TC Helicon VoiceLive 3 Extreme (vl3x)

Started by rolandvg99, December 28, 2016, 11:18:37 PM

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Majiken

Hi, I have the VL3X, love how it handles vocals, also does well as a standalone unit for singer-songwriter stuff. Right now I go into the GP10 and take basically the finished mono guitar/amp signal into the guitar input of the VL3X, adding standard stereo delay, reverb and a very light chorus intended to widen the stereo image. All 3 VL3X FX are individually footswitchable and set relatively high; I take the GP10 headphones out into the aux in of the VL3X and add as much "direct" signal as desired with a volume pedal controlling the aux in level. This way I can use the tuning and various models from the GP10 for on-the-fly changes combined with stereo FX that I would basically want available for every patch anyway, regardless of instrument.

So far I have limited experience with the looper; it seems to want you to put in a bpm first to function in proper context (I might be/hope I am wrong), which dashes impromptu self-jams. I do have 4 presets with pre-recorded historical statements which I can call up and control quite easily, so I am happy in that regard.

Saludos, Kenny
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks

Hurricane

 8)

Some cool stuff :

This was just  posted  today in the T.C.Helicon VL 1-2-3-X Forum :

http://www.tc-helicon.com/en/generic-news-pages/voicelive-3-vl3x-update-loop-import-export/
EZ :

HR

JeffTronics

#27
@Hurricane. I have been watching the TC boards closely and there is an oustanding post asking about the Firmware update. In other words, there is nothing new posted by TC-Helicon in the forum about the firmware release.

The page link you provied has no date associated with it that I can see, and the videos on the News page are from over a year ago for the last Firmware update.

Can you clarify, what makes you believe the link you pasted is for the most recent Firmware update?

Personally, I do not have an urgent need for the Firmware and the latest version of VoiceSupport 2 doesn't not run on my Mac. I still have to upgrade the OS at some point. But the latest Firmware would appear in VoiceSupport 2 when the VL3 (X), is connected.

Thanks,

JT

bentstavanger

Extreme price!

I have wanted to buy a Voicelive 3 Extreme since last year. But the price just keeps going up, it seems crazy. Last year the price was around 660-670€ in Europe, a little cheaper in the U.S. Then the price went up to 745€ at Thomann, and pretty soon the other retailers followed suit. A short while ago Thomann lowered the price to 699€, but quickly raised the price to 877€!!! As far as I can see, most retailers have raised the price in a similar way, although the U.S. is still cheaper than Europe. But all in all, the price of the VL3X has gone up around 30% in less than a year, while the prices of the other TC Helicon products seem more or less unaltered.

Normally, over time the price of any kind of electronics only goes down, the price of VL2 being a case in point. Anybody knows what's going on with the VL3X?  ???

admin

#29
Some things to point out


the price increases in EU  has more to do with changes in global currency exchange rates IMHO. 

the "new" VL2 and "new" VL3's  are actually existing dealer stock, and explain why the price drops on those.

the VL3 Extreme the model currently nearing the end of its production life

They build these in large batches and some component costs (nand memory) have increased in the past year.


Hurricane

8)

Patience - - - once the new stock comes out the remaining units on shelves will come down , might take another 6 months or so .

EZ :

HR

bentstavanger

Hello admsustainiac and Hurricane!

Do you have any inside info on the VL4? In that case, I would be happy to know about it.

The prices seem to have increased by approximately the same percentage all over the world, so I don't think it has anything to do with the currency exchange rates. But yes, it could somehow be related to the product reaching the end of its lifespan. Sort of like "Let's squeeze as much money as we can out of it, before we launch the next model!".

I find it a bit distasteful, though. But I guess I grew up in a time, where there was a stronger correlation between production cost and sales price. Before the marketing analysts took over, with their eternal slogan "Whatever the market will carry!"... ;-)

TC Helicon assured me, that they have nothing to do with the increased prices. I called a sales representative at Thomann, and he agreed with me, that the increase was "a bit harsh", and told me it was dictated by their supplier. He even recommended me not to buy, but wait until the price goes down again.

However, I need to start working on it now. I have been postponing it for long enough, with the price just going up. So I managed to find a smaller shop (by talking to colleagues) that was still selling at last years price (666€... a bit ominous...). Probably because they don't have the ressources to stay updated with the prices of their competitors. I am sure their price reflects what they paid for it themselves + a reasonable profit. The 877€ of Thomann and the other major retailers is just inflated, either by them or by their suppliers.

Anyway, I ordered it today so I should get it in the mail in a week or so. I'm probably gonna feel really foolish for all the trouble I went through to find it, when the VL4 comes out. Hope it's not already at Summer NAMM this year, or I'll cry... and then again, maybe not. The new models are not always an improvement! ;-)

admin

#32
QuoteDo you have any inside info on the VL4? In that case, I would be happy to know about it.

read the 30 page thread here( which all TC Helicon owners should be aware of )
https://forum.music-group.com/showthread.php?14801-Voicelive-4

JeffTronics

My sense is, VL4 will be more expensive given the requests that have been on the table for over a year. As a VL3 (non extreme) user, I am getting great mileage out of it and can wait for the VL4. My thought is, maybe we'll see something next summer, otherwise 2019 is fine.

One concern I have is, they have to get the quality control issue figured out with R&D. It's distressing every time I see a new posting by someone who just purchased a new unit and it doesn't work. I was under the impression they identified that issues and made sure it wasn't making in to the build.

bentstavanger

Hello admsustainiac,

Thanks for the link. Yes, I have seen the thread before, but not read it in detail. I read now the last entry by Craig Fraser about the ETA of the VL4. He says for sure not in 2017, so I guess I'll get some "mileage" out of my new VL3X before the new model is launched.  :D

Hurricane

;)

Quote from: bentstavanger on June 30, 2017, 04:12:34 PM
Hello admsustainiac and Hurricane!

Do you have any inside info on the VL4? In that case, I would be happy to know about it.

The prices seem to have increased by approximately the same percentage all over the world, so I don't think it has anything to do with the currency exchange rates. But yes, it could somehow be related to the product reaching the end of its lifespan. Sort of like "Let's squeeze as much money as we can out of it, before we launch the next model!".

I find it a bit distasteful, though. But I guess I grew up in a time, where there was a stronger correlation between production cost and sales price. Before the marketing analysts took over, with their eternal slogan "Whatever the market will carry!"... ;-)

TC Helicon assured me, that they have nothing to do with the increased prices. I called a sales representative at Thomann, and he agreed with me, that the increase was "a bit harsh", and told me it was dictated by their supplier. He even recommended me not to buy, but wait until the price goes down again.

However, I need to start working on it now. I have been postponing it for long enough, with the price just going up. So I managed to find a smaller shop (by talking to colleagues) that was still selling at last years price (666€... a bit ominous...). Probably because they don't have the ressources to stay updated with the prices of their competitors. I am sure their price reflects what they paid for it themselves + a reasonable profit. The 877€ of Thomann and the other major retailers is just inflated, either by them or by their suppliers.

Anyway, I ordered it today so I should get it in the mail in a week or so. I'm probably gonna feel really foolish for all the trouble I went through to find it, when the VL4 comes out. Hope it's not already at Summer NAMM this year, or I'll cry... and then again, maybe not. The new models are not always an improvement! ;-)

8)

I should be a day trader in the stock market but nope I'm a musician primarily , all my life just about ,
to feed the beast I have done my share of the day gig thing and then some too .

I guess it's business savvy - intuition , because , when it  comes to spending my $'s it's a long hard serious look
always when it's over a chunk of change .

In the past I worked in the high end audio service/repair/sales industry and since those days in the mid 70's I have kept abreast
of who's who and who's got what at what price too offer a tech addict like me .

On The VL¿?X that's on the horizon it really appears to me they are looking at two things - price of parts fluctuations
and labor . Demand is there already , these things are like smartphones with the multi applications they are
able to do .

¡ People are saying [ shut up and take my money ] !

¿ So why are they really waiting ?

Right now reading from posts here about certain things like laptop/computer ram prices going up affects T.C as well so -

The market is tight price wise and looks like it's going to stay that way  - the cost of parts are higher and so again the hike .
The public will buy it but like in many cases where you sell at a high price you limit the buyer  market and this sometimes can
stall sales in the long run with a intelligent buyer's market .

When this happens units sit in warehouses - vendors extending 90/120 days to companies like T.C. are now
beginning to sweat if these companies are slow to pay off the mass production @ six months . T.C. and companies like them make less profit
when this scenario occurs , so they wait sometimes , hoping ( if they have integrity and business sense ) for a better climate to increase their profit margin
and compete with the  competition for the lion's share . Only the strong survive in this kind of business . Seen many come and go . 

It can go either way - instead the units sell like hot cakes and the above means nothing and prices stay high till after about two years
of sales / productions and then as always there will be an eventual downward slope to the sales curve and that's where the consumer get's a break
- -
SOMETIMES-

It's a timing issue like on stage playing a song live only slower instead of seconds we are talkin months/years  .

Getting lucky when there is slow market and units backing up in warehousing is one thing to be able to detect and jump on ,
this can happen when you are inside the business and go to trade shows like I did at one time in a galaxy far far away heh heh  ;D .

Waiting like a vulture for the sale's slope downward decline is another . The net makes that a real breeze even if you have to be vigilant
for weeks/months/years .

I have used this code since being in to the old tube treasures : McInTosh/Marantz/Avery Fisher / Dynaco eras of audio excellence used market and then
into the SS Marantz - Sansui - Kenwood - Akai - Yamaha -   Quad and Stereo Power Amps / Pre Amps / Tuners etcetera  .
 

EZ :

HR
 

bentstavanger

Hi Hurricane,

Yes, I know. I'm used to following the market, waiting for the right price to pop up. At least when I'm buying something more than a few hundred bucks. It just seems a little extreme, the VL3X going from 745€ to 699€ and then up to 877€ in the matter of 1-2 weeks. :-/

I received my VL3X today and go instantly addicted! :-D

Hurricane

8)

Quote from: bentstavanger on July 04, 2017, 12:26:43 PM
Hi Hurricane,

Yes, I know. I'm used to following the market, waiting for the right price to pop up. At least when I'm buying something more than a few hundred bucks. It just seems a little extreme, the VL3X going from 745€ to 699€ and then up to 877€ in the matter of 1-2 weeks. :-/

I received my VL3X today and go instantly addicted! :-D

:o

Electrified heroine is what these things are heh heh heh .

I just got a really good feeling when I saw over night the
price on the Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd.Gen go up $50.00 just after
I bought it the night before - - -  ;D

The vendor owed me on a shipping charge issue of $40.00
on a past purchase , so I offered to split the difference and
got $20.00 off of the $219.00 , some days it just works out
perfect  :D . They are now listed @ $250.00 everywhere here
in the US  :o

Yep it's a question of timing .

¡ Have a ball with your new toy !

When that 6i6 interface arrives ( this  Saturday  ) I'm going ballistically
nutzo with the VL3X & Roland GR33 & into my computer .

Last night I stayed up boning/reading up on on the software it comes bundled with .

Soon T.C.Helicon VL3 (& X ) will get their firmware updates - anytime
now I'm told - I am excited to say the least .

¿ What do you have hooked into your  VL3X ?

I'm not only playing my guitar(s) through the VL3X's guitar input ,
I also pump a Shure 520D Green Bullet harp mic into it .

EZ :

HR

bentstavanger

Quote from: Hurricane on July 04, 2017, 01:30:09 PM
8)

:o

Electrified heroine is what these things are heh heh heh .

HR

He he he! Exactly! ;-)

I use a Yamaha Silent Guitar as well as different electric guitars. They all sound great through the factory presets, of which there are so many I haven't even tried half of them yet... So far I have not encountered any unwanted noise, that some people where complaining about when the VL3X was first released. Mine must be from a newer batch, after the problem was corrected.

Also, I have different keyboards in the MIDI input for controlling the harmony voices while playing chords etc. I am considering trying out plugging a keyboard into the guitar input, to be able to run it through the effects and looper. It would have been nice with a stereo input for this purpose, though. Who knows, maybe they'll change that in a future model... :-)

Hurricane

Quote from: bentstavanger on July 05, 2017, 08:07:31 PM
He he he! Exactly! ;-)

I use a Yamaha Silent Guitar as well as different electric guitars. They all sound great through the factory presets, of which there are so many I haven't even tried half of them yet... So far I have not encountered any unwanted noise, that some people where complaining about when the VL3X was first released. Mine must be from a newer batch, after the problem was corrected.

Also, I have different keyboards in the MIDI input for controlling the harmony voices while playing chords etc. I am considering trying out plugging a keyboard into the guitar input, to be able to run it through the effects and looper. It would have been nice with a stereo input for this purpose, though. Who knows, maybe they'll change that in a future model... :-)

8)

On the keyboard audio out - go into the [ " AUX " ] input of the VLX3 , it will trigger the harmony FX also
for your vocal , your midi keyboard out into the VLX3 midi input can control the FX time clock of the VL3X too .

EZ :

HR

rolandvg99

Had an outdoor gig, on a dry stage, on a rainy day, using the VL3X as a WAH/OD/IEM unit in front of my Boss Katana Head. Sounded great, but the VL3X doesn't like high humid weather. Had to restart the hard way (pulling the PSU) 4 times during a 15 min sound check. It didn't crash during the actual performance, but the GP-10 is back on duty the upcoming Saturday with my Zoom H6 doing IEM services. That combo have yet to fail.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

Hurricane

8)
Quote from: rolandvg99 on July 31, 2017, 10:21:03 PM
Had an outdoor gig, on a dry stage, on a rainy day, using the VL3X as a WAH/OD/IEM unit in front of my Boss Katana Head. Sounded great, but the VL3X doesn't like high humid weather. Had to restart the hard way (pulling the PSU) 4 times during a 15 min sound check. It didn't crash during the actual performance, but the GP-10 is back on duty the upcoming Saturday with my Zoom H6 doing IEM services. That combo have yet to fail.

::)
rolandvg99 :

I had my VL3X for a tad over 90 days and the unit lost it's LED screen & two caps  ??? .
Haven't even used it for a gig and I'm a little nervous now .

Good part was it was repaired and returned ( shipped to Las Vegas NV. from PalmSprings Ca. )
in 7 days , that's a record  ;D

Really like it a lot though .

EZ :

HR[/font]

Hurricane

 8)

Hey group :

My apology is in order on that last firmware update for the VL3X  , seems I saw an old one and
just got too excited and didn't verify the update and well :

SORRYHere's the URL with both OS's to upload the firmware update :

http://www.tc-helicon.com/en/support/software/?pid=17274

This was posted hours ago in the T.C.Helicon Voice Live 3 & X  :

VoiceLive 3 Update Available (366)

We have finally delivered!
If you connect your VoiceLive 3 (Extreme models too) to VoiceSupport 2, you'll see there is an update available. This is the first VL3 update since build 355 in February 2016. Please check out build 366 and let us know what you think.

Build 366 includes the following:

New looper feature!
AudioCue lets you arm a loop to begin recording with your input. Select a volume threshold in the "Looper" menu, arm a loop track for recording, and cue recording the loop when your input is louder than the chosen threshold. When a loop is armed, you can press another loop footswitch to cancel. You can also choose whether AudioCue applies to every loop, or just your first loop! (AudioCue settings are saved with the loop slot, not the preset)

Remastered metronome sounds, improved the behavior logic, and metronome mute/enable is available as a Switch-3/6 target.

DSP improvements to the synth/vocoder.

Added notifications to inform you when the looper is active.

Handful of bug fixes including: missing popup messages, loop trigger settings, external loop control, and overnight MIDI timeout.
Spencer Larsen
Engineer, Testing
TC-Helicon, MUSIC Group
Our Support Team is always available for more urgent assistance.
(Warranty Statement, TC Dealers, Service Centers)


EZ  :

HR

admin

#43
Trivia

--

TC Helicon
Advances in Vocal Technologies (reprint from year 2000)
http://www.digitalprosound.com/2001/04_apr/reviews/tchelicon1.htm
by George Petersen
   
A year ago, Danish signal processing specialists TC Electronic joined up with Canadian IVL Technologies Ltd. to announce the formation of TC Helicon Vocal Technologies, a new company focusing on the development of vocal processing tools. TC Electronic has long been associated with cutting-edge studio tools, and IVL has largely operated in the background, developing products for other companies. For example, IVL was involved in the development of DigiTech's award-winning Vocalist Series harmony processors, TC's acclaimed Intonator pitch corrector, DSP technology in Mackie's digital 8-bus console, and numerous projects in the gaming and other markets.

"Back in 1990, when we started out, we were limited in DSP horsepower, and we decided to confine ourselves to time-domain techniques for vocal processing," says IVL's chief technical officer Brian Gibson. "By the mid-'90s, things were changing radically in terms of available processing power, and we decided to throw off the shackles and do research into some new products—some pretty sophisticated stuff using 100 MIPS DSPs."

Unveiled at last fall's AES show in Los Angeles, TC Helicon's first product was VoicePrism, an all-in-one box voice formant and pitch processor that includes mic- and line-level inputs, compression, gating, dual fully parametric EQ, four-voice harmony (with individually adjustable gender controls and humanizing parameters), fifth lead doubling voice for automatic double-tracking, and two separate post-effects blocks with chorus/flange, delay and reverb and harmony libraries. "It's been a while since we came out with a major upgrade in the area of vocal processing, which is why the VoicePrism is so much better than anything we've done before," Gibson explains. "But the most exciting stuff is our next-generation technology involving physical modeling."

VoicePrism's simple interface and excellent vocal effects made it a hit at the show; however, one of the unit's most important features—a socket for an expansion daughter board—was almost entirely overlooked. Slated to ship this month are the VoiceCraft Human Voice Modeling Card and the VoicePrismPlus (essentially the VoicePrism with the card pre-installed). "VoiceCraft is the result of several years of research into doing vocal processing in a different way," Gibson continues, "modeled on real singers and incorporating some of those things into a physical model, such as pitch, glottal effects, inflection and formant manipulation."

Vocal modeling is not exactly new. In fact, research and development of voice models has been around for years in the telecommunications industry. However, the real difference is a matter of quality—assembling voices to read back phone numbers from automated directory assistance is a far cry from creating professional-quality voice manipulation that holds up to studio standards. The first professional implementation of Voice Modeling™, the VoicePrismPlus Human Voice Modeling Formant Processor expands the VoicePrism's lead vocal processing with real-time reshaping and resynthesis of the human voice. It includes numerous parameters for tweaking the lead vocal input, such as the ability to add breath, growl, rasp, head and chest resonances, inflection or vibrato, along with TC compression, EQ, studio effects and digital I/O.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TC_Group

QuoteAcquisitions
In 2000, TC Group created a joint venture with IVL Technologies Ltd that resulted in TC-Helicon:[12] a company devoted to the creation of audio technology focusing on singers. TC Group purchased the remaining shares from IVL in 2005 and has continued to develop this company as TC-Helicon.[13]



Ballad

VL3X. Suddenly may Aux input socket on the back panel does not work. Shows up but no function on the main mix screen. Having to send RA-90 (I use it for follow-along bass and drums) output to a separate PA input, and of course my bass and drums are now missing from phones output. Mechanical failure 🥲?... or have I mistakenly touched something to cause this🤪? Hoping for a miracle....
Ballad:
GR-30, Voicelive 3X, Turbosound Inspire IP200 PA, Roland Ready Strat, Martin HD 28 w/Baggs I Beam. Digitech TRIO for Bass and drums.