Article

Do you like this story?

VoiceLive 2 – Firmware Update – 1.5.00

VoiceLive 2

VoiceLive 2 gets a firmware update!

We’ve put together a free update with bug fixes and tweaks for this amazing vocal processor. Read the important stuff about backing up for sure if you have presets and a setup configuration you want to keep.

New Features:

Added STEP and BYPASS to Global Mic-Control options. Yay!

Improvements:

  1. When a preset is saved into a new location, the USER tag is automatically assigned in the Wizard.
  2. Screen should no longer flicker when changing presets.

Fixes:

  1. Mic-Control/300BPM Tap Tempo craziness should no longer occur.
  2. Random Freeze with MIDI devices – This was the crazy “we can’t find it” random MIDI bug.
  3. Fixed an issue where guitar would appear on both L/Mono and R/Dry when Output is set to Mono.
  4. Delay/Reverb tails should now properly stop when entering BYPASS/TUNER mode.
  5. Set Delay Trails default to ON. “Trails” means that delay taps and reverb decay complete when turning the effect on/off within a preset.
  6. Looper should now properly be output via USB.
  7. Aux level should no longer increase when entering BYPASS/TUNER mode.
  8. Harmony Hold Release now works.
  9. Hardtune controlled by guitar/Naturalplay now works correctly upon entering the mode.
  10. Harmony key defaulting to Bmaj2 when key/scale is entered manually should no longer occur. Any key/scale saved to the preset should be recalled properly when entering set key/scale. If a chord via guitar or MIDI is received shortly before entering set key/scale, that chord will over-ride the saved key/scale. This allows saved key/scale to be retained, but natural play to take precedence when you want it to. NaturalPlay must be set to SCALE for this to occur. (either globally or within the preset)

There are also a ton of audio path optimizations too but we won’t bore you with the gory details. We’ve endeavored to make this firmware release super reliable, so you can count on your VoiceLive 2 more than ever.

Upgrade Instructions:

  1. Connect your VoiceLive 2 to VoiceSupport.
  2. Click the PRESETS button at the top of the screen.
  3. Click the big preset button in the middle of the screen to capture your current presets and setup data.
  4. You will see a progress bar at the bottom of the screen.
  5. When it’s done getting your data, click the ARCHIVE button at the top of the screen.
  6. A small window will pop up. Name your archive and click OK. This contains both your PRESETS and your SETUP data.
  7. Click the FIRMWARE button at the top of the screen.
  8. Select the top-most firmware release (1.5.00) and click YES when the “Firmware Update!” window pops up.
  9. Buttons will flash on VoiceLive 2 while you wait for it to accept the firmware and reboot. This may take several minutes. VoiceSupport will ask you to rescan, so go ahead and do that. Okay, now your unit is updated! Let’s move on to restoring your data.

Note: if you’re upgrading from an older version than VoiceLive 2 Build 118, you’ll have to Export your presets and then Import them. Sorry, but your Setup data from the early builds will be lost. That’s where a pencil and paper comes in mighty handy!

Restoring Setup:

  1. After the upgrade, click on the PRESETS button on VoiceSupport’s top menu.
  2. Click the big button in the middle of the screen and wait for the progress bar to finish.
  3. Click on the Archive tab you created before the firmware upgrade. You MUST have the archive clicked in order to send the setup data correctly.
  4. Click “Send Setup”. This will send your setup data to the VoiceLive 2. Done! One more step follows.

Restoring Presets:

  1. If your archive tab is still highlighted, proceed to the next step, if not, click it again.
  2. Select all of the presets to copy in your archive by pressing Ctrl+A (PC), or Cmd+A (Mac).
  3. Click preset 1 in the Archive window and drag it to the preset 1 slot in the Working Data window. This will drag all presets along with it.
  4. Release the mouse button then choose Copy from the little pop-up.
  5. Click Apply Changes to send your presets to VoiceLive 2.
  6. You’re done!

So yeah, that’s a lot of steps, but we realize that you’ve spent a lot of time tweaking your VoiceLive 2 just the way you want it and don’t want to lose any of your precious data!

Now get back out there and keep making killer music!

Comments

23 comments to “VoiceLive 2 – Firmware Update – 1.5.00”

  1. Deseo adquirir el VoiceLive 2 Extreme Edition en Laredo TX

    • Hi Francisco,

      VoiceLive 2 Extreme Edition was a limited edition, so they are a bit trickier to find that regular VoiceLive 2′s. You’ll have to check your local dealers (hit the BUY NOW button on the VL2 webpage) or check online retailers like eBay.

  2. Hi.

    We use a looper from a different manufacturer (think you can guess which one!) and I now have a VL2 and have the Loop function permenantly set up on the shortcut.. It’s good… but I was wondering in the next update, could you look to utilise the 3 switch pedal you sell that people use on the Voicelive touch To be used on the “pedal” output on the back of the VL2 for a cleaner way to stop/start/overdub/erase as its a bit messy on a live performance.. Especially the double hit to stop. Urgh! Even with the MP75 it’s not easy to do when playing guitar! If this could be done I could dump the “Other” looper and just have a VL2 on stage which is a lot easier and quicker and cleaner setup!

    • Heya,

      We’d love to break out the looper onto a Switch3 for VoiceLive 2, but the firmware is super packed and I’m not sure it’s feasible. It’s something that’s on our radar for sure in future products, but I can’t give any kind of guarantee we’ll ever be able to squeeze it into VL2.

  3. Would be fantastic if you allowed VL2 to send out the recognized guitar chord over midi as well (as one of the precursors of this pedal did. I think it was called Control or something. I have one, but it lags in time much more than I’d like).
    Please please?

    • Hi Tom,

      The latency imparted in guitar to MIDI translation would still exist if we implemented it on VL2, which is why we’ve gone to NaturalPlay instead. That said, if an improvement comes up that allows lower latency operation, we’d take another look at it.

  4. Hi Guys..

    Have updated my VL2 Extreme to this and it’s all running great on the Guitar side of things.. But when MIDI is involved, it falls apart.

    The white “Midi” logo appears and so does the “NP” for natural play.. But the “NP” then disappears after around 5-10seconds and then whatever was the last chord it picked up with “NP”, it stick to that and will not budge.

    The “Midi” light still indicates to show midi is being received but it is clearly not changing the chord as “NP” is nowhere to be seen.

    Now, before the update, my keyboard is fine and my VL2 Extreme was running absolutely fine and was getting natural play no problem from either Guitar or Piano.

    I’m afraid, until this is fixed, I’m gonna have to stay on the previous firmware. Please HELP!
    JP

    • Hi JP,

      Have you still got your guitar plugged in when the NP stops detecting? Could the box be getting some noise from the guitar and swap its detection to that instrument? If it’s an acoustic and the preamp isn’t completely off, perhaps vibration in the room is resonating the strings a bit and sending a signal to the VL2, which would start “looking” at that instrument for NaturalPlay.

      If you set the NaturalPlay to MIDI, does it behave the same way or just when it’s on AutoInput Sense?

      On my VL2, MIDI and NP both continue to function indefinitely with setup using Global NaturalPlay: AutoInput Sense and Global Key/Scale off. If I connect my guitar and tap the strings lightly to make it resonate, it’ll stop the NP from the keys I’m playing. I’m not sure what can be done on the hardware side to prevent that. It’s likely going to be up to the guitar to be fully muted.

      Cheers

  5. Hi Craig,
    I didn’t update my voicelive2 yet but I’d like to ask you a question: with my old guitar harmony g, I use to store a fixed key to a preset. Now I tried to do this with my new vocal live 2 but every time I switch it off, the key always goes back to the factory preset (Cmaj1).
    Is there a solution for this problem?
    Thanks

    • Hi alessandro,

      You can indeed store key/scale per preset in the VoiceLive 2. Make sure you don’t have Global Key/Scale turned on, or it will override what’s in the preset. NaturalPlay will also override the preset setting if you’ve got Global NaturalPlay on.

      Check out the manual for all the info on setting Key/Scale. http://www.tc-helicon.com/products/voicelive-2/support/

      • Thank you very much Craig! I solved the problem with it. Great!

  6. Hi Craig, fantastic update, works well, congratulations. Tried to sign up to the forum via voice support software, did not work out. nevertheless, I would like to have another feature which supposingly is easy to implement into the software.

    as i’m using the voice 2 on stage it is a real pitfall that if i touch to step button too long the device wants to add a new step. for programming/editing this feature maybe useful, for “on stage operation” this is a catastrophy. is it possible to implement a “lock-function” for each preset? also global-lock would be fine so that the step- und harmony button when pressed longer have no additional effect. it would make life on stage much more easier …

    • Hi Wolfgang,

      That’s certainly one of the things we agonize over. How long is too long for a press-hold function? Too short and people inadvertently enter a different mode. Too long and it makes it cumbersome to access the mode quickly enough. The press/hold time is global, so the things you want access to quickly, like setting Key via Harmony press/hold, need to balance with things you don’t want to happen too quickly, like the Shortcut you mentioned.

      We try and find the optimal balance, but we’re often surprised at how quickly we “tap” the buttons for effects, probably from years of using the products and guitar pedals etc., vs. how long a customer will press a button to activate a feature. I like your suggestion of some sort of lock, but I’m not sure about implementation. You’d be surprised how the simplest things can create unforeseen consequences in the code!

      BTW forums are at http://voicecouncil.com/forum/

  7. Thanks Craig! You guys are great!

  8. Did the firmware update for VL2 cannot find the added “Step” function for Mic Control under the Preset Tab. Anybody?

    • Hi Tom,

      Whatever you’ve chosen for your Shortcut button is mirrored in the Mic-Control switch. If you head into Setup, you’ll notice that under Global Shortcut there’s “Step” and “Bypass” at the end of the list. We didn’t add that parm into the individual presets, but we can look at doing that in the future for sure!

  9. migrated to the firmware 1.5.0. When completed only
    blue screen (home is lit). I’m desperate. Help what should I do

  10. Thanks TC, thanks for the update, If u add one more thing the device will be incredible .. the Voicelive2 plug in with usb connection, it will be the best day in my life, because that will avoid us processing and patch to us effect by line.
    Thanks you are doing great job to the community

    • Hi Neo. The VL2 can be connected via USB for audio processing and recording. Check out your manual for the various settings and have fun! http://www.tc-helicon.com/products/voicelive-2/support/

      • Hi Craig,
        I was wandereing, if any of the voicetone synth sounds are possible with the new upgrade of the voicelife 2?
        Thanx for your Info!
        Best from Richard

      • Hi Richard,

        Unfortunately, both Vodcoding and Anti-Feedback are extremely processor intensive and we can’t put them into VoiceLive 2. They require a full processor core to operate, out of our 2 available cores on-board. We’d definitely look at it if we could, but it’s just impossible with the hardware.

  11. Hey thanks for the update how do I get the mic control to change steps? Thanks

    • Hi Brett,

      Mic Control mirrors whatever is set to the Shortcut button. So, head into Setup –> System and change Global Shortcut (or you can do it per preset) to Step.

      You’ll need to make sure that Phantom is set to Mic Control under the Setup –> I/O tab also.

      Have fun!

Leave a reply