Loopers -- Again: Will a TC VoiceLive 3 Work?

[Aaron_Johns]

@PT Cruiser

Thank you for the comprehensive information Aaron.
Firstly just wanted to hear from somone who was doing what I am attempting (mission accomplished!).
Now I’m going to check all the settings tomorrow and see if they match.

I am currently giging with a Boss RC3 and a Digitech Vocalist 2 so I don’t think the timing issue is me the wild card here is the BB and getting loops I create on the fly to stay in sync, they are drifting out of time at the moment and I cant quite work out what i’m doing wrong.

I know of the Boss RC3 and Digitech Vocalist, but I’m not familiar with them at all because I’ve never used them.
Can I assume that you’re going to do away with the Boss and Digitech products and just go with the VL3 and BB for your rig, keeping the other two as back up units?
In my humble opinion you won’t need anything more than the BB and VL3. There may be some other “effects module” you’d want to add if you have a favorite, but that would be your choice. You most certainly wouldn’t need two of the same type of products in your rig though. Just sayin…if you planned on trying to keep them all and try to sync them together.

[PT_Cruiser]

Yes the plan is to move across to the VL3 and add the BB for simple rhythm. When I gig currently I use the RC3 to make a loop so I can play lead guitar pretty simple. I bought the VL3 as an upgrade for the Vocalist and with the looper and guitar FX downsize my pedal board which has grown too large.

Just to clarify I’m not looping the BB it plays while I loop guitar in time with it.

The process at the moment is as follows is:
[LIST=1]
[]Set the tempo on the bb and hit play
[]Begin playing the song on guitar (sometimes record a short loop and do a short solo)
[*]Sing the song creating a loop/s as I go which i use for the guitar solo
[/LIST]
The issue Ive encountered is the bb and loop not staying in time. Ive looked at the settings and they seem to be correct. I also notice that with the VL3 Met on it is slightly out of time with the BB the BB set to say 100bpm the VL3 saying 100bpm but a very slight lag between the Met and the BB.

thoughts ?

[Aaron_Johns]

Well…your VL3 “midi tempo” feature has to be on, otherwise it can’t talk with the BB to my knowledge.
I’m not hearing a lag at all…and if there is a lag it’s not noticeable enough for me and it doesn’t throw me off tempo.
Keep in mind, I’m sure there is some lantency, but not so much that there would be a definite recognition of lag. If that’s the case with your setup, then maybe something else is on that shouldn’t be and visa-versa.

Of course there will be a slight delay when initially changing the tempos. There is a few milliseconds of delay between the BB sending and the VL3 receiving the data, but after the tempos match up you should be golden.

[PT_Cruiser]

Hi Aaron thanks for the advise I have sorted it out since last posting and am almost ready to swap across to my new rig for live work.
The issue i was having was due to not having the metronome switched on but muted so the VL3’s looper had something to work to. I guess this should have been obvious!

Again than you for your responses

[Olav_Rossland]

@Aaron Johns

Hi PT Cruiser,
If I’m understanding your question correctly it should be simple to loop your BB grooves in VL3. I don’t have any problems and this is how I’m set up…
First make sure you’ve connected the midi cable that comes with the BB to your VL3. Once the two are talking to each other, you’ll see the word “midi” flashing on the VL3.
Next make sure your settings are as follows:
VL3 Settings:
On the VL3 click setup, scroll over to the midi tab, make sure these are set:
Source - midi ports
Midi tempo - On
I/O Channels - set to same number…say #2.
Filter - none (for me)
Leave the other settings as is!

BB Settings:
If you want your BB to be your source clock, then set these settings in your BB.
Go to the main “Main Pedal” page and scroll down to “default tempo” and make sure “enabled” is what the arrow is pointing to.
Next scroll down to “Midi Settings” tap, tap again, then tap again past “System Real Time” tap again to get “Sync” choose “enabled” then arrow back until you see “Midi Channel Number” and put that on say #1. (Just make sure all of your midi channels on your gear are set to different numbers).
Next scroll back and go to the “midi-in and midi-out” sections. For “midi-in” make sure it’s “enabled”
Now scroll to “midi out”, tap, (I have mine set to “merge”) because of my setup. Set the arrow to “Midi-Out”
Then go back, but stay in "midi-out and scroll down to “Sync” Make sure this says “Always on”
Now you’re done and your VL3 and BB are midi connected.
NOW…in order for you to loop your beat buddy grooves you must connect a 1/8 to 1/8 stereo cable from the “phones” input on your BB to the “Aux” on the VL3. This way the VL3 will capture the beats you’re playing.
As far as the looper setting in VL3 goes, I suggest you either use “Smart” or “Serial”
Smart - allows things that Serial won’t and Visa-Versa. You’ll have to experiment to see what you can and cannot do in both depending on your needs.

Other than that you should be good to go. Your VL3 will be the slave to your BB with regard to tempos. There is a slight delay in the VL3 getting to the tempo that the BB is sending, but it will get there.

I don’t know which set list maker you’re using, but I use OnSong and I send program changes via OnSong to the BB and VL3 so it changes to the presets I want. This helps with playing and looping on the fly in live settings! I also set up control changes in OnSong to set the tempos I want…FYI. You’ll need some type of set list maker otherwise you’ll have to bend, kneel, or squat down to change the tempo on your BB to what you want them to be.

The only other thing is your timing when you stomp to create the loops. It takes a little practice, but practice makes perfect!!
Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions. Hope this helps!

Nice:)

How do you connect the IPad to BB (or VL3)? Cable? Bluetooth?