Play Acoustic : Versatile

The TC-Helicon Play Acoustic builds upon the wide variety of vocal effects processors offered by TC, in this case catering more for the solo, acoustic performer. With the success of artists like Ed Sheeran it was inevitable that a product would come along tailored to this market, and the Play Acoustic certainly has a great list of features; a range of standard vocal effects, multiple voices from octaves above and below to thirds, fifths, and other configurations, a built-in looper, some great guitar effects and DI functions.

So how good are the effects? Well there are some set to famous song presets e.g. lush Beatles harmonies on "Norwegian Wood", Clapton-esque octaves on "Layla", etc. These are handy for quick-fixes, and available to customise. The typical criticism of these devices is the robotic nature of the harmonies on offer/vocals not always staying in key. The advantage with the Play Acoustic, like some of the other guitar/vocal combos in the TC range is that by plugging your guitar in, the Play Acoustic works out the key based on the notes you feed through on the guitar. This lends things a more organic sound compared to other models.

What is the PlayAcoustic lacking? A tuner would be great for solo performers, but with TC's separate chromatic tuners this is understandable. The menus can also be a little dense, but saving favourites is a good way to save time. Besides this the Play Acoustic is a compact, useful and adaptable effects package.