TC Helicon VoiceLive Play Review & Test
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- #TcheliconVocalPedal
#BestBudgetVocalEffectsPedals
• TC Helicon vs BOSS VE... -Harmony Tests Boss ve20 vs tc helicon
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Recovered from my giggling, then heard the attempt at the British accent! Oh my word I have never heard anyone talk like that in all my 52 years of living in England...absolutely effing hilarious!
Haha glad u had a laugh!
@@newcastlemusicstudios It's a good video though , you demonstrate the Helicon well and the video is informative. I meant no disrespect. I was giggling in a nice way. Thank you for taking the time to make the video and upload it.
This is a very thorough demo and it helped me decide to buy one of these things. But also, I've never enjoyed hearing someone mangle lyrics so much in my life. It's as if you are doing it intentionally to evade copyright laws... on almost every song. It's brilliant. I keep coming back to this video because it makes my day. Thumbs up and bell rung.
lol, basically! the copyrighters still get you sometimes!!
I love the interpretation of him hahaha love it, it was fun and quick the explanation
Hey ! That was a killer review.
Quick and dirty. To the point.
I'll keep an eye out for any reviews from you.
Thanks!
As the only background singer in a 4 piece rock band, I love this pedal. I customized my own couple channels and now on the fly can provide much fuller background vocals and harmonies with this pedal.
@@jonw8694 that's awesome!
It is the best vocal pedals for the $$$ when it comes to all the variety of FX.
Thanx for the review this was exatly what i was looking for. Maybe in next review we could see how to set it up manually just pitch corection and chorus.
Sure!
Best part of the review was to hear you singing each track..... hahahahaha
Glad u enjoyed it haha!! Yap i won a few singing awards for "Guy hit n throat with a Shovel n Special Ed Music Class... "
Super cool presentation bro!!!
Best commercial for this pedal.
I'm sold Hello Guitar Center 🤓
Awesome. I hope you enjoy. It really adds a lot to the mix.
Greatest demo on TH-cam
Thanks!
Esse carinha é muito bom ...parabéns
I think that is the coolest thing ever! Always wanted something like that wow is that cool! I’m gonna save for one
You should. You will enjoy. If yoi are good at singing, it will makw u sound studio pro... if you are a lousy singer like me, it can still polish and improve with reverb, harmonies, delay etc. And of course Pitch Correction (Autotune) is a nice bump if you are ok with a synthetic vocal.
My man. U left the harmonies on the whole time with the hit button
Perhaps. The botton light will also be on for leaving other fx on, despite scrolling to a fresh effect
Those effects sound pretty awesome .
Glad you like them!
The Pink Floyd one is pretty spot on haha
Thanks.. tried to have fun with the demo.
The take away is...put on a British accent and you will sound great. Yes...the Pink Floyd take was pretty good lol. I recently bought a used VoiceLive Play and I like it. I play bass in a band and do backup vocals. I have noticed that I am sometimes off pitch even though I have had some good vocal lessons. You really need to record yourself with the band to know this...we singers/musicians always think we are in tune lol. I really only like some of the less "processed" presets. When I made my own from scratch, using minimal reverb, delay, doubling and pitch correction...it was perfect. Regarding the pitch correction, as your video so clearly demonstrates - I found that singing a song with a monitor speaker pointed towards me, and with a tuned bass in hand, has really opened my eyes/ears - I did not realize how "off" some of my notes were. You can tell instantly because when you sing a note and hear the pitch corrected note on top of it, there is that weird beating pulse. Just like when you tune a guitar by ear and learn to correct the tuning by "lengthening" the pulse - so too I have found that I can correct my vocal cords until the 2 sounds I hear are the same. You can hear this all over your video (sorry dude), and some people might think this is some weird phasing effect but it is actually the sound of 2 voices - the pitch corrected one and the other not so on pitch (but equally beautiful man). Anyway, it's an awesome unit for me - thanks for the video! ☺
Thanks for the comment. I completely agree. I am not much of a singer, in fact without my guitar i can sin in G and sometimes and even at that i either flat or sharp but rarely on key.
Yah the doubling pitch effect in the Hardtune is more obvious as you use it more... similar to the wobbly sound in Autotune plugin. The other version of this pedal where it has an extra 1/4 inch input for a guitar is really solid gold... but this also does the job.
Yes ultimately creating your own Preset is the way to go. Most of the Presets even the good ones are total overkill on effects and dont translate well into a final recording
Oh man.. your song sample singing about made me fall off my chair. Thanks for the laugh. Good stuff man. 9.0
Ha, glad u had a good laugh!
@@newcastlemusicstudios - The Pink Floyd room sound was dead on though. I'm curious what microphone you used. Did you notice any distortion coming from the unit at higher volumes? Any tips on lowering distortion from a microphone?
@@ShadovvV I used MXL 770 Condenser Mic and a 3rd gen Scarlett 2i2.
Here is 1 thing I noticed about the Unit. The Black Gain Button on the left side is very powerful n touchy. So turn it up past 45% it begins to add audible gain distortion and it's a fairly noticeable n ugly amount. So later on I have kept it at around 40% Gain.. which looks like 3/4 to 12 of clock on the knob. At that gain almost no audible noise or distortion
@@ShadovvV also I used about 35-40% gain on my interface. Those 2 amounts seemed to have produced much better results n later tests.
Nice vid! Does it have pitch shift and can have key changes? Also the Closer NIN effect was the part where he goes "Help meeee"
Yah it has a global % effect in the menu. A pitch correctiin 2 spots. Type, natural robot etc. Then you can go Harmony and adjust the Key or put it on chromatic.
@@newcastlemusicstudios wow that's sickk. Thanks for the info. I have one but it's just been collecting dust. I was using it for just funny voiceovers when it launched... Time for some music ✌️😎
@Yoshi1up I bought one years ago, I'm not a vocalist but re watching these videos was just the nudge I needed to knock the dust off and play around again. Plus it's perfect for someone like me who doesn't use daws or computers!
So I play acoustic guitar - I plan to use tracks but I sing so bad haha
Would this help with sounding a bit better? Was recommend this by sweet water.
I am planning to take vocal lessons but need help in the mean time.
Yes, just having Delay and reverb FX will allow you to harmonize a bit better with yourself, becasue the artifacts are still there. It creates a fuller more whole sound to your voice. With that being said, You could do a little research on each song you sing make sure you are singing the correct Key signature of each song whether it is C major or D major. Then you can use the PITCH CORRECTION TOOL to get a better idea of what you sound like. I would suggest recording your self sing, listen to it a few times, then re record yourself. Make sure your guitar is in the Best tune possible. ONE HUGE Factor I have noticed when I struggle to sing a cover song is, how quickly my old guitar strings go out of tune, causing me to be unable to Harmonize with the guitar for the song.
Thanks for the demo. Very helpful: There's a 2nd hand one for sale in my local music store right now. I think I'll grab it.
Appreciate the info.
Awesome, you will enjoy it. Effects sound best with a condenser microphone.
Me gusta es lo mejor que he tenido
Gran calidad todo cantante debería tener uno,me ayuda enormemente y no cuesta caro,me gustó.
gracias por ver. ¡Es un buen precio! buena suerte cantando
hi, im planning to buy this for live vocal performances. couple of questions about the vocal tuning.
1. can you change keys on the tuning?
2. can you go minor or major scales?
3. can you lower the effect so that it doesnt sound as robotic and more natural?
Yes, you can do all those thing 0-100% per effect or global settings in MENU. Every Major Key signatyre has a paralell Minor key signature. So ever scale is major minor depending on starting position of note. FYI
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE. FOR anymore helo
Thanks.
Yes it is worth owning. The auto tune can be tyrned way down or use natural chromatic correction.
@@newcastlemusicstudios appreciate it! will get one hopefully it works as expected
I can feel it coming 'through' the air tonight? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🥰🥰
Lol
Great Tutorial!!!
Does this have an E.Q. ? Would like to create some Distortion/saturation.
Also, Can you re-name the presets?
It has things similar to EQ dirextly in the menu, like low pass and high pass filters. To adjust EQ n a basic way you can just adjist the octave down 1 or up 1. Tweeking specific EQ like a vertical gris with say 800hz to 16khz... I dont think so, but would have to lool again.
I think, yes, you can rename Presets.
As far as Distortion, saturation, etc. There are tons n tona of effects hidden with each Bank on the Effects menu button.
@@newcastlemusicstudios Thank you ! I saw this used at a local music gear pawn shop for 179.00 USD. Was thinking about picking it up! Thanks for the Reply!!!
Thanks for the review!
Glad it was helpful! :)
Whenever I plug in mine into the power it turns on then immediately turns off, how do i fix this issue?
buy a different power plug. Make sure you have the correct power plug. Proper voltage in case you got them mixed up. If that doesn't solve the issue call the tc helicon customer service line and complain if it is within the year of the warranty.
Can the harmonies be done without a keyboard and guitar and just singing only?
Yes. No guitar or keyboard necessary. You can program a PRESET for the amount of Harmobies you want.
Usually the preset for the Verse of a song is 1 preset, then u step on it to go tobthe preset with your Harmonies on your Chorus etcetera.
@@newcastlemusicstudios Thanks for the information. I will give it a try.
"Plenty of room at the Hotel California!" LOL
Everlong but singing Times like these :D
That killed me. Knows all the Gaga tunes though.
"I can feel it cumming through the air tonight!" Saucy! Oh, this video is too much! I am just laughing my arse off!
What about this one vs the Digitech V300? What's your opinion?
Tc Helicon is much better. It has 48v, stereo, multiple programmable effects that save your own preset etc.
Digitech v300 is an old school model based off cheap guitar pedals.. I would not reccomend it unless you got it for free.
Really nice review!
I use this lovely gear for years, never had a problem until yesterday. It has began to switch off/on several times under a minute while rehearsing. Only used indoors for practicing. I thought first it's the power plug, or the AC adapter's cord is broken but it seems fine. Sound is working but no presets, no effects functioning while the chosen vocal feature is on.
Have no clue about what happened.
Second, I wonder it has an internal little battery just as carkeys, circuitboards, etc. but I found nothing about this in the manual.
If there's one, then I think it's getting low and makes my Voicelive disfunction.
Please help! Cheers!
I havent had any issue like that. I am not surprised. Was it exposed to HEAt at all?? Does it feel Very hot? could be capactiors could also be the internal Hard drive beginning to malfunction. It's hard to say. You could pull the old switcherooski, lol but that's your choice man. Your best bet is to remove the screws on the back to disassemble the unit and look for anything that looks burnt or swollen from heat. Electronics in general over years malfunctions, capacitors commonly explode or quit working. The capacitor may look swollen or rounded off. if you locate the correct one you could remove it and buy a new one and solder it in for like $4.
Can you connect this with your electric guitar effects processor to follow the vocal in key etc?
Well u could send it through the one of the inputs but NO...
THE pitch Correction would screw up your guitar's sound. There is a 2nd pedal for that made by the same company call the TcHelicon voice live acoustic something... which features an additional input for a guitar. I have never used it, so i cannot say if it works. I have a TC helicon C1 pitch pedal also with adjustable key and guitar input.. but honestly... it is not that noticeable of a difference.
Boa apresentação ótimo
thanks!
Would it be ok to use playing sax?
It should sound ok. It sounds decent with a guitar.
Pitch correction may sound weird... id leave that off.
Can i just control individual effects on this like Reverb, Delay, Chorus?.
yes, you can mnaually adjust every setting and effect. You can even adjust the AMOUNT of each EFFECT!
Hi,
Thank you for this review. I am a hip-hop artist and when I perform live my voice sounds dry. I want a voice box so that I can set the Reverb and maybe a bit of delay. I don't see myself going very deep into effects. Would you recommend this unit? I see that it goes for roughly $250 and that's my price range.
Thanks!
Yes. I have the Boss VE20 also. The TC Helicon has more effects and more modulation than anything in the price range out there. I really like the Unit.
@@newcastlemusicstudios great! Thank you for the response.
Does this unit have the true tone button found on the TC-Helicon VoiceTone Harmony-G XT or TC-Helicon Harmony Singer? Both of these units have this button which seem to really liven up the sound but they don't seem to include auto tune which is the one effect outside of reverb and delay that I may use here and there.
Thanks!
@@SmileyIQ I don't think it has a true tone button. I don't recall seeing that. Unless I didn't notice it somehow.
Does the VoiceLive Play have Phantom Power? aka can I use my WA-87 Condensor mic through the VoiceLive?
@@parkerhernandez1234 yes.
It has setting for Condenser 48v power and OFF for dynamic mic.
@@newcastlemusicstudios thank you!!
Any Led Zeppelin presets in that and if not can I add it.
Possibly I cannot remember. there are i think over 220 presets. But if you want to make a Zeppelin Preset, it will mainly be the type of Reverb you are using, which is easy to figure out by ear when comparing.
good reviews
Thanks!
They all sound like aliens are backing up the band
Lol a bit unnatural
How does this compare with voice love touch 2 ?!?!?!?
Many things
This costs $250
Voicelive touch 2 $500
This is floor or desk unit. The VL2 touch is a chest level attachable to Microphone Unit.
Now as far versatility, the VL2 Touch is more versatile as you have more inputs, inputs for the microphone and a guitar or keyboard via 1/4 inch. This Unit on has 1 XLR input for one microphone, you could buy a splitter to add an extra microphone.
As far as Actual Sound Effects... Since it is the same company I doubt there is much difference in that regard, however I am sure the VL2 Touch has a few more effects... But the Voicelive play seen here has plenty.. more than enough effects.
So it boils down to how much money you want to spend and if you want to connect a guitar or other instrument . There is a 3rd option, the Voicelive acoustic which is $300.. it is the same as my Unit seen here.... Except it has extra inputs for microphones, guitars or another instrument.
👌
Han sido de mucha ayuda tus videos
Por cierto ( has más canciones en donde cantes tú)
Excellente amigo!
Hey, thanks for the video pal. I got some questions. First of all do this thing have direct monitoring feature? I mean can I plug my headset to this and hear myself on real time? Secondly do it connect and work with Discord, is it working like a sound interface?
it has headphone jack to monitor or sing and listen through your headphones. It also has an aux. If you want to use it on your discord or computer in general. you will want to buy a USB Audio Interface to connect it to. You could connect it to your PC/Laptop/Computer's SoundCard... however your PC soundcard may not be good enough to talk/listen to it in "Real TIme" due to buffer size/Bit Rate etc. You can adjust those Settings in your PC control panel and reduce it to a 16 bit/44100 to see if it works in real time. My best suggestion is usually a Scarlett Solo audio interface, they connect well, work in Real Time for Discord etc. can be purchased under $120
Links below if Needed
amzn.to/3mxbIlE
-1st choice interface
amzn.to/2Q9ET29
-budget choice interface
I'm just tryna have fun, nothing serious. What all do I need besides this and a microphone ??
What are you trying to do?
Play / Sing Live?
Record at Home?
@@newcastlemusicstudios just sing/rap with friends. Just act stupid basically lol
@@newcastlemusicstudios is there something similar out there that cheaper and does the same thing since I'm just trying to have fun ?
@@mwells1013 there are a few things. You can buy basic reverb, delay pedals used for around $50-90 from TC Helicon.... But you only get 1 type of effect per pedal. Zoom has a Vocal Pedal. It used to be around $100-$150 used with several effects. Boss VE20 has several Effects very Similar.. Used go from $150-$190... Depends what deal you can find.. There is also scratch and return products on musiciansfriend.com sometimes on discount.
@@newcastlemusicstudios ok thanks👍
Cool but I can't switch between presets in order. From 8 jumps to 129
U could try doing a factory reset . Mine goes in order as u click the chrome buttons.
@@newcastlemusicstudios Dropped it. Everything worked. Many thanks & VBRGDS
Thanks for the demo. I was considering this based on specs but it sounds very cheesy. None of the effects appear to create natural sounding vocals. Every one of them sounded robotic to me.
You can turn certain effects on and off. Some of them are overkill on the % of the effect and you can make your own Presets. There are other options, like the Boss VE20 and TC Helicon has a few other pedals but they get up to the $600-$1200 range.. so this is one of the cheaper options..
@@newcastlemusicstudios I bought a used one at pawn shop for $15.00 I tested it and voices were awesome..but then,I went to plug it in again and won't let me go to those voice sets again. just keeps going to other stuff but not the voices...can it be reset or how can I get back to just basic voices ?
@@freddiesandoval5047 i'll have to check. I think there might be a Global Reset in the Menu.
@@freddiesandoval5047 wow $15 is super cheap!
@@freddiesandoval5047 To restoring the factory settings of TC Helicon VoiceLive Play, you must power on while simultaneously holding the BACK and STORE buttons. The Factory Reset procedure is complete.
This pedal seems like the best I have seen, needs a larger display though
Yes actually the display and a few other functions like the aitonpitch correction is a bit dissapoiting
You want it?? I'll trade for a 1967 gt500
@@newcastlemusicstudios how bout a 65 fastback 😂😁😁
Thank you for your awesome! video
sure!
Can it change the key it is in?
Yes
He says oh lord not hold on in that phil collins song
Lol
Hi do you think I can do some tame impala/daft punk/ bon over effcts here? I just bought the boss ve-20 but I am slowly regretting it but if the ve20 can do the same as this then I’m fine
I originally feel I made the same error. The VE20 has some advantages physically like it takes batteries. It is just clear... However the TC Helicon has more variations in effects and even the Presets. I think you might be looking in your Pitch Correction ok the Boss VE20 for the 🤖 effect. Tc Helicon has a Preset Vocal Effect called Pop, if I remember correctly. It is noticeably smoother.
"We don't need no education". Haha perfect 👌
So if I just wanna use a guitar + microphone & amp would I just need this? Thanks
This Unit only has 1 XLR Input for a microphone. Yes you could route it into a guitar amp if you have a 2 channel Amp or a Splitter.
Does the Voicelive Play GTX work with the new version of Voice Support 2?
It says "it may differ from device to device." Whatever that means. It does show the GTX under 4 products.
All i know is there is a small micro usb port to update. Not sure of compatibilty.
Read thia page may help:
www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0CMP
@@newcastlemusicstudios Any idea how to update the micro usb port?
So basically singtrix ripped this machine off?
I don't know. I just looked that up. Never heard of singtrix before.. I guess if it has similar presets there's a chance it is an overseas Clone product... But I don't really know.
@@newcastlemusicstudios Thanks for the reply, Its basically the same machine, almost the same cost but the singtrix has inferior connectivity, no custom settings and a lot more inherent noise by the looks of it. feels like a clone though!
@@samsschool3639 lol, that sucks, there are so many clone products you cannot tell original products apart anymore.
@@samsschool3639 Does the original VoiceLive Play have a nice and beefy mic preamp, enough to drive a Shure SM7B loud enough without hiss?
There a way to connect this to Xbox one or PS4
You can use and XLR to 3.5mm cable. It should work. I don't have an Xbox one... But I see people connecting their mic to a 3.5mm on the controller.
www.amazon.com/Microphone-Unbalanced-Camcorders-Computer-Recording/dp/B083R4K3W8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=xlr+to+3.5mm&qid=1598565206&sprefix=xlr+to+3&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRkRNUkFFRlpQUk9RJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDMzODM0MzBGNk1CSEEyRk5RMCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDIwNjk3VVM5MktDTFUySTkxJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Hi I just got this unit and when hitting the HiT button each time I hear a click on my headphones,you?
I can hear the metal itself click, but not within the headphones. If it was used it could have a loose wire or was dropped. Even sometimes when new the wires can be loose or soddering very poor.
Haha go on!!
Will do!
Thx for the review! Do you know if this unit provides phantom power for a condenser mic?
Yes in the menu, you can choose 48v condenser power or dynamic mic- no power option.
THANK U..you made me lmao
Awesome lol
i`ve a playGTX and for the life of me can not find where the de-esser is. Any ideas?
I can check to see if it's on my pedal and the location in Menu etc., I'll let u know if I find it
So Click on SETUP. On the Right Side, 2nd Box Down.... There is an Option for : TONE STYLE.. Less Bright will cut out upper frequencies between 4-8,000 Khz which is similar to what a DE-Esser does. Norm+Warmth will increase mid range EQ n do similar with just more thick bassinet frequencies. Comp aka Compressor will likely make the "Easing Sound worse unless the Sssss are spiked frequencies .. so that will not likely help. "Less Bright NG" you can also experiment with. The best way to get rid of "Ess Sounds is find it in the EQ Frequency on a Graph by sweeping from 1000Khz to 12000Khz and then lower that EQ with am Extra Pedal. Good Luck.
@@newcastlemusicstudios Cheers for checking and the info! I`ve never changed it from NORM+WARM. I just presumed there was a dedicated option for de-esser. Think it`s daft there isn`t one. The other thingy i am strugglin` with is a ground loop issue that affects it, the gnd button making no difference whatsoever but that`s by the by. Thanks again buddy x
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE & SHARE IF HIS HELPED YOU!
Toppppp
Can I do some growl effects on this like that of hardcore type of music?
Maybe there is an area where you can modulate voice for that like drone etc.
me, who just wants to buy it to annoy people in discord calls
Thats an excellent reason to buy it.
Is there pitch correction? 😂
@@michaelbrown941 yes, there is natural, pop, chromatic, robotic pitch correctiin. You can only set a key n the harmonies.i believe.
Sounds robotic to me.
It definitely can! Half the stuff i hear coming out of thr radio nowadays barely sounds human, lol.
Dude you’re jumping all over the place
i was on a trampoline