TC-Helicon Play Acoustic

Use it live all the time. Lasted through years of really really hard gigging almost every weekend (I mostly use it as just an vocal pedal for the rock band I'm in... some of the shows we play don't have stages and the crowds get really wild... the pedal gets jumped on, beers spilt on it... all the above) And it still works great!

Sounds great! lots of options for different harmonies ect... Won't do a show without the pedal anymore.

Makes the acoustic guitar shine as well when I do acoustic shows. The looper is just as good as any other one, and the chord tracking works just as promised. There is some eqing that puts the guitar behind the vocals in the mix, so it sounds wayyyyyyyy better than if you were to plug your guitar and vocals into a PA and hope for the best.

Giving 4 starts for quality just because there is a knob in the center of the pedal that can be broken... Mine went through an unreasonable amount of damage, I'm sure... However, there could have been a more durable option considering how well the rest of the pedal is put together. I've found other consumers of this pedal that had the same central knob break. You can still use the pedal, but you can't create custom effects. You can still download presets from the TC helicon website (which is pretty cool) but, if that knob breaks, the only way to make additional presets is to find a friend who has one of these pedals, create the preset on theirs, save it to your computer and then upload it to your pedal... However, the rest of this pedal can really really take a beating.

But, when it finally breaks, I will buy the exact same product immediately. Really impressed with it!

This pedal was originally bought for doing acoustic gigs where I just wanted backing vocals. Having played with the unit for a week and realising the amount of pre-sets you can download from the manufacturers website (listed by artist, song and genre!!) I haven't even needed to get into programming this thing yet. I also didn't realise that it had other functions such as looping, and the guitar effects I am now using as my go to pedal when recording acoustic guitar (and sometimes amp mic'ing) in the studio.

As the unit takes an audio input from the guitar to work out the harmonies, the unit is now setup as an aux effect (along with my other rack effects) to my mixer, so when a client comes in wanting harmonies to go along with any instrument, it works a dream. I've used it for creating harmonies when recording anything from dance tracks to basic acoustic set ups. This seems to get faster results than any plugin I've used. The only slight let down, was that the unit came with a US and EU plug adapter for the power supply, but no UK plug - so I am having to use an ugly adapter, as the manufacturers won't replace or sell me one!!!! All in all, this has definitely been a good purchase.

I've been using the device for over two months now, did over 30 gigs with it (both small restaurant gigs and large festival stages) and it performed very well overall.
Due to somewhat limited options in terms of EQ and difficult navigation through menus, this pedal is not really optimal for big stage use, as sound engineers freak out once you tell them you need to hook the microphone up through it and in that way limit their ability to tailor the sound for you :)
For small restaurants and bars, it's a very good product and it really helps your voice stand out with the harmonies. They aren't always on spot and sometimes you'll get mixed results, but as you practice, you learn from experience when to apply them and when to avoid using them.

Pros: - lightweight, portable (carrying it in a guitar case)
- great quality harmonies and effects

Cons: - somewhat difficult to navigate and get a good set up
- doesn't come with battery option which would be SUPER convenient for busking.

I'd recommend this product!

I did a lot of lot of research before purchasing and am wholly satisfied with the Play Acoustic. I am not a tech person but found it easy to navigate my way around. There is an amazing array of choice with all the settings which sound amazing. I have bought specific pedals in the past which are now redundant as this has all I need and more besides. Its well constructed and solidly built. I was able to double the looping time using online firmware . This pedal needs to be plugged into a powered speaker or PA to appreciate the full tone and sound. I haven't been able to gig with it yet due to covid but can't wait, as it gives so much to both the vocals and guitar. My only gripe would be that I wish it was able to run on battery power as well as mains and the addition of an off switch would be useful. Apart from that I can say its well worth the investment .

It's not complicated at all as some say. You can set up your pedal with a computer before you perform. Download up to 500 presets and mark some to your favourites, and then by filtering see only favourites. It has a lot of effects and settings for both guitar and vocals. When this pedal was released in 2015ish you can see complaints that guitar effects have no delay or echo effects, but it's not a case anymore, with the update they've added them, and guitar sounds much better. Vocal effects are amazing.
The only thing I don't like is switching to the loop mode, as you have to press 2 buttons at the same time unless you buy a 3-switch pedal. Overall I am super happy with this amazing device.