TC-Helicon Talkbox Synth Pedal for Singers / Electric Guitarists

The Talkbox Synth from TC Helicon gives you the sound of a traditional talkbox in a convenient pedal format without the hassle of other talkbox methods. It also provides other effects, which will be discussed shortly. First, a word on its I/O. Simply plug your microphone into the pedal and route the output to the house mixer. Then, hook your guitar into the output and follow the rest of your pedalboard setup as you would normally. The pedal’s 1/4" instrument output is essentially a thru-put. When you instantiate the talkbox with the footswitch or sing or talk into the mic in whatever manner you’d like, the tones of the Talkbox Synth will sound throughout the PA.

A Style knob offers you a selection of sounds, including your classic tube-in-the-mouth talkbox, a vocoder emulation, and four distinct waveforms for creating exciting and versatile synth tones. In all modes, you trigger tone from your guitar, and dictate the syllables with your microphone, as you would with a classic talkbox. This one just happens to be tube-free, which—if you’ve ever used a traditional talkbox—is definitely a plus.

In addition to talkbox topography, the pedal provides vocal amenities featured in other TC Helicon stompboxes, such as an adaptive tone button, which automatically adjust EQ, compression, de-essing, and gating for a consistent vocal sound, as well as three reverb settings (room, hall, and club). Automatic pitch correction is on hand to nudge errant notes up or down to the nearest semi-tone, doing it in a natural way. The Critical Mass pedal can be powered with four AA batteries, or by a separately available power supply. It provides 24V of phantom power to your microphone, should such power be needed.