TC-Helicon Harmony GXT User manual

PRODUCT MANUAL
ENGLISH VERSION
harmonyG.XT

WARNING
To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this appliance
to rain or moisture.
CAUTION
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
The lightning symbol within a triangle means, “Electrical
caution!” It indicates the presence of information about
operating voltage and potential risks of electrical shock.
The exclamation point within a triangle means, “Caution!”
Please read the information next to all caution signs.

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
QuickStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Typical Setups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Front Panel Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-14
Back Panel Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Getting To Know Harmony-G XT . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Loading Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Making Harmonies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Using the Tone Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Adjusting the Harmony Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Changing the FX Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Adjusting the Guitar Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Thicken Your Voice with the Double Button . . . . . . .17
Editing Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
What Do the Voice 1&2 Buttons Do? . . . . . . . . . . . .17
What Does Higher Lower etc. Mean? . . . . . . . . . . .18
Storing Edited Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Changing the FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Using the Tuner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
For Advanced Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Advanced FX Style Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Changing the Number of Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
How to Use the Manual Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
How to Use Alternate Tone Settings . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Guitar Reverb and Detune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Choosing Alternate Double Settings . . . . . . . . . . . .22
External Mixing with Mono and Dry Outputs . . . . . .22
Performing a Factory Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
How to Change the Tuning Reference . . . . . . . . . . .23
Using the VoiceSupport Application . . . . . . . . . .24
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
First Impressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
The Download Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
The Backup Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
FAQ and Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
FX and Doubling Alternates Listing . . . . . . . . . . .28
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Table of Contents
EN
TC Helicon Vocal Technologies Ltd.
[email protected]
Manual revision 1.2 SW1.1 Prod. No: E60510412
Multilingual Version

4
Welcome to VoiceTone Harmony-G XT
Harmony-G XT is designed for the singer who wants
the highest quality and most interesting live vocal
production possible. It puts a complete vocal production
center into your hands including harmony singers that
follow your singing and guitar playing.
Ease of use and convenience were of utmost
importance in the design of Harmony-G XT.This allows
singers to utilize all of its features quickly and easily.
Harmony-G XT presents a selection of professionally-
authored patches. When out-of-the-box sounds aren't
enough, Harmony-G XT provides editing controls to
customize the presets to your preference.
Product information is updated regularly, so be sure to
check www.tc-helicon.com for the latest news.
Features:
o Adds one or two harmony voices directed by your
guitar playing
o Overdub-style vocal doubling feature adds richness
to your lead voice
o High quality reverb and delay effects
o Guitar signal can be sent to your guitar amp or
routed through Harmony-G XT’s effects
o Part A/B switch to allow instant selection of your
two favorite sounds
o Quick and easy tweaking and storage of presets
o XLR mic level input and output in stereo or mono
o Clean, studio quality mic preamp with phantom
power
Introduction

5
EN
About TC-Helicon
At TC-Helicon we truly believe that the voice is the
world's most beautiful instrument. We don't mean to
degrade other beautiful instruments, but the singing
voice is the anthropological source for all things melodic.
You should know there is a dedicated group of
engineers, researchers and product specialists based in
Victoria BC, Canada, who spend every waking moment
of their working lives listening, talking, singing, and
interacting with singers and those who have passion for
the singing voice.
All this knowledge and experience is used to design
products respecting and empowering the modern
vocalist. Our products focus on removing barriers and
inspiring creativity in performance. That's why our
products range from near-field personal vocal monitors
to floor-based vocal multi-effects pedals.
Enjoy!
The TC-Helicon Team
a TC Group company
Introduction

6
Step 1:
Connect your microphone to a mic cable
Step 2:
Connect your mic cable to the Mic Input
Quick Start
Make sure Harmony-G XT is not powered at this time.
NOTE:

7
EN
Step 3:
While you’re connecting and setting up, lower the fader
on your mixer channel to off. Connect a mic cable from
the Left/(mono) Out to a mic input on your sound
system.
Step 4:
Connect a 1/4” guitar cable from your electric or
acoustic guitar to the INST IN. For now, we won’t use
the THRU so the guitar sound will be mixed with your
voice and effects. It will come out of the Left (mono)
main output.
Quick Start
Input
Tone
Guitar FX Harmony
Preset
Manual Double FX Voice 1 Voice 2
Hall
Room
Echo
Slap
Combi
SFX
Higher
High
Low
Lower
Bass
Octave
48V Stereo
3
Auto
#
Inst
Hold to Store
Pan

8
Step 5:
Set the Input Knob fully left then set the Guitar, FX and
Harmony knobs to the 12 O’Clock position.
Step 6:
Connect Harmony-G XT's power adapter to main
power and to the Power input on Harmony-G XT.There
is no power switch so plugging it in automatically turns
it on.
Quick Start
Input
Tone
Guitar FX Harmony
Preset
Hall
Room
Eh
Higher
High
L
3
Auto
#
Inst

9
EN
Step 7:
While singing through your microphone, raise the Input
Knob until the Input Light turns green, sometimes
orange on louder parts, but never red.
Step 8:
In preparation for your first listen, check that the LEDs
conform to the status shown in the boxes below. You
can press the button associated with the LEDs to change
them if necessary.
Quick Start
Input
Tone
Guitar FX Harmony
Preset
Hall
Room
Higher
High
3
Auto
#
Inst
Input
Tone
Guitar FX Harmony
Preset
Manual Double FX Voice 1 Voice 2
Hall
Room
Echo
Slap
Combi
SFX
Higher
High
Low
Lower
Bass
Octave
48V Stereo
3
Auto
#
Inst
HoldtoStore
1
Press so
LED is ON
Press so
LED is OFF
Press to light
LED
Press to load
Preset 1 if it’s
not already
loaded

10
Step 9:
Slowly raise the fader on your mixer channel as you sing
into your mic. Once you’ve reached a comfortable
listening level you should hear your voice clearly with
some reverb effect added.
It’s important to take a moment and tune your guitar
before checking out the harmonies. Hold the On button
to enter Harmony-G XT’s Tuner/Bypass mode. Pluck a
single string at a time to see its pitch.You will see which
note it’s closest to in the Preset display and whether the
string is sharp or flat in the LED bank above the FX and
Voice 1 and Voice 2 buttons. Adjust each string until
they’re all in tune.
Now you’re ready to hear Harmony-G XT’s harmony
voices. Press the On footswitch and sing a song you
know while strumming the guitar chords to the song.
Remember that your guitar directs the harmonies so
ensure that the volume control on your guitar is turned
up.
Quick Start
You can now experiment with all of Harmony-G XT’s
features starting by pressing the Preset button to load
the different presets and then pressing the A/B
footswitch to hear each preset’s A and B settings.
Please read this short manual to ensure you get the
most from Harmony-G XT!

11
EN
Typical Setups
Electric Guitar Setup
The dotted line indicates optional stereo operation
Acoustic Guitar Setup

12
2. Auto-Chromatic Pitch Correction which gently
corrects your pitch without the need to set key and scale.
Double clicking the Tone button activates or de-activates
Pitch Correction independently of the Live Engineer Effects.
The Tone button indication modes are as follows:
Only Tone active:Tone LED glows solidly.
Only Pitch Correction active: Tone LED flashes on
periodically. Will flash quickly for a moment when engaged
or disengaged.
Both Tone and Pitch Correction active: Tone LED glows
solidly but flashes off periodically.
When engaged, these effects are always on your voice, even
in Bypass.
3. Guitar Mix Knob
Controls your guitar volume when it’s routed to the main
outputs (when the Inst Thru jack is not used).The left Auto
position automatically balances your guitar volume with
Front Panel
Input
Tone
Guitar FX Harmony
3
Auto
Inst
1 2 3 4 5
1. Input Knob and LED
Adjust the Input Knob so that while you sing, the LED
beside it flashes green, sometimes orange but never red.
2.Tone Button
This button is used to engage two effects:
1. Adaptive Live Engineer Effects which automatically
make your voice smoother and brighter. A single click of
the Tone button activates or de-activates this feature.

13
EN
6. Preset Select Button and Preset Display
Press to cycle through the 5 presets numbered 1 to 5 shown
in the Preset display. Hold to store changes you make. The
sharp sign (#) is used in theTuner and Manual modes.
7. 48 Volt Phantom Power LED
For condenser mics, hold the Manual and Double buttons
for 2 seconds to engage and disengage phantom power.
8. Manual Mode Button
Press to toggle guitar control of the harmonies. See how
to use this feature in the “For Advanced Users” section.
9. Double Voice Button
Press this button to simulate the sound of you singing
along with yourself for added thickness.
10. FX Button and LED Display
Pressing the FX button cycles through the effect styles
and FX Off (no LEDs lit) for the current preset.
Front Panel
Preset
Manual Double FX Voice 1 Voice 2
Hall
Room
Echo
Slap
Combi
SFX
Higher
High
Low
Lower
Bass
Octave
48V Stereo
3
#
Hold to Store
6
712
8 9 10 11
your voice. Immediately above the Auto position is an
“off band” where the guitar is muted. Proceeding
clockwise from there allows manual control of guitar mix
level.
4. FX (Effects) Level Knob
Raises or lowers the mix level of the effect selected with
the FX button.
5. Harmony Level Knob
Adjusts the mix levels of the harmony and double
effects.

13. LED Indicator Bar
This translucent bar indicates the A or B selection of
each preset and status of the On footswitch.
14. Preset A and B Select Footswitch
If you only need to access your two favorite sounds in
performance, tapping the A/B footswitch will toggle
between them quickly. If you would like to access more
presets with this footswitch, hold it to enter Preset
Select mode. Now, pressing the A/B button cycles
forward through the five “A” preset settings or “B” preset
settings, depending on whether an A or B was loaded
when you held the footswitch.
15. On Footswitch
Tapping this footswitch engages or disengages the
doubling and harmony effects in the current preset. The
reverb and delay FX will remain active on your voice
even with the harmonies muted. Holding this footswitch
enters Tuner/Bypass mode for silent guitar tuning and
bypassing of all processing except for Tone.
Front Panel
14
3
14 15
13
11. Stereo Select Button
Press and hold the Voice 1 and Voice 2 buttons for 2
seconds to toggle between stereo and mono output.
12.Voice Buttons and Display
Press either of the Voice 1 or Voice 2 buttons to:
a) change the associated voice’s harmony interval
b) enable the harmony voice when its LED is off
c) turn the voice off
The same interval for both voices adds thickness to the
harmony voices.

Back Panel
15
EN
XT in stereo (default) or mono. For more information
on mono operation see “External Mixing with Mono
and Dry Outputs” in the “For Advanced Users” section.
4. Instrument Connections
Plug a 1/4” cable directly from your guitar into the IN
jack. If you use effect pedals, they should be connected
after Harmony-G XT.The input is high impedance. Plug
a 1/4” cable from the THRU jack to your first effect
pedal or to your amplifier/PA.
5. Mic Input
Balanced, low impedance input for your microphone.
6. Guitar Ground Lift
If you hear a buzz when you plug in a cable from the
THRU to your amp or PA, press this button in. If the
THRU jack is not used and your guitar sound is routed
internally, the Ground Lift switch should be left out.
1
2 4
6
1. Power Input
Connect the supplied DC power adaptor here.
Connecting power to Harmony-G XT turns it on
immediately as there is no on/off switch on the product.
2. USB Connector
Allows Harmony-G XT to communicate with a
computer for backup and updates. See “Using the
VoiceSupport Application” section for details.
3. Outputs
These XLR jacks supply the main output of Harmony-G
3 5

Loading Presets
Press the Preset button to load the next preset and
change the sound. If you need to access your two
favorite sounds while standing, tapping the A/B
footswitch will toggle between them quickly.
If you would like to access more presets while standing,
hold the A/B footswitch to enter Preset select mode.
Now, pressing the A/B button cycles through the five “A”
preset settings or “B” preset settings, depending on
whether an A or B was loaded when you held the
footswitch.
Making Harmonies
Play a song on your guitar and sing. Press the On
footswitch to hear the harmony voices in the preset you
have loaded. Press the On footswitch again to mute the
harmony voices so you can sing with no harmony.
Using the Tone Button
Using the Tone Button
When you activate the Live Engineer Effects with a
single click of the Tone button, your voice will sound
smoother and brighter.There are three high quality
studio effects that accomplish this: adaptive “Shape”
EQ, adaptive compression and de-essing. A gate also
reduces harmony level for cleaner sound when you’re
not singing.
When you activate the Auto-Chromatic Pitch
Correction feature with a double click of the Tone
button, you will hear the pitch of your voice gently
shifted closer to the nearest chromatic note. As you
sing, you will hear the “corrected” version in your
speakers mixed with your acoustic voice heard in your
ears and via head resonance.This sound means it’s
working and your singing pitches are more in tune.
Note that you must be accompanying yourself with an
instrument tuned to A=440 Hz.
Mixing
The three control knobs: Guitar, FX and Harmony, adjust
Getting to Know Harmony-G XT
16

how much guitar, vocal harmony and FX are added to
your lead voice.The balance you create will be the same
for all presets. The factory-set levels at the center
position have been programmed for optimum sound.
Adjusting the Harmony Level
Turn the Harmony control to raise or lower the amount
of harmony added to your voice. If the Double button is
on, the extra voice it adds will be adjusted as well.
Changing the FX Volume
Turn the FX control knob to raise or lower the mix level
of the effect style selected with the FX button.
Adjusting Your Guitar Volume
If your guitar is sent to the main outputs (Guitar Thru
jack is not used), the Guitar control adjusts how much
guitar sound is added to the mix. Setting the control to
the minimum position engages the Automix feature
which slowly (around 20 seconds) adjusts your guitar
volume while you play and sing so that your voice is
never lost in the mix. Just above the Auto position is an
“off band” which you can use to mute the guitar
temporarily for an a cappella vocal. Turning the control
clockwise past the off band position returns Guitar mix
control to manual.
Thicken Your Voice with the Double Button
Activating this button will simulate the effect of you
singing along with yourself to make your lead voice
sound thicker. It can be stored on or off in each preset.
Editing Presets
You can change the settings of the Double, FX, Voice 1
and Voice 2 features to your liking by pressing their
Tone
Guitar FX Ha
t
Hall Higher
3
Auto
(Off)
Getting to Know Harmony-G XT
17
EN

associated buttons. Pressing the Preset button will cancel
your edits and load the next preset.The Manual button
is an advanced feature detailed in the “For Advanced
Users” section.
What Do the Voice 1&2 Buttons Do?
Pressing either of these buttons can be used to select
harmony “voicings” for that voice or to turn the voice
off.Voicing is the term describing a pitch-shifted version
of your voice at a musically determined pitch.
What Does Higher, Lower etc. Mean?
These names define the harmony arrangement in the
current preset. Careful arrangement of harmony voices
is an effective way of emulating a favorite band’s vocal
style. The following describe the typical intervals
produced by Harmony-G XT.
o Higher - Generally a 5th interval or 7 semitones
above your voice
o High - Generally a minor or major 3rd interval or
3-4 semitones above your voice
o Low - Generally a minor or major 3rd interval or
3-4 semitones below your voice
o Lower - Generally a 6th interval or 8 semitones
below your voice
o Bass - This deep voice follows the root note of
your current guitar chord
o Octave Up and Down - Follows your voice exactly
12 semitones above or below regardless of the
guitar chord you play.
Storing Edited Presets
You can store a changed preset for the next time you
need it. Press and hold the Preset button to store both
the A and B settings for that preset number. If you save
your two favorite A and B settings at preset 1, they will
be ready when you power up without you having to
load them each time. Note that the positions of the
Input, Tone, Guitar, FX, and Harmony controls are not
saved, as they are global.
Getting to Know Harmony-G XT
18

Changing the FX
Press the FX button to change the reverb and delay
style in the preset you are currently on. If you prefer this
setting, it can be stored with the preset.
Using the Tuner
Hold the On footswitch to enter Tuner/Bypass mode.
The On led will flash. Pluck the single open string you
want to tune and you’ll see the note it’s closest to in the
Preset display. As well, a pattern of LEDs in the FX styles
and Voice 1&2 indicator areas will show whether the
string is sharp or flat. As you raise or lower the pitch of
the string, the FX andVoice 1/Voice 2 indicator LEDs will
light as shown.
Shows string is in tune
Hall
Room
Echo
Slap
Combi
SFX
Higher
High
Low
Lower
Bass
Octave
Shows string is sharp
Shows string is flat
Tap the On footswitch to exit Tuner/Bypass mode.
Hall
Room
Echo
Slap
Combi
SFX
Higher
High
Low
Lower
Bass
Octave
Hall
Room
Echo
Slap
Combi
SFX
Higher
High
Low
Lower
Bass
Octave
Getting to Know Harmony-G XT
19
EN

20
Advanced FX Style Select
Each effect style (Hall, Room etc.) has additional selections.
To browse additional Hall sounds, for example, first cycle
the FX button to the Hall style, then hold the FX button.
Tap the FX button to sample the options that are
numbered in the preset display. Once you’ve found one
you like, press and hold the FX button to exit. Hold the
Preset button to store if desired. Note that cycling through
the FX styles again with the FX button will return your edit
to the default style (#1) in each style bank.
Changing the Number of Presets
The default configuration of Harmony-G XT is to offer five
presets each having an A and B setting. This allows you to
cycle through them with a reasonable amount of footswitch
or Preset button pushes. If you need access to more presets
and are willing to step through them with the footswitch or
Preset button, or you would like to reduce the number so
you can cycle through three favorites for example, there is a
way to set this in Harmony-G XT.
To set the accessible number of presets, power up
holding the Preset button. After a moment, the number
“5“ will show the default number of presets. Tap the
Preset button to extend the limit to up to ten (shown
as “0”) or back down to three (1 and 2 are not options).
Hold the Preset button to store this setting and exit to
normal operation.
How to use the Manual Button
There may be times when you want to disengage guitar
control of your harmonies and use a fixed key (e.g. E
Minor) instead. Using Manual mode does this. It could be
that you aren’t playing your guitar in a particular song,
that you’re not playing a guitar at all, or that you’ve used
fixed-key harmony in other TC-Helicon products and
found it works better and sounds unique in certain
songs. If you’re not sure what the key of your song is, it’s
often the same as the first or last chord of the song.
To set key in Manual Mode with a guitar:
1. Play a major or minor chord whose root is the key
For Advanced Users