TC Electronic QUINTESSENCE HARMONIZER, User Manual

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QUINTESSENCE HARMONIZER User Manual
Here is a table of examples, all in Key of C Ionian Major (C-D-E-F-G-A-B), with the
note C played on the guitar (for background info on music theory, see “4.4 Scales
and Intervals”):
HARMONY Knob Setting Interval (Notes Generated) MASH Behavior
-6th 6th below (E below C) E bends upward to F
-4th 4th below (G below C) G bends upward to A
-3rd 3rd below (A below C) A bends upward to B
3rd 3rd above (E above C) E bends upward to F
5th 5th above (G above C) G bends upward to A
6th 6th above (A above C) A bends upward to B
3rd-5th
3rd and 5th above (E and
G above C)
E and G bend upward to
F and A
3rd-6th
3rd and 6th above
(E and A above C)
E and A bend upward to
F and B
When it comes to MASH behavior, the TP1, TP2 and TP3 TonePrint slots are special
cases, because the default TonePrints contain specialized scales of their own,
in addition to customized harmonies.
Here is a table showing how the default TonePrints are set up (based on the
note C played on the guitar):
HARMONY Knob Setting Scales and Intervals MASH Behavior
TP1 (TonePrint 1)
Custom Scale:
Pentatonic Major
Scale Structure: 1-2-3-5-6
Custom harmony: 3rd
and -4th (E above C and G
below C)
E bends down one scale
step to D.
G stays the same.
(Sounds great for pedal-
steel style bends.)
TP2 (TonePrint 2)
Custom Scale:
SuperLocrian
Scale Structure: 1-b2-b3-
3-#4-#5-b7
Custom harmony: 4th
and 7th
The upper C bends down
by an octave to C, while
the lower C bends upward
by an octave to C
TP3 (TonePrint 3)
Custom Scale:
Harmonic Minor
Scale Structure: 1-2-b3-4-
5-b6-7
Custom harmony: 3rd and
5th (Eb and G above C)
Delay: Voice 1 – 125 ms;
Voice 2 – 250 ms
Eb and G both bend
upward by an octave.
(This one is crazy. Go from
traditional “Yngwie-
approved" harmonised
lines to whammy-meets-
arpeggiator madness.)
For more information about scale structure, see “4.4 Scales and Intervals”.
For more information about about customizing your own TonePrints, see “5.3.
Editing TonePrints with TonePrint Editor”.
4.2 Latching/Momentary footswitching
You can set the pedal to latching or momentary switching by choosing the
appropriate mode with the LATCH/MOMEN selector.
In Latch mode, the effect pedal remains on when the footswitch is pressed
and released. To switch the pedal back off, simply press and release the
footswitch again.
Momentary mode is useful when you want the pedal to operate only for a brief
moment, such as on a single note in a lead line. In Momentary mode, the effect
pedal only operates for as long as you press and hold down the footswitch. When
you release pressure on the footswitch, the pedal will immediately switch off.
4.3 Stereo Operation
The QUINTESSENCE HARMONIZER can handle both mono and stereo signals.
Stereo input sources could include guitars with stereo outputs, pedals with stereo
outputs (such as stereo chorus or flanger pedals), or side-by-side signals from
parallel chains of effects in your pedal board.
Depending on the type of input signal, you can also bounce a stereo input down
to a mono output by using only the MONO output jack.
You can also turn a single mono input into a stereo output, with dry signal
panned to one side, and the effected, pitch-shifted signal panned to the other
side. These two signals can then be sent to dual amplifiers, with one amplifier
handling the dry sound, while the other amplifier plays only the pitch-shifted
signal. (QUINTESSENCE senses which audio input and output jacks are in use, and
when the pedal detects a “mono in>stereo out” connection, it automatically
generates a stereo output with wet and dry signals panned hard left and right.)
4.4 Scales and Intervals
The QUINTESSENCE HARMONIZER comes conveniently pre-loaded with various
major and minor scales commonly used in modern music. QUINTESSENCE
then harmonizes your played notes according to the key and structure of your
chosen scale.
For example, if you choose the “3rd” setting with the HARMONY knob, select
“IOmaj” (Ionian Major) with the SCALE knob, and then play up the scale from the
root note of the key, QUINTESSENCE will automatically generate the following
major or minor 3rd harmonies as dictated by the Ionian Major scale:
M-m-m-M-M-m-m
*M = major 3rd; m = minor 3rd
Similarly, if you switch the SCALE knob to “AEmin” (Aeolian Minor) and play up
the scale, QUINTESSENCE will generate the following 3rd harmonies:
m-m-M-m-m-M-M
Along these same lines, if you then switch the HARMONY knob to the “3rd-5th”
setting, the harmonies generated in Aeolian Minor by QUINTESSENCE will be the
major and minor chords native to the Aeolian Minor scale:
minor-minor-Major-minor-minor-Major-Major
Here is a table of the pre-loaded scales available in QUINTESSENCE:
Scale Knob Setting Scale Scale Structure
IOmaj Ionian (Standard) Major 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
DO Dorian Minor 1-2-b3-4-5-6-b7 (incl. 7)
PH Phrygian Minor 1-b2-b3-4-5-b6-b7
(incl. 7)
LY Lydian Major 1-2-3-#4-5-6-7
MI Mixolydian Major 1-2-3-4-5-6-b7 (incl. 7)
AEmin Aeolian (Natural) Minor 1-2-b3-4-5-b6-7 (incl. 7)
CUSTOM Locrian (default),
programmable
1-b2-b3-4-b5-b6-b7
(incl. 7)
NOTE
: All of the scales with flattened 7th scale degrees (Dorian, Phrygian,
Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian) have been programmed so that the natural 7th
degree is also available when the music calls for a half-step resolution up from
the 7th degree to the root note of the scale. This type of resolution is common
in modern “mixed-mode” music, so the natural 7th is handy to have in case you
need it.
By using the TonePrint Editor, you can also program the SCALE knob’s “CUSTOM”
setting with scales of your own choosing. Possible substitute scales for unusual
harmonies include Lydian Dominant (1-2-3-#4-5-6-b7), Whole Tone (1-2-3-#4-
#5-b7), Whole-Half Diminished (1-b2-b3-3-4-b5-6-b7) and many more. For more
information, see “5.3 Editing TonePrints with TonePrint Editor”.