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September 10th, 2009 | by Greg Barker

Leave a Comment and WIN


Our readers always like reading comments – and interacting with them.

Now you can be a part of creating this fun in the vocalist community.

All you need to do is leave a comment on any article on the VoiceCouncil site – and you could win a VoiceTone Pedal of your choice from TC- Helicon.

There will be 2 prizes:

The VoiceCouncil Team will pick two winners based on a mixture of quantity, quality of post and amount of interactions it gets. (Remember, we’re looking for real comments “love ya”, “cool” and “xxxooo” won’t do!)

It’s really simple: all you have to do is go to any VoiceCouncil article, scroll to the end of the article, and place a comment in the comment box. That’s any article on the site – whether it is on the mainpage, a category page, a current article, a recent article, a blog, a video – anything!

After 3 weeks our VoiceCouncil team will review the comments and make our awards. The contest closes at the end of this month—the 30th of September.

Don’t worry: we’ll know who you are from your username (which you give when you leave a comment).

So, leave a comment and WIN.

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Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)
  • This is the first time I visit your site, very impressive I think.

    Thank you for your post.
  • Your site is a nice one. Thank you for this post.
  • digitalextrememediagroup
    Nice website. Thanks I learned alot.
  • Kenneth
    To Leontine Hass
    How many oktaves can a "normal" person (on avrage) train up to reach?
    Everybody is different, but what is your experiance? What is the mean range for singers, before and after your advice and training ?
    Thanks
  • Plug in Play or Tweaker?

    Just curious...how many TC Helicon Users are Plug-in-play IOW, you jack in your mic, send a signal to the mains, and shoot from the hip hoping all will come together swimmingly?

    How many TC Helicon Users are Tweakers? IOW, you read the manual, discover the technolgical depths of your hardware, and program the device to meet your utmost expectations?

    I don't think either is a better or worse method than the other, so please be honest. I'm just curious to see who does what with their hardware and perhaps meet some other technicians to share ideas with.

    When replying also tell me what you use your TC Hardware for the most and what your favorite FX patches are. Do you make your own or use what's provided?

    Namaste,

    Brian
  • Musicians...exit stage left...Singers...front and center - hahaha...

    I had asked Bill if there is a software solution that would enable an artist to convert audio to MIDI (namely vocal audio). For a long time I've wanted to develop tracks without using any musicians. I wanted to conceptualize all of the parts and compose them with my voice.

    IOW, sing a line then export the notation of that audio into MIDI. I would then want to take the MIDI track and assign various sounds via soft synths in order to compose an entire piece using only vocal data as the musical source.

    Well, I found my own answer. This technology is starting to appear over the horizon. Most of you probably aren't this much of a nerd, but for those who are check out Melodyne Studio. It's going to be incredible!!! Currently, it's only available for ProTools and is not supported on Windows 64 bit platforms, but does work on 32 bit and they plan to have it operational in Windows 7. OF course...it works with MAC!

    Not only is it better than Antares Auto Tuner, for pitch alignment, it also will analyze audio data and allow you to export MIDI files. It also separates each pitch variation enabling you to move the slices around to create new melodies out of the original. Very cool!

    An even more incredible feature is that you can import polyphonic audio (first time ever) into it and it will disect then split that audio into layers, allowing you to see and manipulate the original source data. For any of you that understand what I'm talking about - THIS IS FLIPPIN' REVOLUTIONARY and also something I've hoped TC-Helicon will embrace in the future. Nothing against die hard musicians but...I want to do it all with the voice...so, with the aid of TC Hardware and this new software, I may just see my ultimate vocal dream come into fruition. It's a good time to be alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Namaste,

    Brian
  • leeentertainments
    Trying to get used to the site
    As a vocalist and guitarist I was looking for information on the TC helicon range
    It was refreshing to find the site and read some of the comments
    Knowing that other people are chasing the same problems I do was interesting and I am now looking forward to reading the responses
    Networking between vocalists meens we can help each other out and learn from others experience.
    I started singing by default 25 years ago and have perfected both good and bad habits
    Eventually I got a hold of a book describing vocal technique and practical excersizes, When I do what the book says I get better responses from audience and feel I have delivered a better performance, so I plan to continue down this track
    Because of this I have become a sponge for articles aimed at improving both the quality and Timbre of my voice
    Please keep your very useful advice coming as we the" learnt by accident vocalist" seek your help and value it

    Regards Brett Lee
  • jojoman
    IS THERE SOFTWARE TO MAKE VOICE2 LIVE AND PROTOOLS M-AUDIO WORK TOGETHER OR IS IT NEEDED????
  • JOJO,

    Please be more specific. What do you want them to do together? Right out of the box, you can sing directly into your Voice Live 2, record the dry, wet, or both signals into a stereo or mono track. You could also route an effects chain in ProTools to use the Voice Live 2 like an effects plugin. Another way to use them together, say you don't have a keyboard, is to create a MIDI track in ProTools and have it connected to the MIDI in of the Voice Live 2. You could preprogram your MIDI chord changes, using the MIDI Track/Piano Roll feature, to guide the Voice Live Harmonies. There's a plethora of ways to use the two together. I run a ProTools and a Sonar rig...lem'me know exactly what you're shooting for and I'll let you know if it's something that can be brought into frution for you :)

    Namaste,

    Brian
  • First and foremost I'd recommend going into your local music stores and piping out through a PA, while testing as many microphones as you desire. To find the "best" mic for you means that you'll want to try out a variety of options. I love this approach as it's fun + it gives you a chance to network and meet new people with your skills!!!

    My live rig is different than my recording rig and consists of the following:

    1) Shure ULXP24 / Beta 87a Wireless Mic + Receiver
    2) Shure PSM400 In-ear Monitors
    3) Sennheiser eW-100 Wireless Mic + Receiver
    4) TC-Helicon Voice Live 2
    5) TC-Helicon Voice Live 1
    6) TC-Helicon Voice Tone Synth
    7) TC-Helicon Voice Tone Create
    8) Hercules Mic Stand
  • I agree that looking for the best mic can be frustrating. I've somewhat narrowed the field by switching from dynamic to condenser mics.
    Condenser mics in general offer a clearer, more transparent replication of your vocals and instruments. I use them for recording in the studio but have found that in live situations, the ATM710 by Audio-Technica shines without excessive feedback. I use the VoiceTone Harmony G as it is a perfect preamp for this and my other condenser mics. The T.C. Helicon Harmony G has phantom power so it supports all of my condensers with a hand in glove fit. I especially like the pitch correction and other studio features of this unit. It allows me to bring recording studio polish to my live performances with great compression and sweet harmonies. So whatever mic you choose, do yourself a favor and get one of these T.C. Helicon boxes for a mic preamp. You'll never know how good your mic can sound until you do!
  • Hello Everyone,
    I had joined a while ago but with so many internet sites to keep up who has time for them all. I hope this well get me involved in Voice Council a bit more. I am a Country Recording Artist and trying to get my name out there and gain friends along the way. There is always questions we artists have about the business. So hope to hear from you. My new Album "So Full Of Country" will be released late Fall.
    Thanks,
    Amanda Nagurney
  • bettysale
    I love my voice live vocal processor...I have even gotten my 3 1/2 year old grand daugter singing with it....
  • jonbinder
    I have been researching the voice live 2 and it seems to offer so much. I have been singing since the early seventies and always looking to improve vocals and to have the control of my signal just like a guitar player does.The first effects I used was the blue face MXR delay which I still have. I paid around 1200.00 dollars when these came out in the seventies, which as a lot of money back then. This improved my sound but still had a lot of limitations. In the late nineties I tried a DOD VOFX stompbox which worked out ok but It still needed to be improved on. I finally put together which I thought would be the ultimate rig. The eventide H3000D/SE,Presonus VXP mic pre, and an ART midi X12 footpedal. Very expensive! This worked fairly well but was very hard to tweek the levels of various effects,FEEDBACK!!! so I was always tweeking but never satisfied.It can be done but the Eventide is best to be used in recording. The Voice Live 2 seems to offer so much for so little. I know that $800.00 is not cheep but it seems to be a good value for what it has to offer as well as the quality and flexibility. I will be testing out one of these very soon!
  • Jon,

    It's worth every penny my friend. I'd be lost without it. Like you, I've spent years looking for a "sound" solution to what I wanted to accomplish via processors, tubes, preamps...etc. Hats off to ya' for going the extra mile with an eventide...yeah that stuff isn't cheap. The Voice Live 2 is the perfect solution to all that studio gadgetry that we all love so much. I feel your pain, as what comes out in the studio, often does not transfer in a live setting. The VL2's auto gain, gates, limiters squelch all the "feedback" worries right out of the box. Do follow the startup directions when ya' get one though...you'll be happy you did. Hey, I beta tested the VL2 for TC-Helicon and spent a very extensive 1-1/2 months with it. I went through every feature and detailed out my findings in a blog on their site as well as MySpace. Check out the blogs here if you like www.myspace.com/voxiferation

    Namaste,

    Brian
  • Having been a backing singer for a number of years with various boy bands (the money was good thats all i have to say and I saw the world hah ) I have seen my share of radio mics whether they were actually on or not but I know a lot of stage companies use Shure, Senheisers or AKG systems I know the AKG440 isnt bad but for styling it gets NIL points.

    But having spoken to a number of rock singers Kelly Jones (sterophonics) told me a few months back that he wouldnt go anywhere without a 58 and Myles Kennedy swaps between that and a senheiser but then you look at their show and compare the amount of on boards effects racks etc and engineer they have the can use just about anything. Feedback destroyers and all kinds...

    As we have no engineer, are not famous but are still using 2 extremely powerful quality mackie speakers in a reasonable size venue. I found my lead vocals get swallowed up when I access the vocal live presets when using a radio system or when I turn it up "distortion central". so this is a concern. Jack inputs certainly dont help either !!!

    I really want to use a wireless system as I love the freedom to roam but they feedback more often than not. They thing is, its so difficult to go into a music shop and test the mics as I am not with my band and we are not playing at full volume so its pretty pointless.

    I have tried a couple of Electro voices already and they were "ok" ,but hitting high rang notes ala (sweet child) or (since you been gone rainbow) etc in a live environment they don't cut it for me.

    I use a front floor peavy monitor (dry) for vocals on stage and the band also sing BVs through it, so I sound great through that but our stage is becoming even more complex and the voicelive and how it works on stage is now priority for me.

    we gig "every" single weekend and booked the whole of 2010 so whatever I use, it has to withstand a lot ! CAD195 is for acoustics agreed not a live rock mic of anykind.

    I have so many options and my head is spinning so maybe I should just get rid of the voicelive and change to voice tone pedals or should I just find a mic system that will work with it.

    questions, questions ???
  • Try a wired Shure SM-87A - great for upper register singers and cheap as well. C'mon sister, you don't need the band there to kick butt. Just go into the store, crank it up n' sing like a bird!

    The 87a is phantom powered so you can just jack into your Voice Live 2 and get to rocking. So why did you spend the money to have this great sound to sing through completely dry monitors. If your voice is getting swallowed up by the band you probably need to shelve your overal band/vocal EQ. If you implore an in-ear monitor solution...there won't be any monitors for you to feedback into, you'll hear great, and shine like a star.

    IOW they need to be better to you, relax the aggression so their singer can be heard. Everyone knows, but hates to admit, that low stage volume creates a better mix out front...the soundman won't have to compete with the band to get a good sound...if he/she knows what they are doing. Curious, did you start off using your Voice Live 2 by setting your Auto Gain? Engage all of the auto buttons in the upper left...it sounds better.

    OH, distortion with the Voice Live 2. This was a problem early on, before all of the upgrade patches came out...please stay up to speed with those upgrades through your voicelive application that came with the unit. If you're not you're totally missing out on some great add ons and fixes. Anyway, I discovered the distortion feature while using a crappy EV microphone.

    Typically I use pretty expensive tools. However, I was being a lil' lazy one day and just hooked up a EV Raven, dynamic microphone. I never get the distortion when using condensers. Anyway, I was really huffing on the mic and it kept distorting...totally freaked me out. Good mic technique is what cured this. I realized that when my lips were pressed against the mic and I was singing hard that it would distort. Simply employing better mic technique and keeping my mouth off the mic cured this for me, when using dynamic mics.

    Here's the thing, if you're having to really wail on the microphone and your veins are popping out of your head just to hear yourself then it's your band's fault. Communicate with them and have them turn down to a comfortable level, or buy more PA than they have so your vocals will split skulls, or find a band that cares enough about you to support you.

    Feedback? I never have this problem. It has to be the gain staging. Ya' know you could pick up a cheap TC-Electronics C300 Compressor, Gate, Limiter, and apply it to the vocal mix only...this will knock down most of your feedback and give you some extra punch. Again, there's always an in-ear solution...do yourself a favor, save up and get what you need. Don't buy cheap gear...it'll never hold up to exceptional equipment. Just trying to help friend! :)
  • kimbutler
    Looking for best mic can be frustrating. There is no one best mic. I have had good luck with CAD 195. Good price point and good sound, however it works best in acoustic setting without too much background noise. When with full band, I always go to Shure Beta 58 to cut down on feedback. All this too matches up with certain sound systems too. I use EV powered speakers. Best is to go to good music store and try different mics into different speakers with songs you normally sing. I use TC Helicon monitors as they sound great and cut down on stage sound volume which is always a good thing. Just got voice correct pedal for studio. It has helped me practice vocals. CAD 195 sounds good into pedal and into system.
  • davester
    As a long time performer I can put my two cents in (over 200 shows a year for many a year)----For speakers in the mid price range nothing is better than EVs, especially the powered ones---dependable, great sounding across the whole range and not particularly colored sound----you're right about the speakers influencing how a mike sounds---that being said, you should take two factors into consideration---sound and durability----Some mikes will sound great but are very fragile and if you perform a lot getting a mike that can withstand road rigors is important---there's a reason why Sure 58s, Beta 58s and 57s are used so extensively---They're one of the sturdiest mikes ever---They sound great too for most vocal and guitar applications---i recommend the Ev mikes as well--they're like tucks too---Try them in a store on several different PA set ups and see which one suits your voice the best---
  • I am looking for the perfect mic to work with voicelive have tried both wireless systems from shure and senheiser both have been disappointing. Senheiser system certainly created the worst distortion and activating some of the presets made my lead vocal sound in audible and shure system didnt have any cut through over my band.

    I spent a fortune on a number of radio system to prove that they are useless with voicelive and I know I still havent got the best out of it, I must admit its complicated and I thought it would be a system with an ease of use.

    I am contemplating switching to voice tone peddles create and correct because of this and the idea of having xlr inputs instead of noisey jack inputs have almost swayed me.

    So my question is this what Lead mic for under £100 would you recommend. So far I have looked at shure sm58a beta, sen e845, sm87a beta, or an Audix 05.

    I am singing in a rock band and I want a dynamic mic that doesnt get too compressed when I use an effect from the VoiceLive.

    Suggestions.please

    RJ Lead Vocalist (Punchmonkey TM)
  • jspringer09
    Bought the VoiceLive 2 about a month ago. Great patches and easy to work with so was able to use it on my first gig after purchasing. Big temptation to use the harmony effects more than you should ... needed to concentrate on keeping it clean and using the harmonies for impact ...
    Great product!! Would be great to be able to get more patches from other users as a good enhancement to the system.
  • davester
    I bought one two and love it's ease of use--- A couple of Points---Does antone else have a problem where the VoiceLive adds in a huge amount of high end? i have to roll off a ton of it---A/B ing it the sound even with all processors turned off is completely different----Also wish they had more presets for verbs, doubling, delays, and general voice (Say Male verb or Female delay) instead of the esoteric Space Alien junk---They need to change the bypass so the guitar can come through so you can use external verbs or delays when needed---
    that being said it's a great piece of equipment that is quite accurate with the harmonies---By far the best unit on the market---(I tried all of them)
  • Davester,

    Are you delving into it deeply enough? The editing features are laid out way simpler than the Voice Live 1. There's tons of reverbs, delays, modulations, you name it...under the hood. You can also genderize your harmonies. There's over 180 presets in there...everything from esoteric alien junk to saucy jazz styles...they really didn't leave anything out...sounds like you need to get inside of the unit and explore the manual page by page.

    Another thing, seems as though you might be dealing with some of it's early issues before all of the upgrade patches. Are you keeping up with them using the Voice App that comes with it.

    If not, you're gonna' wanna install that App and get all the upgrades that are comin' to ya! It's difficult for me to understand what more you would need...I'm very geeky and find there's way more to this unit than one would expect. If you need help digging into it or uncovering some of its beauty feel free to hit me up at w1nds1gn@yahoo.com

    Namaste,

    Brian
  • Darkraven
    I recently bought the Voicelive 2 to use in my band, and had a gig with it in within a week. It went really well with an audience member seeking me out at the break to tell me how good I was with harmonies......lol. Next day, I was looking for a place to post my comments and review of the Voicelive 2, but there is no forum on this site. TC Helicon should start a forum, where discussions between forum members and moderators can happen.
    See http://forum.grailtone.com/ as an example. ( I have Mesa Boogie guitar amps). This also allows members to create topics for discussion, as well as share settings, ideas, problems and solutions. I woul dbe the first to sign up. How about it guys?
  • jcadla
    ..."leave a comment on any article..." It's refreshing to know I can read a set of instructions, comment on that set of instructions and win a prize. Normally a comment would have to have interesting substance; have to be something which grabs the attention of the readers and holds it, at least for a moment or two, in order to be of any value at all.
    However,- "Now you can be a part of creating this fun in the vocalist community." to,-"...So, leave a comment and WIN." constitutes an article, albeit an article instructing us as to how to win a prize by commenting on an article.
    "...we’re looking for real comments “love ya”, “cool” and “xxxooo” won’t do!..."
    (none here)"... go to any VoiceCouncil article..." (did it-this is it) "...on the mainpage, a category page, a current article, a recent article..." (this is the main page)"... scroll to the end of the article "... (did that) and place a comment in the comment box..." (Doing that now) "...That’s any article on the site..." (did it,-this is mine)
    There, for what it's worth, is my comment. You may (or may not) do with it as you wish (or not) as long as you concede;-it is, indeed, an article.
    Powers that be, please scroll to my e-mail address below, send me an e-mail and I will send you a set of instructions on where to send my prize! (and you may,-or may not,- comment on that) 'chuckle'
  • Frank P. DeAngelis
    one stop...and shop.....for the most knowledgable vocal information (your members} and vocal enhancement equipment (TC HELICON)available anywhere......thank you ,Frank
  • Great... after all those clever thoughts that have passed, now there's a reward and I can't remember!!! Ahhhhh!!!!!!!
  • Rascal26
    Wish I could find someone to give me a massage! But Alas there are no vocalists to massage with around this small town. All there are are Guys Unreal this town has maybe one feamle vocalist that's worth anything!
  • Name
    I spent some time two weeks ago commenting on my concerns and present
    vocal situation,non-amplified,small supper-club venue,piano/double-bass Duo.
    Not knowing much about E-mail,I don't know if at the completion of my opus
    my message was sent or recieved ? I can't seem to find a copy of my comments !
    I am greeted every Monday by Voice Council E-mail ...thankyou.
    biscorbass@yahoo.com
  • Rascal26
    Hi,
    I have a T C Helicon Voice Works Rack Unit. But I for the life of me can't figure out how to run it. I know there is so much it can do but a lot of it takes much more technical knowledge than I possess at this time. How ever with one of the T C Helicon foot pedals I am sure that I would get the sound I wanted when I wanted it because I am very familiar with foot pedals and their operation. So please pick this old gonna be 52 on the 26th of sept as a winner. You'd make my depressing I am getting old Birthday something I would remember more than the couple of pairs of socks and underwear I am going to get from my kids.
  • Hi Rascal,

    Well, no doubt you went and bought the flagship and no it's not easy if you're not a little bit of a geek. The only way to really get to know that unit is to start at the beginning of the manual and page to the back. Perhaps devote of month of your creativity to understanding that expensive unit instead of your usual musical approach. It's a very deep unit. I favor the Voive Live 2 because it's a workhorse in the studio as well as live and you don't need to tweak it as much as some of the more expensive TC hardware. Let me know what you hope to accomplish with it and I'll see if I can help you discover more about it...email is:

    w1nds1gn@yahoo.com

    Namaste,

    Brian
  • Jon Hack
    Not sure if this comment will be eligible for your contest but I find your site and the weekly bulletins of great use. The topics are always pertinent and they help boost confidence and understanding by knowing that my experiences are commonplace. On a different note I have a TC Helicon VoiceTone Create pedal which I'm just starting to use and I expect this to transform my performances even more - keep up the good work both of you!!
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