TC-Helicon continues to be the go-to effect pedal brand for vocalists, with artists like Depeche Mode, Mr. Big, the late George Michael and many more endorsing their products. As proof of this, VoiceLive 3 is still the among the most sought after vocal effects pedal, even with the arrival of newer units from TC-Helicon and other manufacturers.
What makes this one stand out is its intelligent control of the overall sound to give you good quality without much tweaking. This is done via automated adjustments to EQ, compression, gating and de-essing, behaving like virtual sound engineers that are tasked to make you sound good as you perform.
This unit uses smart guitar controlled harmonies but with it’s 4 independent harmonies it can use them in ways the others can’t. You can also control the harmonies via MIDI input.
On the guitar side they’ve packed this with a pretty comprehensive guitar multi-effect processor there’s also a 45 minute onboard looper, courtesy of the technology from their sister company TC-Electronic.
Key Features:
- Harmony: Smart Guitar and MIDI Controlled Harmony Algorithm
- Harmony Voices: Up to 4
- Pitch Correction: Auto Chromatic, Hard Tune
- Looper: 3-Phrase Looper with 45 Minutes Total Loop Time
- Effects: µMod, Echo & Delay, Reverb, Doubling, Transducer, Rhythmic, HardTune & Correction, Choir, Stutter, Vocoder, Adaptive Tone (Smart EQ, De-essing and Compression)
- Phantom Power: 48V
- Guitar Effects: Amp Modeling, Drive, Delay, Reverb, Compression, Resonant Filter, Wah, µMod (Flange, Chorus, De-tune), Shifter, Rhythmic/Tremolo, Talkbox (part of Vocoder)
- Inputs: 1 x XLR/TRS, 1 x 1/4″, 1 x 1/4″ (Thru), 1 x 1/4″ (Footswitch), 1 x 1/4″ (Expression), 1 x XLR, 1 x XLR (Thru), 1/8″ (Aux), MIDI
- Outputs: 2 x XLR, 2 x 1/4″, 1 x 1/8″, MIDI
- USB Port: 1 x Type A, 1 x Mini-B (Direct Recording, Control and Update)
- Power: DC Power Supply
Pros
Since it’ll take too much space to list all its vocal effects, just know that it includes essentials like reverb and delay, as well as advanced ones like synth, harmony, choir, stutter and many more. As such, VoiceLive 3 is still widely considered by many as the “ultimate” multi-effect pedal for vocalists.
Cons
The most common complaint about this pedal in customer reviews is its bulk and price, but the features and quality easily outweigh these concerns, as reflected by its high ratings and consistent recommendations.
Overall
If you’re looking for a vocal effect pedal that provides the most features and controls, without sacrificing quality, then get the TC-Helicon VoiceLive 3. However, it is difficult to find in stores these days so you might want to look at the current alternatives on our recommended list in our guide to The Best Vocal Effects Pedals.
