There are a few threads in the forum archive which come close to answering this without quite nailing it,  because they refer to earlier versions of Sonar or different TC Helicon units, or because the thread trails off before anyone confirms success.

VoiceLive 2 (VL2) is a freaking amazing FX pedal, but I don't want to use the simple signal path (Mic >> VL2 >> Sonar) because that locks me into whatever effect I've chosen at the time I record my vocal. Once the audio is printed, that's it.

Rather, I'd like to record a dry vocal, and then later run that out of Sonar through the VL2 while I audition various VL2 settings, and have that effected audio routed back into Sonar, so that when I find the sound I like, I can record that. In other words, I'd like the same flexibility I'd get with a VST effect.

I've researched this a lot, without success. The TC Helicon site gives instructions on how to do this in other DAWs, but not in Sonar, and for some reason they've locked those threads. I emailed TC Helicon a while back but never heard from them.

I would actually be willing to pay someone a middling amount if they could show me how to do this!  Yes, I want it that badly.

Anyone who's pulled this off able to help?

Desperately yours,

lingyai



 

IF I understand correctly what you want to do - 
 
As long as you have an open audio input & output available on your audio interface, you should be able to use the "External Insert" audio effect.  This allows you to connect an external hardware effect with Sonar (all versions of Sonar support this, I believe), and drop it in the effects bin just as you would a VST effect.
 
Note that this doesn't give you Sonar-based control over your hardware; it just creates the audio path and lets you adjust signal gain, delay, and phase.  Unless you have a VST specifically written for your hardware, all the effect adjustments will need to take place on the hardware itself.
 
I use this "External Insert" with my Lexicon MX300 ~
VERY cool!! 
 
Search for "External Insert" in the help file of your version of Sonar...

You don't give any information about what interface/soundcard you're using to record but I'll tell you how I do it.
I have the Voicelive 3 which I think is basically the same unit.
You need an interface that has separate outputs besides the main outs, and hopefully software routing for your ins/outs. 
Record your dry vocal then set the output of the recorded track to whichever output of your interface you're going to use. Set your interface software mixer to whichever setting will send the signal back out of the interface (I have a Focusrite interface, and I believe it's something like "Stereo Loopback".
Connect the output of the interface to the input of the Voicelive.
This is where you'll have to experiment some to get the right gain settings on everything. Too much output from Sonar or the software mixer and you'll overload the input of the Voicelive. Not enough and the Voicelive won't have enough signal.
Also, depending on your computer and the latency you have you might have to change the delay offset, but probably not.
I know this sounds convoluted. If we were in front of my rig I could show you how to do it in a few minutes, I'm just not very good at explaining it.
The important thing to remember is that it is possible, just keep experimenting until you get it to work on your rig. The results are well worth it.
Good luck!

Oh, forgot to mention, use the "wet" output from the Voicelive back into your interface.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks both of you, very much.
 
rscain, I understand that for this to work with the VL2, the audio interface needs SPDIF. have a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB (no SPDIF), and an older Focusrite Saffire LE (with SPDIF, but on its last legs). With your VL3, do you use SPDIF in the signal chain? 

Dear lingyai
You haven't mentioned the audio interface you use [Its I/O]. I use an Yamaha Mixer 16-4-2 with USB. I play back dry vocal from Sonar which come into the Mixer via USB which I send to a BUS goes out to VL output of which is connected to a stereo channel in the mixer. I send this to Stereo MIx goes out via USB to Sonar. Also VL is connected to  PC with an USB through which I send only MIDI to control harmony.
 
May be round about way. I don't have firewire interface/mixer which could make the thing simpler.
Regards
Snehankur

You don't need to use SPDIF. It's a nice option as it keeps the signal in the box. But you can use a pure audio pathway which just adds the D/A then the A/D to the signal. Because its just an effect that is not up front in the mix, there should be no noticable quailty loss. 
You simply route the vocal track to a buss that is pointed at output 3/4. 
Interface outputs 3/4 go to the input of the effect unit and the output of the effect unit returns to an input of your interface. Make sure to match line levels and use the correct cables etc.  
 
 Almost any interface with 1/2  and 3/4 output will work. 
 
But that said what Rivers88 said would be a better option if it works.. I have not looked into this yet as I thought this was dependent on your interface and drivers offering this to Sonar. I don't think mine do. I have a Lexicon MX200 and I was told the software VST only works in 32 bit Sonar. 
 

 
So your interface has RCA 3/4 output 
 

 
You's have to read the manual but I think you can use the LINE input to access the vocal processor. If not your going to need an RCA to XLR connector and hope the impedance is not an issue. 
 
From what I read in the specs, the USB connection is only for firmware updates. But it does mention audio streaming which I beleieve is just for music playback and not anything that will handshake like an audio interface with a DAW. The Lexicons USB does handshake with a DAW. 

Thanks everyone, I *really* appreciate the efforts to help. 
 
The thing is, while the general principles are the same with other FX units, there are details specific to the VL2 which make it trickier.
 
rscain, TC Helicon just told me that VL2 and VL3 cannot be set up the same way for this, as VL3 cannot be used as a digital insert, it must be used in the analgoue realm. They wrote:

"You cannot use a VL3 as an insert effect in your DAW the same way that you can with a VL2.

VoiceLive 2 you can use as a 100% digital insert via USB or SPDIF, VoiceLive 3 doesn't have SPDIF and we've dropped the USB audio part, so integrating a VL3 with you DAW is more of an "analogue" process, where you can post-process audio by using the analogue ins and outs on the unit.

The short of it is: With VL2 you can use it as a digital insert effect. With VL3 you cannot."

Also, unlike other FX units, VL2 needs to be fed two signals:

A. one with the backing track, in order to let VL2, using key detection, know how to harmonize, and
B. the other, the dry vocal signal to be processed.

This requres some apparently very specific settings within VL2 so that signal A does not end up getting intermingled with signal B on the return journey.

Therefore -- not to be ungrateful to everyone for their help, on the contrary -- but I'm really hoping to hear from anyone who's gotten, specifcally, VL2 and Sonar X3e or Platinum to work this way.

By the way, rivers88-- I don't need to be able to control VL2 from within Sonar, I'm fine with adjusting the VL2 parameters by hand. I'm just trying to keep all signals digital, while accommodating the dual signals in the way I described in my last post.