TC-Helicon Play Acoustic Reviews

The next step up

I have been gigging solo with my semi acoustic running through a Zoom a3 which I was more than happy with, I also ran my vocals through a TC HELICON GXT, which I was totally blown away by and it really gave me a stand out sound as I will always get great feedback from the punters complementing about the harmonies. So i was very happy with my set up , but then i came across the play Acoustic and to be honest Its the premier league of pedals it has made my two pedals redundant and it has more to offer than both probably too much for me to use. However the harmonies sound tighter more clean I sometime got blurring with the Gxt it doesnt seem to happen at all with the play acoustic. Im still getting familiar with all the different setting for both my guitar and vocals I really happy so far. I wont be getting rid of my old pedals as I just couldnt

One thing I would say is there wasnt a proper Instruction manual with the pedal just a quick guide which isnt very good and I still havent found the looper on the pedal . so if anyone can help drop me a line. Apart from that it is A1 PERFECT.

Undecided ?

I bought this unit while I was gigging with my Tanglewood Parlor guitar, and never had any issues. That was until I upgraded to a Taylor 714ce. My second time using it with my new Taylor the screen went blank and I lost all my settings. It took me over 2 hours to upload the new software and reprogram it. It still doesn't sound 100%. Also I'm getting a loud max out peak noise that I can't seem to get rid of, it comes without warning. When it works, it's a fabulous piece of gear but when it fails everyone will hear it.

Absolutely great signal processor

This is one of the best signal processor I have ever tried respect to the cost of the product. it provides and excellent compromise between high quality (starting from the sound and getting to the number of parameters to control) and an affordable price.

I would suggest this product to all the singers needing a semi-pro signal processor.

Blown away

I am blown away by the quality/response of the harmony voices, vocal effects, how great BodyRez makes by guitar sound, and even the response of the loop pedal function. An absolute no-brainer for any acoustic guitar performer/songwriter. You have to try it to believe it. It is so good, I am now seriously considering the big brother Voicelive 3 Extreme which, among many other additions, includes backing track functions for any live performers out there.

TC-Helicon Play Acoustic

I gave the TC Acoustic live top marks because I think it's a really great piece of kit for live and studio use. It's so easy to use strate out the box but you can grow in to the pedal as you experiment with it. I would suggest purchasing the TC three button switch for more flexibility for switching on and off guitar effects such as chorus etc. The sound quality is superb, I have a Taylor 914 and I used to play it through a Taylor K4 Di and eq unit, I sold it because this pedal made my guitar sound better and it is easier to use, the vocal side is just great it has made me feel more confident in singing live because the sound quality and the harmonies are so good, brilliant for recording and you can tweak as much as you like to get what you want. I would recommend this to anyone who likes singing and playing acoustic for fun or for the recording or working musician, build quality is tough enough for on the road, you can also download loads of patches in various styles from tc web site. Excellent .

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.

Good Things Come In Small Packages

I like to think of the 'Play Acoustic' as an acoustic guitar preamp with the added bonus of the vocal effects and looper.

The main gripe most people have about the 'Play Acoustic' is that you cannot save different guitar settings in each patch. You can save different vocal settings and harmonies etc in the patches, but basically, it has just one guitar sound. But... it's a great guitar sound. The Body Rez thing that TC does is amazing. It really makes your acoustic guitar shine. I added a Boss FS-7 dual foot pedal so I can kick in the Guitar Boost function for soloing and turn the TC Corona Chorus effect on and off. I don't really need much more than that.

The vocal effects help make the best of my mediocre voice. The adaptive EQ, voice doubling and good reverb turn it into something fairly decent! The harmonies are best used sparingly but definitely lift a song when used with care.

One thing to note about using a harmoniser is you really need to use a mic with a hyper-cardioid or super-cardioid pattern to avoid the harmony voices spilling back into your mic.

I should note that I also own its big brother, the 'VoiceLive 3' which is fantastic but I find myself using the 'Play Acoustic' more often than not.

Sometimes less is more.

Great little box

Really enjoyed playing with this. I can only fault it on lack of feedback destroyer like my Correct XT pedal. Great Presets, great guitar tone (although would be nice to basic guitar FX switch in and out), and built like a tank. Good options for ins and outs mixing too. Well thought out product for those who can't afford a VL3.