English Manual Play Electric
Important safety instructions 1 Before you begin About this manual Getting support VoiceSupport Please register your Play Electric 4 5 5 5 5 Introduction Diagram legend Diagrams 6 7 8 Basics Inputs and outputs Gain settings Switches and operation Control knob and arrow buttons Soft buttons 9 10 12 14 16 18 Connection diagrams Mixer setup Play Electric back panel inputs and outputs Stereo (or mono) vocals and guitar Mono vocals and guitar amp Mono vocal and guitar with a TC-Helicon FX150 Mono voc
Important safety instructions Important safety instructions Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 1
Important safety instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Do not use this apparatus near water. Clean only with a dry cloth. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.
Important safety instructions EMC / EMI Electromagnetic compatibility / Electromagnetic interference 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. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installations.
Before you begin Before you begin Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 4
Before you begin About this manual Getting support Please register your Play Electric This manual will help you understand and operate your Play Electric. If you still have questions after reading this reference manual, please read the FAQs, visit the user forums and get in touch with support at: support.tc-helicon.com/ To register your Play Electric using the VoiceSupport software, launch VoiceSupport and click on the ACCOUNT button.
Introduction Introduction Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 6
XLR M Introduction Welcome to the Play Electric manual! Diagram legend First, thank you so much for purchasing Play Electric. We at TC-Helicon are confident that your vocal and acoustic guitar performances will be positively impacted with this great effects processor. The following icons are used in the diagrams in this manual.
Introduction Diagrams On the following pages, you will see some connection diagrams. We have set things up to give you clear and concise representations of what goes where. There are a few things we would like you to keep in mind as you look at the diagrams: OUTPUTS 1. Inputs to Play Electric will be to the left of the back panel image. 2. Outputs from Play Electric will be to the right of the back panel image. 3. There are two boxes on the bottom of each diagram.
Basics Basics Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 9
Basics Play Electric – rear panel GUITAR THRU connector Inputs and outputs Connectors are described from right to left. For setup examples, see “Connection diagrams”. MIC connector This is where the magic happens! Plug your dynamic, condenser, MP-75, or e835 fx microphone in here. Remember to set the microphone type and level correctly, as described in the Play Electric Quick Start Guide.
Basics passed via these outputs. If you do not connect a cable to the Guitar Out jack, guitar signals will also be sent over these outputs. Stereo audio input and output via USB is also supported at 16 bit resolution with 44.1 or 48 kHz sample rate. GND switch Incoming USB audio signals are NOT passed to the USB output, allowing you to sing/play along with tracks from your DAW while recording back “just the vocals and guitar”. This is a ground lift switch.
Basics Gain settings How the Input LED Level Meter Works input to light the LED green. It’s OK if the LED sometimes lights yellow – but it should never turn red. If it does turn red, reduce the level. Red means that a) the input is overloading and b) you’ve got powerful lungs! The LED on the top of your Play Electric is used for both vocal and guitar level metering. Preset Number The unique preset number – i.e., the number of the slot where the preset is stored. In the screen shot above, it is 1.
Basics on the fly. “NP” is only shown when a change in key/scale is detected – so don’t panic if you don’t see it all the time. “LOOP” indicator The “LOOP” indicator is shown in the lower right corner of the display when a loop is running, but you are currently not on the Loop mode screen. GB (Guitar Boost) indicator The GB (“Guitar Boost”) indicator is shown in the lower left corner of the display when guitar boost is active.
Basics Switches and operation is still passed to the output, allowing you to tune your instrument and still entertain the crowd with witty banter. Activating Loop mode To enter Loop mode, press and hold the DOWN and UP footswitches simultaneously. For more information on the Looper, see “The Looper”. The three Play Electric footswitches HIT / Hold for TALK footswitch DOWN and UP footswitches During normal operation, this footswitch acts as a HIT button.
Basics To exit Loop mode, tap the HIT footswitch. You may exit Loop mode while a loop is still playing. That means you can choose a new vocal sound – and then re-enter Loop mode to add a new overdub to the loop. Loop Undo/Redo To undo a loop overdub, press and hold the DOWN footswitch. To restore the overdub (Redo), press and hold the DOWN footswitch again. Restoring a loop overdub this way is only possible if you have not recorded another overdub after using Undo.
Basics Control knob and arrow buttons icons on the desktop, program behaviors and much more. When each user logs in, the computer recalls all of their custom settings. Depending on how you like you to work with effects, you may find that you like to use a few general purpose Presets. Or you might be the kind of guy or girl who likes to spend a bit more time in advance of the performance to create Presets for all sorts of things.
Basics Changing preset names To change the name of a preset, press the STORE button once, then press the left blue soft button and use the control knob to modify the letters/numbers. Press the STORE button again to complete the process. Storing a preset to another location To save the current preset to a different preset slot (location), press the store button once, then press the right Blue soft Button and use the control knob to select the destination number for the preset.
Basics Soft buttons Mix button Press the Mix button to open the Mix menu, which allows you to adjust the levels of the signals. This button is described in its own chapter: “Mix button/section” Favorite button You can tag a preset as a “Favorite”. This allows you to e.g. mark all presets you want to use in a show and filter out all others. This means that you can use Favorites to create a set list or simply group all the presets you like, regardless of their Genre.
Basics In the Genre menu, use the control knob to navigate through the available options. Select a Genre. Press the BACK button to return to the main window, where you will see only the presets contained within the Genre that you have selected. Presets can be associated with multiple genres. Setup button Press the SETUP button to open the Setup menu, which controls the general functions of the device.
Connection diagrams Connection diagrams Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 20
Connection diagrams The following connection diagrams show you some common ways to hook up Play Electric. For basic information about audio inputs and outputs, see “Inputs and outputs”. Play Electric back panel inputs and outputs Mixer setup For connection to your mixer or PA, check out this Craig’s Corner video: OUTPUTS GUITAR OUT youtube.
Connection diagrams Stereo (or mono) vocals and guitar This diagram shows connections for both Stereo and Mono PA applications. OUTPUTS GUITAR OUT If your Play Electric is set to Stereo, you’ll need to pan one channel left and the other channel right (or use a single Stereo channel) on your mixer. Vocal/Guitar level mix is achieved within Play Electric. THRU IN AUX RIGHT LEFT MIC IN In Mono output mode, you have control over the vocal and guitar sounds independently at the PA mixer.
Connection diagrams Mono vocals and guitar amp This configuration works well when you want to pass your guitar signals to an amplifier and your vocal signals to a mixer or powered PA speaker.
Connection diagrams Mono vocal and guitar with a TC-Helicon FX150 This configuration gives you mic-stand-mount monitoring and control over you vocal and guitar channels, while sending a summed mono signal to a mixer or PA. OUTPUTS GUITAR OUT THRU IN AUX RIGHT LEFT MIC IN For additional control, you can opt to plug a music player into the Aux channel on the FX150, instead of Play Electric, giving you control of Vocals, Guitar and Aux independently.
Connection diagrams Mono vocals via FX150 and a guitar amp Here, you can send the vocal signals to an FX150 and guitar signals to an amplifier.
Connection diagrams Guitar and vocals via FX150 and stereo out to a PA In this setup, you can use the Headphone Out from Play Electric to send Guitar, Vocal and Aux signals to your FX150 and send a stereo mix to the PA via the Play Electric XLR outputs.
Connection diagrams Stereo PA and TC-Helicon Guitar & Headphone cable If you own our Guitar & Headphone cable (sold separately), you can use an external monitor send to the Aux in on Play Electric to create a headphone/IEM mix.
Setup button/section Setup button/section Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 28
Setup button/section Input page (1/8) Input parameter Use the Input parameter to select the type of microphone you will be using. Dynamic Mic setting Use the Dynamic Mic setting for dynamic microphones (like an SM-58 or OM5). Condenser Mic setting Use the Condenser Mic setting for condenser microphones (like a Beta 87a).
Setup button/section PRESET UP setting With the PRESET UP setting, pressing the button on you Mic Control-enabled microphone will cycle through the device’s presets, moving forward. Loop setting With the Loop setting, pressing the button on you Mic Control-enabled microphone will activates or deactivate the Record/Play/Overdub feature of the Looper. Tone Style parameter Use the Tone Style parameter to apply varying amounts of adaptive EQ, Compression and Gate to the signal.
Setup button/section Output page (2/8) Output parameter Use the Output parameter to set how signals are sent over the XLR outputs of Play Electric. Stereo setting If nothing is connected to GUITAR OUT, both vocal and guitar signals are sent in stereo via these outputs. If GUITAR OUT is connected, only stereo vocals will be sent. Mono setting With the Mono setting, Mono Vocal signals are sent via the LEFT XLR output. and your effected guitar sounds are sent via the GUITAR OUT.
Setup button/section Guitar page (3/8) Global Guitar FX parameter Guitar parameter Use the Global Guitar FX parameter to take the current guitar sound and lock it, preserving the guitar effect settings across ALL presets. This can be good if you’re playing an acoustic set and only want one sound. Use the Guitar parameter to control the input level of your guitar.
Setup button/section System page (4/8) LCD Contrast parameter Use the LCD Contrast parameter to set the contrast of the LCD screen. Depending on the ambient light in the room, different settings may have more or less effect. UP/DN Function Use the UP/DN Function parameter to define what should happen when you press the DOWN and UP footswitches simultaneously.
Setup button/section System page 2 (5/8) Global Key parameter Use the Global Key parameter to define if key and scale information for harmony generation and/or pitch correction should be global or preset-specific. Off setting Key can be set per individual preset, via direct key setting (C, D, F# etc ), Guitar IN via NaturalPlay, RoomSense or Aux. On setting When a key is chosen within a preset, that key will remain even when you switch to another preset.
Setup button/section In this mode, available loop time is doubled to 30 seconds. Loop Feedback parameter Use the Loop Feedback parameter to control the amount of loop record feedback. When recording a loop with multiple passes (or parts), the signal from the first loop pass is added to the next, and so on. If all of these passes were put together at full (100 %) volume, the loop you are working on would get louder and louder and LOUDER, so you would end up with a distorted output signal.
Setup button/section Switch-3 page (7/8) ►► ►► ►► Control parameter Switch-3 is an optional, high-quality remote control which you can use with your TC-Helicon device. Use the Control parameter to set the functionality of connected Switch-3. ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► Loop Mode setting With the Loop Mode setting, the three footswitches on a Switch-3 will control loop functions: ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► Button 1 activates Record / Play / Overdub.
Setup button/section Product Info page (8/8) The System Info page contains information about… ►► ►► ►► the installed firmware version, serial number and manufacture date for your device. If you need to contact support, please have this information handy. See “Support resources”.
Vocal FX button/section Vocal FX button/section Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 38
Vocal FX button/section Press the VOCAL FX button to open the Vocal Effects menu, which is comprised of seven pages. Each page contains the parameters controlling the respective vocal effect block. There is one parameter common to all effects pages: Control parameter Use the Control parameter to turn an effect block on and off. Off setting The effect block is inactive, no signal processing occurs. On setting The effect block is active and will process the signal according to the selected style.
Vocal FX button/section Harmony page (1/7) ►► ►► +7 & -5 Semitones +12 & +7 Semitones +12 & -5 Semitones -12 & +7 Semitones -12 & -5 semitones Use the Harmony block to create harmonies that accompany your lead vocal, using up to two additional voices. ►► Style parameter Level parameter The Style parameter determines the number of harmony voices and the way those voices relate to your lead vocal. Use the Level parameter to control the overall level of the harmonies.
Vocal FX button/section Harmony Advanced page To enter the Harmony Advanced page, press and hold any of the lit Blue Led soft buttons. To exit the Advanced page, press the BACK button. Scale parameter If the Key is set manually (not auto), the advanced menu will allow you set the scale associated with the Key.
Vocal FX button/section Double page (2/7) The Double effect block creates the impression that one or more vocalists are singing in unison, with small differences in the timing and timbre of each voice. Some refer to doubling as “thickening” or “double tracking”. The latter references a recording studio method of singing the same vocal part on two separate tracks and playing them back simultaneously. soft button to select this parameter and use the control knob to adjust the level.
Vocal FX button/section Delay page (3/7) The Delay effect block repeats the input signal based on the style and the current tempo. Style parameter Select the Style menu by pressing the lower left soft button. It will be the only one lit on the left side of the display. soft button to select this parameter and use the control knob to adjust the level. 0 dB is the maximum volume for the effect.
Vocal FX button/section Delay Advanced page To enter the Delay Advanced page, press and hold any of the lit blue LED soft buttons. To exit the Delay Advanced page, press the BACK button. Dly Filter Style parameter Use the Dly Filter Style parameter to add filters to the delay signal that will simulate different types of delay hardware or sound. Choose from the following styles: ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► Experiment with the styles to find what works for your particular sound.
Vocal FX button/section Reverb page (4/7) ►► ►► The Reverb effect block creates “room” around your voice. Essentially, a reverb puts your dry vocal into a simulated space, small or large, to give a sense of depth and distance. Style parameter Use the Style parameter to determine the size of the simulated space and also the type of material being used to create the simulation.
Vocal FX button/section HardTune page (5/7) Ah – HardTune… Some call it the Cher effect and others refer to it as Auto-Tune™. Whatever you name it: If you are looking for that radio-pop tuned sound, this is your effect. Gender parameter Use the Gender parameter to manipulate the timbre of your voice to sound more male or more female in nature.
Vocal FX button/section Transducer page (6/7) The Transducer effect block modifies the sound by adding various filters and overdrive components. Style parameter Use the Style parameter to define the Transducer effect style. Choose from the following styles: ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► Megaphone Radio On The Phone Overdrive Buzz Cut Stack Tweed Combo Drive parameter Use the Drive parameter to control the amount of overdrive applied to the signal.
Vocal FX button/section Transducer Advanced page To enter the Advanced Transducer page, press and hold any of the lit blue LED soft buttons. For more information about feedback and tips on how to reduce or eliminate it, check out this Craig’s Corner video: youtube.com/watch?v=VlN1RJ4gcAo Routing parameter Use the Routing parameter to define which signal components should be affected by the Transducer effect. Gain parameter Use the Gain parameter to control the overall level of the transducer effect.
Vocal FX button/section µMod page (7/7) ►► ►► µMod stands for “micro modulation”. The µMod effect block is used for creating effects that modulate the signal, such as flanger, phaser, panning or chorus. Style parameter Use the Style parameter to select the style of the µMod effect.
Guitar FX button/section Guitar FX button/section Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 50
Guitar FX button/section Press the GUITAR FX button to open the Guitar Effects menu, which is comprised of five pages. Each page contains the parameters controlling the respective vocal effect block. Guitar effects are handled in the same way as vocal effects – see “Vocal FX button/section”. Guitar sounds in Play Electric are customizable “per preset” – meaning that you can simultaneously change your vocal and guitar sounds when you change presets.
Guitar FX button/section Guitar amp page (1/5) ►► ►► ►► Style parameter Use the Style parameter to select the style of the amplifier simulation effect. Various amplifier simulations are available to cover a wide range of tastes and styles. If you wish to have no amp simulation, simply turn the Control parameter to OFF.
Guitar FX button/section Advanced Amp page To enter the Amp advanced editing menu, press and hold any lit “soft button” when on the Amp page. Treble parameter The Treble parameter controls the level of a highband EQ meant to emulate a “high” or “treble” control on an amplifier. Mid parameter The Mid parameter controls the level of a midband EQ meant to emulate a “middle” or “mid” control on an amplifier.
Guitar FX button/section Guitar compressor page (2/5) Use the Compressor effect block to control the dynamic range of your guitar signal, enhancing attack, sustain or both. Typically, you set this control by ear when you don’t have input and output meters (like some fancy compressors do). Style parameter Use the Style parameter to select the type of compression to use.
Guitar FX button/section Guitar µMod page (3/5) Just like the vocal effect of the same name, the µMod effect block in the Guitar section applies minute pitch and timing variations to add depth or thickness to the sound. µMod stands for “Micro Modulation”. Style parameter Mix parameter Use the Mix parameter to controls the overall level of the µMod effect. Speed parameter Use the Speed parameter to adjust the speed at which “oscillation” or modulation occurs within the effect.
Guitar FX button/section Guitar Delay page (4/5) ►► ►► Similar to the Delay effect in the Vocal FX section, Delay allows you to add echo style effects to your guitar. Tempo for the Guitar Delay block is shared with the Vocal Delay block, allowing you to keep guitar and vocal delays in time with each other. ►► ►► ►► Ping Pong FX Multitap 300 ms Long & Thin Reverb Tank Level parameter Controls the level of Delay effects.
Guitar FX button/section Delay Advanced page ►► ►► On the Delay Advanced page, there are two additional controls: ►► ►► ►► ►► Tempo parameter Here, you can manually set your tempo and save that setting with your preset. ►► ►► Cell Phone Lo Fi Hi Cut 1 Hi Cut 2 Hi Cut 3 Low Cut 1 Low Cut 2 Low Cut 3 If you have selected a “Slap” or “Time” delay style, you will see a time in milliseconds (ms) rather than a BPM value.
Guitar FX button/section Guitar Reverb page (5/5) ►► ►► Reverb creates “room” around a signal. Essentially, it puts your dry guitar into a simulated space, small or large, to give a sense of depth and distance. ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► Style parameter Use the Style parameter to determine the size of the simulated space and also the type of material being used to create the simulation.
Mix button/section Mix button/section Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 59
Mix button/section Press the MIX button to enter the Mix menu, where various audio signal levels within your Play Electric can be adjusted. Mix page (1/2) Harmony parameter Use the Harmony parameter to control the overall level of all voice-generating effect blocks like Harmony and Double. Guitar Level parameter Use the Guitar Level parameter to adjust the output level of the guitar signal. This control is also dependent on the Guitar input level, set in the Setup menu.
Mix button/section Mix page (2/2) USB Level parameter Use the USB Level parameter to adjust the level of the incoming USB audio signal (such as backing tracks). This control has no effect if Input is set to USB and you are post-processing the received signal via a DAW. The track controls within the DAW itself will determine the output level (and therefore the Play Electric USB input level).
The Looper The Looper Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 62
The Looper What is looping? Using the Play Electric looper Recording your first loop ►► At its core, looping is the simple process of taking a small audio recording and playing it over and over seamlessly. When coupled with creativity and musical ability, the results can be astonishing. Activating Loop mode ►► To enter Loop mode, press and hold the DOWN and UP footswitches simultaneously.
The Looper 4. At the end of the chord progression, press REC again. Play Electric will immediately begin to play back the guitar chord progression you just recorded. 5. Begin playing your guitar solo over the recorded chord progression. 6. When the solo section ends, simply stop the loop by pressing the Stop/Era(se) footswitch and play/sing again. This is a very basic example of how a loop can be seamlessly incorporated into your performance.
The Looper Using a Switch-3 for looping Connecting a Switch-3 (optional) to your Play Electric will give you permanent access to looping without having to use the DOWN and UP footswitches. It frees up those footswitches, so you can assign them to key/scale selection. This will also allow you to change presets without having to go in and out of Loop mode.
Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 66
Troubleshooting Sometimes, things just aren’t working the way you expect them to. Here are a few things to keep an eye on. ►► General troubleshooting “I’m singing, but I can’t hear anything!” ►► ►► ►► ►► ►► Make sure you have turned up the input gain, so that the input LED is lighting green. Have you plugged in your headphones or connected to a PA? Is the PA turned on, connected to its speakers and receiving signal? If not, check your PA manual to make sure everything is set up correctly.
Appendix Appendix Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 68
Appendix TC-Helicon scales reference chart Scale Maj 1 Maj 1 Maj 2 Maj 2 Maj 3 Maj 3 Min 1 Min 1 Min 2 Min 2 Min 3 Min 3 Sung Note Chosen voicing/interval 3rd (High/Lower) 5th (Higher/Low) 3rd (High/Lower) 5th (Higher/Low) 3rd (High/Lower) 5th (Higher/Low) 3rd (High/Lower) 5th (Higher/Low) 3rd (High/Lower) 5th (Higher/Low) 3rd (High/Lower) 5th (Higher/Low) Harmony notes in the Key of C C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B E G E G E G Eb G Eb G Eb G nc nc nc nc nc nc nc nc nc nc nc nc F A F A F A
Links Links Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 70
Links Support resources TC-Helicon on… There is a large FAQ Knowledge base and forum for you to use. Please make sure to search for your particular issue there before submitting a support ticket. It’s likely that someone has already addressed the question and posted an answer. ►► the web: tc-helicon.com/ ►► Facebook: facebook.com/tchelicon ►► ►► Twitter: twitter.com/tchelicon ►► YouTube: youtube.com/tchelicon TC-Helicon Support: tc-helicon.com/support/ ►► TC-Helicon user forum: support.
Technical specifications Technical specifications Play Electric – Reference manual (2014-07-16) 72
Technical specifications Features Vocal Effects Harmony, Double, Delay, Reverb, HardTune, Transducer, µMod Guitar Effects Amp and Speaker Simulation, Compressor, uMod (including TC Electronic Corona Chorus), Delay (including TC Electronic FlashBack Delay), Reverb (including TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb) VLOOP™ Control Preset Up/Down and HIT footswitches Graphic LCD display Bump-protected Mic Level knob Dual-color backlit buttons Dedicated Effect Block On/Off buttons Design Size and weight Height
Technical specifications D to A Conversion Connectors, balanced Connectors, unbalanced 24 bit, 128 x oversampling bitstream, 115 dB SNR A-weighted XLR Guitar output and Guitar thru: ¼“ Output Impedance Balanced/ Unbalanced XLR Output 0 dBFS Dynamic Range Frequency Response Headphone Out 300/150 Ohm +2 dBu > 109 dB, 20 Hz to 20 kHz +0.
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