Korg Forums

[leopold]

My brandnew PA900 is a wonderful keyboard. It has an harmonizer from TC-Helicon. My microphone happens to be a TC-Helicon. The microphone has a button to trigger the harmonizer. The singer can take control over the harmonies. Unfortunately the button simply does not work. Now the singer has to stay within the reach of the button on the PA900. Any ideas?

[nitecrawler]

My understanding is that the mic only works with a couple of stand alone t c Helicon devices. I don't think it is set up to work with the PA Helicon devices.
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[Dikikeys]

I don't think a button on the mike to trigger harmonies is all that practical if you are playing, Leopold! How would you press it if you are playing?

There are buttons on the Korg to trigger the harmonies, and maybe you can task a footswitch to do it (not sure about that one), but taking your hand away from the keyboard up to the mike to get harmonies, then back again when you don't doesn't strike me as very practical!

Or are you talking about another singer? If you are, perhaps, if the Assignable Pedal input, if it can switch harmony on/off, you could put the switch at their feet. Heck, you could get creative and run a cable together with the mike cord up to the mike and have a little switch on the mike after all!

Perhaps try contacting TC-Helicon, and asking for the wiring diagram for the mike. If it's a simple switch (does the mike need a special cable, or just a regular one?) maybe it could be wired to the Korg's input to switch harmonies on/off.

Another way round the issue might be to send an aux or effects send from the singer's channel on the the board to the Korg, and put a switch in the middle of the cable. Now run the harmonizer ALL the time, but use the switch to cut the signal to the Korg's harmonizer. Just make sure that the harmonizer is set to 100% harmonizer (don't mix in any of the direct mike signal, because that's already going into the board).

Plenty of ways to skin a cat!

[nitecrawler]

Simplest workaround is a foot switch assigned to the Helicon harmonizer. Plug it into foot switch jack on keyboard, go to global controllers under switch to harmonies on/off and you are set. The singer can then engage harmonies by means of the switch. Hope this helps.
_________________
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=807494

Montage M7, Pa5x76, Nautilus, PA3Xle, Oasys 76, Mini-Moog, EMU Audity 2000, Motion Sound KBR 3D amp, Presonus and Reaper DAW W/Tannoy Reveal 501A powered monitors

[Dikikeys]

Mind you, I do think that Korg are being particularly stingy with control inputs on the PA900. If you use the control input for a harmonizer on/off, there goes your expression pedal input!

For very little extra money, the Roland BK-9 has a sustain, an expression, a control input (that can either be a switch or another expression pedal), and a 7 footswitch FC-7 input. That's actually more than even the PA3Xpro!

Modern arrangers can do so much, only two pedals simply does not get the job done!

[nitecrawler]