TC-Helicon Harmony Singer - Vocal Effects Stompbox Manual

Important Safety Instructions

1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with dry cloth.
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
8. Do not install near heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
9. Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.
10. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

• To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and ensure that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, are placed on the equipment.
• Do not install in a confined space.

Service
All service must be performed by qualified personnel.

You are cautioned that any change or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment.

EMC/EMI
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules.

Introduction

This is the singing guitarist's backup vocal group, reverb unit and pro engineer in one pedal!
Whether you're singing solo with an acoustic guitar, rocking with your band or practicing at home, Harmony Singer will fill out your sound and maybe even inspire your next song. Despite its small size, it features the same quality of effects as its TC-Helicon big brothers VoiceLive 2 and VoiceLive Touch, yet with only the most essential controls.

Features

• Adds one to two voices of realistic vocal harmony guided by your guitar
• Superb reverb effect with three styles sweetens your vocal presentation
• Adaptive Tone automatically brightens, compresses and removes mud for pro vocal tone overall
• Harmony arrangement knob selects harmony voices above or below, close or far and combinations
• Easy inline connection between standard mic and mixer
• Clean Thru connection to guitar amp/PA
• Phantom power always on
• USB connection to free VoiceSupport application offering updates, product-specific news, and more
• Mic Control (patent pending) allows remote on/off switching using an optional TC-Helicon MP-75 or Sennheiser e835FX mic.

1. Harmony On/Off Footswitch
2. INST THRU to amp or PA
3. INST Ground Lift (in = lifted)
4. MIC GAIN Input Level Control
5. Harmony Arrangement Selector
6. Harmony Level Control
7. MIC: Balanced XLR Mic Input
8. OUT: Balanced XLR Mono Output
9. Power In
10. USB connector to computer
11. Input Level LED (green = Signal, red = Clip)
12. Reverb Selector and Reverb Mix Control
13. MIC CONTROL via optional MP-75 Mic (in = on)
14. INST IN Guitar Input Jack
15. Adaptive Tone On/Off Button
16. Harmony Active LED Indicator. Cycle footswitch to confirm unit is powered.

Connecting

MIC jack – Connect your mic here using a balanced XLR cable. Phantom power is always on for condenser mics.
OUT jack – Connect to your PA mixer or powered speaker.
Power in – Connect the supplied 12VDC power supply.

Optional:
USB – Connect to a computer running the TC-Helicon VoiceSupport application for registration, latest version and tips. Download VoiceSupport at www.tc-helicon.com.
INST IN – Chords played on your guitar will guide harmony.
INST THRU – Connect to a PA or guitar amp to hear your guitar.

Note

• Turn down your PA when making all connections.
• The latest version of VoiceSupport is available free from www.tc-helicon.com/voicesupport.
• The USB connection does not provide power to the unit.
• If you hear hum from your PA or amp, push the GRND LIFT in. Otherwise, it should remain out.

VoiceSupport at www.tc-helicon.com.

Phantom power

There is no switch to enable phantom power on Harmony Singer. Phantom power is available when the product is powered up. Microphones that don't require phantom power will operate properly.

First setup and use

1. Turn down your PA's master volume.
2. Connect your mic and PA as shown in the diagram, then plug in the AC adaptor. For live performance, a USB connection to a computer is not required.
3. Sing into your mic while adjusting the MIC GAIN control so that the input level LED flashes green. Brief flashes of red on the LED on your loudest singing are OK.
4. Ensure the Tone button is lit.
5. Set the Harmony knob to its fully counter-clockwise (left) detent position.
6. Set the Level knob to the center notch.
7. Set the Reverb knob to any level you wish!
8. Sing while turning up your PA volume to a comfortable level.
9. Activate the harmony effect with the footswitch. The center LED will light up.
10. Strum some chords while you sing to hear your new backup singers following your music.

Choosing intervals with the Harmony control

This control selects a single harmony voice or combination of voices higher or lower in pitch than your voice. The chart below shows name and pitch intervals for each Harmony option when you sing the root note of the current chord (e.g. sung note = E, guitar chord = E major). The actual intervals will vary slightly depending on moment-by-moment melody and chord movements.

Icon	Name	Interval	Icon	Name	Interval
	High	3rd above		Lower	6th below
	Higher	5th above		Low and Lower	4th below 6th below
	High and Higher	3rd above 5th above		Higher and Lower	5th above 6th below
	Low	4th below		High and Low	3rd above 4th below

Using the footswitch

Tap and release the footswitch when you want to turn the Harmony voices on or off. The Reverb and Tone effects will stay as they are. When you want to talk to your audience without the Reverb effect, press and hold the footswitch to enter Talk mode. In Talk mode, Reverb is muted, but Tone is left active so your voice doesn't suddenly become muddy. The Harmony LED will flash indicating Talk mode. Tap again to exit Talk mode and continue singing with Reverb on.

Using Reverb

The Reverb control offers three styles: Room, Club and Hall. The same control also allows you to vary the amount of each style's level. Set fully left, Reverb is muted. From there, each one third of the knob travel allows you to choose a little or a lot of each type of reverb.

Using guitar effect pedals

Connect any guitar pedals between Harmony Singer's instrument Thru and your amp. Connecting and activating typical guitar pedals before the instrument input jack will adversely affect vocal harmony production.

• Strumming chords works better than single note playing for harmony control.
• When changing chords, ensure that the root and the third of each new chord are played cleanly.
• To harmonize correctly from the first chord of a song, briefly play the first chord before singing.

Avoiding hum

Hum or buzzing can occur in either your amp or PA as a result of different grounds. Fortunately, Harmony Singer has a ground lift button that can remove or minimize this problem. If you experience hum, first turn down your PA channel from Harmony Singer, then push the ground lift button. If hum persists, try plugging both your amp and PA into the same AC outlet and/or changing your guitar cable.

Alternate momentary footswitch action

If you wish, you can change the default action of the footswitch so that it activates harmony only while you hold it. This is good for very fast insertion of harmony lines into your songs. However, when you enable this mode, you will lose the ability to go into Talk mode. To activate this alternate footswitch mode, power up the unit while holding the Tone button until the Harmony LED flashes twice. The unit will remain in this alternate mode during subsequent power-ups until the procedure is repeated.

Using the Mic Control feature

Mic Control allows you to turn the harmony effect on and off from the optional TC-Helicon MP-75 or Sennheiser e835FX mic. Harmony Singer has a switch labelled MIC CONTROL that can be pushed in, allowing you to active or deactivate the device from the mic. When Mic Control is not desired, make sure the switch is out.

Tips for avoiding feedback

• Ensure your monitor and/or PA speakers don't aim directly at the front of your mic.
• Sing really close to the mic, even touching the grill with your lips.
• Try a super-cardioid dynamic mic such as TC-Helicon's MP-75 or MP-70.
• Set your PA channel EQ and graphic EQ flat.
• Turn down the monitors and have your band play quieter on stage!

FAQ

Will harmonies still work if I use alternate tunings on my guitar?
Generally, alternate tunings and drop tuning will work fine as long as you are in tune to a reference of A = 440 Hz.

Why am I hearing distortion?
Likely the MIC GAIN knob is set too high. Ensure that the Input LED is green most of the time with only brief and rare peaks of red.

Will I need a DI box to connect to a mixer?
No.

Why is the product turning the effect on and off by itself?
This can happen when you have the MIC CONTROL knob pushed in and you are connected to a mixer with "pseudo balanced" outputs. Unless you are using only the TC-Helicon MP-75 mic with the Mic Control feature, the MIC CONTROL knob should be out.

These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installations. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and – if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions – may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception – which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on –, the user is encouraged to try correcting the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from the one to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

For the customers in Canada:
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.