The TC-Helicon VoiceTone R1 is a compact foot pedal that can enhance every vocal performance with a reverb effect directly from a connected microphone. Instead of making the reverb the sound engineer's responsibility, musicians and performers can control the effect themselves, with this small, easy-to-use effects processor. One step on the pedal is enough to make any voice reverberate in new splendor, with all parameters controlled intuitively and easily via two encoders. This pedal joins the manufacturer Helicon's Voicelive series, and features eight algorithms originally from the Voice Live 2. Users can thus easily combine multiple models of this series for a unique and individual chain of effects. The TC Helicon VoiceTone R1 is itself a powerful microphone preamplifier, combined with eight high-standard reverb algorithms.
The centrally placed foot switch deactivates the bypass mode, adds echo and reverb to the signal, and also illuminates a red activation LED. If a signal is being transmitted to a connected microphone, a second LED lights up green to indicate this: If the level of the signal is set too high, then this second LED will glow red. The left-hand encoder allows users to choose between eight reverb algorithms, while the right-hand encoder is used to add the dry microphone signal to the vocal mix output. The XLR input is equipped with an automatic phantom power output of 48V, which is handy for a quick and easy setup. However, users cannot switch this off, making the pedal unsuitable for use with ribbon microphones. The VoiceTone R1 features a power of 5.8W and a dynamic of 104dB, and is powered by the cable included in the package.
From lush chambers of reverberation to dense, atmospheric walls of sound – users can apply different reverb effects with varying intensity. Singers will find the VoiceTone an easy-to-use pedal for expressive performances, foregrounding their vocals when performing live. Each new song can quickly be given the right algorithm. If the gain encoder is turned to the far left, musicians can also operate this effects processor with line signals, adding reverb to the sound of their instruments. To keep the device's firmware up-to-date, there is a Mini-A USB port on the rear of the device.
TC-Helicon was founded in 2000 as a subsidiary of TC Electronic in cooperation with IVL Technologies Ltd. and has since specialised in voice recording technology. TC-Helicon focuses primarily on portable audio interfaces. The product range also includes various signal processors designed for the voice, in the form of effect pedals or compact devices with microphone stand mounts. Since 2015, TC Helicon has belonged to Music Tribe, the holding company of Behringer, which has brought brands such as Midas and Klark Teknik under one roof.
Users can connect numerous models from the TC-Helicon Voicelive series in a row, with the first pedal setting the overall volume. For instance, the VoiceTone R1 here is a perfect partner for the TC-Helicon Ditto Mic Looper, a looper pedal for microphones. If the vocal microphone TC Helicon MP-75 is added to the setup, then the R1's reverb effect can be switched on and off directly on the mic itself; the Mic Control function on the right side of the VoiceTone R1 just needs to be switched on. With TC-Helicon's Singles Connection Kit (sold separately), users can neatly connect up to four vocal effect pedals without any tangled cables. The device's frequency response rages from 20Hz to 20kHz, with a deviation of +/-0.3dB. An impedance of 2.68 ohms is applied at the input, while the noise floor is at -126dBu for a low-noise signal.