TC-Helicon VoiceLive Rack Full User's Manual - Manual (Page 17)

16
The Tone Button
f COMPRESS
With the ADAPTIVE control activated, the
COMPRESS control reduces the amount of range
between louder and softer singing to produce
more even-sounding vocals. It does so by listening
to your singing over time (less than 30 seconds)
and adjusting accordingly.
Typical compressors require multiple controls,
knowledge and experience, and time spent test-
ing and refining over a performance. With TC-
Helicon’s Adaptive Compress feature, these are
not required.
The factory setting of 50% strikes a good balance
between moderating dynamics in your singing
without incurring feedback, a side effect of com-
pression used in a live mic setting. If you have a
high quality monitoring/PA setup with a flat fre-
quency response and you want more compres-
sion, by all means add more with the COMPRESS
control. Be aware though, that average quality
systems have frequency peaks that may cause
feedback with lots of compression combined with
Adaptive Shape EQ.
• Note that, in order for the Adaptive Compres-
sion feature to work properly, you must have
your mic gain set properly either with by using
auto MIC GAIN or by setting it manually.
f DE-ESS
There is a side effect that comes from adding
high frequencies and compression to your voice,
and that’s excessive sibilance. Sibilance can be de-
scribed as the brief whistle that accompanies “S”,
“T” and “D” syllables in your vocal performance.
Again, when singing acoustically, there is no issue
with these sounds. It’s when you amplify and
combine with boosted highs and compression
that they can become piercing.
VoiceLive Rack’s DE-ESS control monitors the
level of sibilance and, when it is detected, will
quickly and transparently reduce it. Typically, it’s
those frequencies resulting in sonic clutter. Reduc-
ing bass has the natural effect of emphasizing mid
and upper frequencies which allow the voice to
cut through dense instrumentation.
Lastly, the term “proximity effect” and “cardioid”
need to be clarified as they can cause bass build
up. The typical microphone used by singers has
a pickup pattern called “cardioid” or heart-like,
because it picks up less sound at the rear than
at the front. This intends to reduce other instru-
ments or sounds from getting into the front of
the mic. A side effect of this that singing closely
on a cardioid mic adds more bass frequencies
than your voice actually has. This is called “proxim-
ity effect” because it is caused by closeness to the
mic. The adaptive Shape feature of VoiceLive Rack
listens continually to your voice through your mic
and adjusts to make your voice sound like it is
professionally produced and balanced.
Adding Highs
The other facet of the Shape feature is that it
adds high frequencies, also known as “air” or
“presence” without making your voice sound
“tinny”. The vocal sounds we hear on CDs and
the radio are not typically what you hear when
you listen to a singer acoustically. Commercial
vocal sounds are more of a hyper-reality designed
to flatter the voice or voices and make them cut
through a group of instruments and thus make
a larger impression on the listener. The Shape
feature, used at moderate settings, emulates this
sound through the average microphone and PA
system.
When making Shape adjustments, it’s important
to sing while listening to the PA system your audi-
ence will hear rather than only judging by your
monitor sound.