sensitivity @ 12 dB headroom Pad Off/On-26 dBu/-6 dBu to -63 dBu/-43 dBuLine, Mic. @ Min gain, Dynamic Range> +92 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHzNF/Vi @ Max. micamp. gain, Rg = 200 Ohm< +2 dB / -127.4 dBuTHD< -100 dB (0,001 %) @ 1 kHzLine Frequency Response+0/-0.1 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHzMic. Frequency Response, max gain-1.5 dB @ 40 Hz, +0/-0.1 dB (200 Hz to 20 kHz)Crosstalk< -85 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHzA to D Conversion24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstreamA to D Delay 0.65/0.70 ms @ 48/44.1 kHzEMCComplies with IEN 55103-1 and EN 55103-2 FCCpart 15, Class B, CISPR 22, Class BSafetyCertified to IEC 65, EN 60065, UL6500 and CSAE60065 CSA FILE #LR108093EnvironmentOperating Temperature32° 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-condensingControl InterfaceMIDIPedalSupplementaryIn/Out/Thru: 5 Pin DIN1/4" phone jackDisplay 2x16 backlit LCDDimensions 19" x 1.75" x 8.2" (483 x 44 x 195 mm)Weight 4.1 lb. (1.85 kg)Mains Voltage100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz (auto-select)Power Consumption

SIGNAL FLOW DIAGRAMVoiceWorksPlus Signal Flow4444

MIDI IMPLEMENTATIONVoiceWorksPlus MIDIImplementation DetailsNote: individual parameter editing is done via systemexclusive using the free Vysor editor forVoiceWorksPlus.Other MIDI messages:Program Change:Pitch Bend:Note On/Off:Received/Transmitted.Received.Received.4545