There is still nothing like this pedal out there and I’ve REALLY looked for alternatives. In the end I bought a back up. I’ve happily used one for nearly 10 years now and upwards of 1500 shows. Great view Aaron, subscribed.
Love it! Really clever use of the Undo/Redo. I thought you screwed up at the beginning and was wondering why you left that in the video. Until you kicked that little part back in with the Redo. Very nicely done!
Thanks! I tried to show as much functionality in one minute as possible. I rarely do that much at a gig lol. I could have also used the second track for that loop but the undo trick is useful on all loopers.
Thanks Aaron. I have the THPA and have been using it for about 5 years. I think this would be a great add and appreciate your review and great info for the guitar player/singers! Cheers!
Thank you for reintroducing us to the VLX3 now that it‘s available again. Please feel warmly invited to produce more content on how you use it as an experienced solo performer using vocal harmonies. Just got myself one off of eBay here in Germany, as a potential replacement not only for my huge (high-end) pedalboard, but also for the otherwise fantastic (but for me, not yet suitable) Fender Tone Master Pro. Had my first gig with only the TMP this week, and although I had it sounding great (for acoustic and electric plus vocals), it‘s just not there (yet?) for singer/player convenience. No global vocal chain across all presets is the biggest killer, plus no muting of vocal FX during announcements. Programmed a footswitch to kill the vocal FX, but it‘s a big hassle how that works in conjunction with the guitar mute footswitch. So despite any potential compromises in terms of tone or effects, I‘m now humbly willing to invest my time in learning the VLX3 in and out in the interest of simplifying my setup to the max. Not only will it be much lighter in weight than my pedalboard or even the TMP, but it will eliminate extra cabling and trying to get various things working together. And I‘ll have a global vocal chain - yes! Can‘t wait to get started today or tomorrow. :-) Previously snubbed this thing as too complex as well as to limited (haha). Man, I now believe I was just being a gear snob. ;-) P.S. Also interested in how you‘d recommend using the unit for shows in which both an acoustic and an electric guitar are used.
I agree. It’s an amazing unit! It’s hard to use acoustic and electric with the one input. Either change patches and switch the cable to the other guitar or buy a small processor like the HX stomp and connect it to the Aux in.
@@aaronshortmusic So maybe just using a an A/B footswitch (e.g. Boss AB-2) ahead of the guitar input and then having dedicated presets for acoustic and electric should do the trick? And having a global vocal channel that applies no matter what guitar preset is running?
Good to hear. If I purchase it through Sweetwater, I’ll use your link, otherwise may check some shops while I am here in Montana. Maybe you should do a how to video to sell as a download for a small fee/price.
Great review. I'll have to find a review of this vs the Boss RC-600 (which is a fair bit cheaper). I have the PlayLive Acoustic so very interested to hear what this adds to that.
Good review of a very deep pedal. I do have reservations about TC products in general. I have seen many comments on various TC products being unreliable, they get glitchy or just stop working. More than a few.
Hi, thx for the video. I have the tch play acoustic. Love the vocal effects and harmonies. Find the looper not that optimal, using my old ditto x2 instead. And it somehow makes my guitar muddy and I can’t seem to bypass it, which is why I now physically bypass it and just feed the guitar into it for the harmonies. Are the looper and the “body rez” similar on this flagship?
Not anytime soon as far as I know but they may do sometime down the line. Until then I highly recommend the TC Play Acoustic and the TC Voicelive 3 Extreme.
Ok, this company rocks! thanks for showing us this one, it does cost a lot! 😅 VoiceLive 3 Extreme vs. VoiceLive Play: -Who are the intended users for each of these models would you say, how do they differ in terms of their user base? Is this more expensive model too much for a beginner new to these kinds of devices? And what compact little mixer should I use to connect an iPhone or MP3 player for backing tracks to these devices? And for street performance which speaker would you recommend me to use so the audience hear me clearly with still a great sound on a square or from a street corner? thanks for a nice demo!
The price is very reasonable consider the features that you get! This is the flagship and has much more advanced features than the Play, it is not much harder to use. You can connect your phone to the USB port or Aux in to play your backing tracks. The speaker depends on your act, I have reviewed many. It is worth noting that the Everse 8 will power the TC Play with a special power cable that is available.
I've been using the VL3X for about 7 years now. I was really hoping for a version 4 with a better looper. I would love to see a VL4x with a looper setup like the Headrush Looperboard.
Hey, Aaron. How do you power this at a gig? None of my pedalboard power supplies have that 12v 1amp output. I have other pedals I need to power and would like to combine this. Just having trouble figuring some way to power it without using a separate power supply for the wall wart.
I only use the VL3x and power it directly. I would look for a pedalboard power supply that has the correct output. I would also power the pedal down with the power button rather than just turning it on and off via the power supply as I heard this can damage the pedal.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks, Aaron. Hard to find a pedalboard power supply that has 12 v 1a power. Got an inquiry into sweetwater for a suggestion. Thanks for responding so quickly! :)
I've started using this pedal and I really like it, but one thing is a bit of a mystery to me. I haven't seen any clear information about the effect chain, i.e. what effect is added first in the chain and which effect is added last. Do you have any idea about this? I didn't see it mentioned in the manual
Aaron, using a Cole Clark (with Humbuckers), any suggestions on how to get both inputs into the VL3 so that regardless of choosing the acoustic or electric (or both) the signal goes through the VL3 so that the harmonies can be utilized?
Hello Aaron! I enjoy your videos, but I can’t help but ask you if you know why TC Helicon is essentially no longer in a current business model for production?
Have you found a way to use cc messages? On VL2 I could control the harmony level with my midi expression pedal. VL3e I have to use another non-midi expression pedal. The midi assignment chart is way more limited. I have to say, I feel like that’s a step in the wrong direction.
@@aaronshortmusic I really like the sound just so disappointed that I need to take an extra pedal. VL3X, A/B, FCB1010, RC600 plus now I need to take my Leleh Duo. I have a GR55 as well. That’s 3 midi expression pedals and unless I’m missing something, none of them will control the VL3e. Not the end of the world but they have much more extensive midi control in the VL2. I don’t understand why they didn’t build upon what they already had in terms of midi control. Oh well…. People have mentioned doing it myself through sysex but I know almost nothing about that and I have more than enough things to learn already. It gets overwhelming. Thanks anyway.
I’m playing around with the VL3X and have some questions. First, is there any way to eq the guitar on the pedal? Just a simple eq would be nice and frankly I can’t understand why there isn’t. Is there any way to control output volume without an expression pedal or diving into menus? I found a couple of screens where I can do it, but that’s not ideal because if I need it in one place, I may not need it in another and my volume is globably set when I mess with those things. Do you have the guitar output set to mic or line level? I didn’t hear any volume difference between the two which is weird. I do have the global settings at unity out so maybe that’s why. While I think it’s perfectly usable, there’s something about the VL3X that just doesn’t sound quite right to me. I need to play with it more with different guitars to see if that’s a me problem, though I’ve seen similar comments by others. Any tips or tricks I should try? Thanks
You can EQ from the amp's settings. It has HPF, LPF, Bass, Mid and Treble. It has them pre and post amp. I use post but you can use the pre's as well if you need even more control. It's powerful. I don't use BodyRez (I never really liked what it did). The output volume is set to the mic level and you can then adjust the guitar level from the mixer screen. You can set the XLR's to put put at mic or line level, depending of the gig. I have no issue with the tone. I have made some comparison recordings to see if it colors the tone and it does not. I am sure it adds latency as all digital pedals do but I am also sure that if I used individual pedals then I would have a lot more latency.
@ You’re not but that function enables the HPF and LPF to work. I assume that is how they are simulating the speakers with high and low cuts. If you don’t need those then just leave the speaker sim off.
Does it actual sound better than the play acoustic? I'm not going to use backing tracks and a lot of the other functions. I have a looper I'm fine with. How do things like harmonies sound compared to the Play acoustic? I'm not necessarily interested in more options, but I'm always interested in better sound.
No it just gives you more options. Play Acoustic is still amazing and even more portable. It just depends if you need to additional features which I often do.
I am really surprised they were able to obtain the 56K DSPs that run the guitar and vocal processing. Those things are supposed to be out of production, we were told that well over 10 years ago. No one would dare touch that firmware, it is mostly written in non-portable assembly and on top of that the DSP is 24-bit fixed point which is an absolute pain to work with.
My pedal arrived today somewhere around 4 o’clock it says do you have a list of what the coded presets are actually for Ken train. Take the guest work out for grandpa here. 😂
@@aaronshortmusicno one here in The Netherlands could repair it. I’m not the only one ,the problem is worldwide. The white screen. Some one returned it and it took almost 1 years and did not help but the costs were higher than the pedal itself 😡 read all the problems on internet about this crap pedal! In the beginning I was more than satisfied, but than the problem came with the horrible white screen . For me and a lot others no pedals of TC Helicon anymore.
@@wdalima I can only talk from my own experience. I have owned mine for three years and use it 3-5 times per week at gigs and I have had no issues at all.
I can buy a voicelive 3 for half the price used compared to the vl extreme . Currently using a headrush core . The tc helicon range of products over the years seem to be redundant versions of this product Which makes it very Confusing. The vl3x in canada retails for 1300 cad new . And you have to wait 3 months to get it . None are in stock . Does anyone know the difference between a voice?Live three and the extreme? Is it worth the update to go to extreme?
VL3x has some backing track and automation features that you may or may not use. It’s also black which I prefer. Since they are now shipping again I would go for the VL3x. There’s nothing on the market quite like it.
Yea. It seems helicon is better The TC helicon on my korg pa1000 is quite impressive. Which made me look for other hardware from them . Have you tried headrush core ? I got one used It's quite impressive . It seems they are catching up . I hate boss and Roland . I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a new vl3x and wait 3 months for it .. but would rather find one used .
@@aaronshortmusic you ha e a good voice btw . The song was profoundly odd and funny in the intro . If you can a headrush core used for a good price . Pick it up and try it It may surprise you. Take care Appreciate your help and conversation .
There is still nothing like this pedal out there and I’ve REALLY looked for alternatives. In the end I bought a back up. I’ve happily used one for nearly 10 years now and upwards of 1500 shows. Great view Aaron, subscribed.
I feel exactly the same. I even tried to make my own ‘replacement board’ at one point but I still preferred the convenience of the VL3x.
@@aaronshortmusic Exactly that.
@@aaronshortmusic lol yes, I remember that well! 😁 You even opened a VLT2 and put on the board!
@@ChrisTidestrom It was a great board!
At last. My friend has been chomping at the bit for one of these. Great video as usual.
Great video, Aaron! Have heard you use that pedal live, sounds great and does everything in one unit!
Very nice review! I appreciate that you covered specific features that I would benefit from. The tuner mute/vocal effects being one. Well done.
Thanks!
Awesome Aaron great news!! Thank you.
Love it! Really clever use of the Undo/Redo. I thought you screwed up at the beginning and was wondering why you left that in the video. Until you kicked that little part back in with the Redo. Very nicely done!
Thanks! I tried to show as much functionality in one minute as possible. I rarely do that much at a gig lol. I could have also used the second track for that loop but the undo trick is useful on all loopers.
Just got mine from Thomann really a great product, see you soon in NY
I'd love to see more content on this pedal
Thanks for sharing your experience. I will buy this VL3X. I use play acoustic for 10 years. Thanks
Good work Aaron. I have been looking at getting the Play Acoustic but you've swayed me to consider this one seriously. Good honest review. Cheers
I think it’s worth the extra real estate and $$.
Thanks Aaron. I have the THPA and have been using it for about 5 years. I think this would be a great add and appreciate your review and great info for the guitar player/singers! Cheers!
Hi Aaron, I'd like to see more on the Voice live 3. ( i.e. how you set yours up for what you do )🎸🎸🎸
It’s on the list!
@@aaronshortmusic Been catching the replays. 🎸🎸🎸
@ Thanks!
Thank you for reintroducing us to the VLX3 now that it‘s available again. Please feel warmly invited to produce more content on how you use it as an experienced solo performer using vocal harmonies. Just got myself one off of eBay here in Germany, as a potential replacement not only for my huge (high-end) pedalboard, but also for the otherwise fantastic (but for me, not yet suitable) Fender Tone Master Pro. Had my first gig with only the TMP this week, and although I had it sounding great (for acoustic and electric plus vocals), it‘s just not there (yet?) for singer/player convenience. No global vocal chain across all presets is the biggest killer, plus no muting of vocal FX during announcements. Programmed a footswitch to kill the vocal FX, but it‘s a big hassle how that works in conjunction with the guitar mute footswitch. So despite any potential compromises in terms of tone or effects, I‘m now humbly willing to invest my time in learning the VLX3 in and out in the interest of simplifying my setup to the max. Not only will it be much lighter in weight than my pedalboard or even the TMP, but it will eliminate extra cabling and trying to get various things working together. And I‘ll have a global vocal chain - yes! Can‘t wait to get started today or tomorrow. :-) Previously snubbed this thing as too complex as well as to limited (haha). Man, I now believe I was just being a gear snob. ;-) P.S. Also interested in how you‘d recommend using the unit for shows in which both an acoustic and an electric guitar are used.
I agree. It’s an amazing unit! It’s hard to use acoustic and electric with the one input. Either change patches and switch the cable to the other guitar or buy a small processor like the HX stomp and connect it to the Aux in.
@@aaronshortmusic So maybe just using a an A/B footswitch (e.g. Boss AB-2) ahead of the guitar input and then having dedicated presets for acoustic and electric should do the trick? And having a global vocal channel that applies no matter what guitar preset is running?
Good to hear. If I purchase it through Sweetwater, I’ll use your link, otherwise may check some shops while I am here in Montana. Maybe you should do a how to video to sell as a download for a small fee/price.
Nice idea and thanks for using my link. I appreciate the support.
Great review. I'll have to find a review of this vs the Boss RC-600 (which is a fair bit cheaper). I have the PlayLive Acoustic so very interested to hear what this adds to that.
They are similar but still quite different. The Boss has more tracks but the TC does more of the other stuff.
Good review of a very deep pedal. I do have reservations about TC products in general. I have seen many comments on various TC products being unreliable, they get glitchy or just stop working. More than a few.
Buy from an authorized dealer and register the warranty and you will have three years of support.
Hi, thx for the video. I have the tch play acoustic. Love the vocal effects and harmonies. Find the looper not that optimal, using my old ditto x2 instead. And it somehow makes my guitar muddy and I can’t seem to bypass it, which is why I now physically bypass it and just feed the guitar into it for the harmonies. Are the looper and the “body rez” similar on this flagship?
Way more functional looper. Still has the Body Rez if you use it (I don’t).
Will they be releasing a new version of this anytime soon ?
Not anytime soon as far as I know but they may do sometime down the line. Until then I highly recommend the TC Play Acoustic and the TC Voicelive 3 Extreme.
Thanks! What is the purpose or usability with the external footswitch?
Still recommend this over head rush and boss?
I recommend products based on the players needs but I am still performing with a VL3X for the gigs I am playing.
Ok, this company rocks!
thanks for showing us this one, it does cost a lot!
😅
VoiceLive 3 Extreme vs. VoiceLive Play:
-Who are the intended users for each of these models would you say,
how do they differ in terms of their user base?
Is this more expensive model too much for a beginner new to these kinds of devices?
And what compact little mixer should I use to connect an iPhone or MP3 player for backing tracks to these devices?
And for street performance which speaker would you recommend me to use so the audience hear me clearly with still a great sound on a square or from a street corner?
thanks for a nice demo!
The price is very reasonable consider the features that you get! This is the flagship and has much more advanced features than the Play, it is not much harder to use. You can connect your phone to the USB port or Aux in to play your backing tracks. The speaker depends on your act, I have reviewed many. It is worth noting that the Everse 8 will power the TC Play with a special power cable that is available.
I've been using the VL3X for about 7 years now. I was really hoping for a version 4 with a better looper. I would love to see a VL4x with a looper setup like the Headrush Looperboard.
The VL3x is still the best for what I do. There is no guarantee that a new version will be ‘better’ but I hope that it will happen!
Hey, Aaron. How do you power this at a gig? None of my pedalboard power supplies have that 12v 1amp output. I have other pedals I need to power and would like to combine this. Just having trouble figuring some way to power it without using a separate power supply for the wall wart.
I only use the VL3x and power it directly. I would look for a pedalboard power supply that has the correct output. I would also power the pedal down with the power button rather than just turning it on and off via the power supply as I heard this can damage the pedal.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks, Aaron. Hard to find a pedalboard power supply that has 12 v 1a power. Got an inquiry into sweetwater for a suggestion. Thanks for responding so quickly! :)
@ This one has it. Just be sure to use the correct cable with it. sweetwater.sjv.io/zxjB9r
I've started using this pedal and I really like it, but one thing is a bit of a mystery to me. I haven't seen any clear information about the effect chain, i.e. what effect is added first in the chain and which effect is added last. Do you have any idea about this? I didn't see it mentioned in the manual
I don’t think they ever said but I imagine it’s going to be the standard. Tuner, Wah, Drive, Chorus & Pitch, Delay, Reverb, Looper.
Aaron, using a Cole Clark (with Humbuckers), any suggestions on how to get both inputs into the VL3 so that regardless of choosing the acoustic or electric (or both) the signal goes through the VL3 so that the harmonies can be utilized?
Use a small amp sim for the electric pickups and plug it into the aux in. Then set the looper to record the aux.
Why use the external footswitch and what functions did you assign to the 3 footswitches?
Always-on looper. Rec/dub, Stop/hold to erase, delete all.
@ Can you do that on the unit itself?
@ Yes but you have to step through screens. I need those to be always accessible as I use them so much.
Hello Aaron! I enjoy your videos, but I can’t help but ask you if you know why TC Helicon is essentially no longer in a current business model for production?
They are. They are still under Music Tribe/Behringer.
@ Thanks!!
Is it possible for you to do a whole tutorial on this pedal, from set up hardware, to using sounds, recording, to live performances
Yes I plan to do this but it will have to be a paid course as it will take me a while to do it.
@@aaronshortmusicI’d pay your Patreon
@@Eddyvnhln5150 Awesome I’ll look into this soon.
@@aaronshortmusic I would also be very interested in participating!
Is it worth upgrading from VL3 to VL3X?
Im not looping, mainly acoustic with vocal processing.
😊
Probably not as it sounds like you don’t need the X exclusive features.
Have you found a way to use cc messages? On VL2 I could control the harmony level with my midi expression pedal. VL3e I have to use another non-midi expression pedal. The midi assignment chart is way more limited. I have to say, I feel like that’s a step in the wrong direction.
You can use an expression pedal to control the volume of the harmonies. This is probably an easier option for most people.
@@aaronshortmusic I really like the sound just so disappointed that I need to take an extra pedal. VL3X, A/B, FCB1010, RC600 plus now I need to take my Leleh Duo. I have a GR55 as well. That’s 3 midi expression pedals and unless I’m missing something, none of them will control the VL3e. Not the end of the world but they have much more extensive midi control in the VL2. I don’t understand why they didn’t build upon what they already had in terms of midi control. Oh well….
People have mentioned doing it myself through sysex but I know almost nothing about that and I have more than enough things to learn already. It gets overwhelming.
Thanks anyway.
I’m playing around with the VL3X and have some questions. First, is there any way to eq the guitar on the pedal? Just a simple eq would be nice and frankly I can’t understand why there isn’t. Is there any way to control output volume without an expression pedal or diving into menus? I found a couple of screens where I can do it, but that’s not ideal because if I need it in one place, I may not need it in another and my volume is globably set when I mess with those things. Do you have the guitar output set to mic or line level? I didn’t hear any volume difference between the two which is weird. I do have the global settings at unity out so maybe that’s why. While I think it’s perfectly usable, there’s something about the VL3X that just doesn’t sound quite right to me. I need to play with it more with different guitars to see if that’s a me problem, though I’ve seen similar comments by others. Any tips or tricks I should try? Thanks
You can EQ from the amp's settings. It has HPF, LPF, Bass, Mid and Treble. It has them pre and post amp. I use post but you can use the pre's as well if you need even more control. It's powerful. I don't use BodyRez (I never really liked what it did). The output volume is set to the mic level and you can then adjust the guitar level from the mixer screen. You can set the XLR's to put put at mic or line level, depending of the gig. I have no issue with the tone. I have made some comparison recordings to see if it colors the tone and it does not. I am sure it adds latency as all digital pedals do but I am also sure that if I used individual pedals then I would have a lot more latency.
@ Is that on the acoustic “no amp” as well?
@ Not sure which one I’m using but I think so. For the HPF to work you have to have speaker sim enabled.
@@aaronshortmusic Why would I engage speakers in with an acoustic? I want full range.
@ You’re not but that function enables the HPF and LPF to work. I assume that is how they are simulating the speakers with high and low cuts. If you don’t need those then just leave the speaker sim off.
Does it actual sound better than the play acoustic? I'm not going to use backing tracks and a lot of the other functions. I have a looper I'm fine with. How do things like harmonies sound compared to the Play acoustic? I'm not necessarily interested in more options, but I'm always interested in better sound.
No it just gives you more options. Play Acoustic is still amazing and even more portable. It just depends if you need to additional features which I often do.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks for the quick reply...exactly what I needed.
I am really surprised they were able to obtain the 56K DSPs that run the guitar and vocal processing. Those things are supposed to be out of production, we were told that well over 10 years ago. No one would dare touch that firmware, it is mostly written in non-portable assembly and on top of that the DSP is 24-bit fixed point which is an absolute pain to work with.
I suspect that the chips have been upgraded or custom manufactured to make the latest version work with the old code. Just a guess on my part....
HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET A NEW VOICELIVE????? 😭😭😭😭 amazing video. How can I find a new one of these????
Huge fan of the original voicelive 3 but sold it and have been completely lost being unable to buy a new one because of the supply issues
I’ll post another video tomorrow with more information. Subscribe to my channel and stay tuned!!
What in ear monitor do you use?
Shure SE535 at the moment.
Hi Aaron, is the loop lenght sufficient?
Yes very long.
My pedal arrived today somewhere around 4 o’clock it says do you have a list of what the coded presets are actually for Ken train. Take the guest work out for grandpa here. 😂
I don’t understand.
Had an original VL - hopeless and unreliable had 3 repairs and gave up.
Any equipment can go wrong and maybe they made changes. I’ve had no issues with my VL3 Extreme in 4 years and I gig several times every week.
boss gt1000 core + boss VE500 great combo to fulfill almost any necessity for a singer guitarist.... Under 5 pounds
Not enough footswitches. I would need to add a MIDI controller as well and then it’s too much stuff.
Crap too expansive pedal !!!!!
Mine worked only 3 months 😡😡😡😡😡
Why didn’t you return it? Products have a 12 month warranty.
@@aaronshortmusicno one here in The Netherlands could repair it. I’m not the only one ,the problem is worldwide. The white screen. Some one returned it and it took almost 1 years and did not help but the costs were higher than the pedal itself 😡 read all the problems on internet about this crap pedal! In the beginning I was more than satisfied, but than the problem came with the horrible white screen . For me and a lot others no pedals of TC Helicon anymore.
@@wdalima I can only talk from my own experience. I have owned mine for three years and use it 3-5 times per week at gigs and I have had no issues at all.
@@aaronshortmusic look on TH-cam again I swear I saw a video about the white screen fix
@Wdalima
I can buy a voicelive 3 for half the price used compared to the vl extreme . Currently using a headrush core . The tc helicon range of products over the years seem to be redundant versions of this product Which makes it very Confusing. The vl3x in canada retails for 1300 cad new . And you have to wait 3 months to get it . None are in stock . Does anyone know the difference between a voice?Live three and the extreme? Is it worth the update to go to extreme?
VL3x has some backing track and automation features that you may or may not use. It’s also black which I prefer. Since they are now shipping again I would go for the VL3x. There’s nothing on the market quite like it.
Yea. It seems helicon is better The TC helicon on my korg pa1000 is quite impressive. Which made me look for other hardware from them .
Have you tried headrush core ? I got one used
It's quite impressive . It seems they are catching up .
I hate boss and Roland . I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a new vl3x and wait 3 months for it .. but would rather find one used
.
@@Dingdongbillybong The Headrush was ‘rushed’ in my opinion.
@@aaronshortmusic you ha e a good voice btw . The song was profoundly odd and funny in the intro . If you can a headrush core used for a good price . Pick it up and try it
It may surprise you.
Take care
Appreciate your help and conversation .
@@Dingdongbillybong Thanks! I already tried the Core. I have a livestream about it.