| Alright, thanks for coming back for my next installment | | | | This results in a series of numbers representing these |
| in this article series concerning audio effects. In the | | | | modified frequencies at any particular time as the user |
| past few weeks we have covered quite a few | | | | speaks. To recreate speech, the vocoder simply |
| commonly used effects, such as reverb, delay, flange, | | | | reverses the process, creating the fundamental |
| and compression. These effects all have wide scopes | | | | frequency in an oscillator, then passing it through a |
| of usage, and are probably used on a daily basis in | | | | stage that filters the frequency content based on the |
| most modern recording studios, on a wide range of | | | | originally recorded series of numbers. For musical |
| different musical styles. We were discussing the basic | | | | applications, a source of musical sounds (such as a |
| functionality of each effect, leaving you to decide if | | | | guitar) is used as the carrier, instead of extracting the |
| and how you would end up using it in your own | | | | fundamental frequency. The vocoder is famous for |
| production process. | | | | creating robotic sounding voices, and has been used in |
| Today we’ll be moving on to a couple of other | | | | film to create; surprisingly, robot voices. |
| types of effects, which are probably less used that | | | | Auto-Tune |
| the others we’ve talked about. Don’t let that | | | | Auto-Tune is used for correcting pitch in vocal and |
| fact deter you from reading any further, as these two | | | | instrumental performances. It works by employing |
| effects; vocoder and auto-tune, are both very flexible | | | | digital signal processing algorithms (many which are |
| and powerful tools for you to add to your studio | | | | drawn from the geophysical industry) to continuously |
| arsenal. So, please strap on your learning cap and | | | | detect the pitch of aperiodic input signal and changes it |
| follow me. | | | | to a desired pitch. The harmonization is intended to |
| Vocoder | | | | increase the musical quality of a vocal track without |
| The vocoder (its name being derived from “voice | | | | revealing the singing as processed. This works well in |
| encoder”) is a speech analyzer and speech | | | | a studio environment to correct the performance of |
| synthesizer. It was originally created for use as a | | | | vocalists and musicians, after they have recorded their |
| speech coder for the telecommunications industry in | | | | takes. It has also been widely used with extreme |
| the 1930s. It was used for secure radio communication, | | | | parameter values to create a distinct electronic vocal |
| where voice has to be digitized, encrypted and then | | | | sound. |
| transmitted on a narrow, voice-bandwidth channel. The | | | | This wraps up the 5th installment in the DiskFaktory |
| way that the vocoder works is that is finds the basic | | | | Mastering article series on audio effects. Today we |
| carrier wave that the human voice produces. This | | | | covered a couple of the more fun to work with |
| carrier wave is at the fundamental frequency (the | | | | effects, in my opinion. I myself have learned quite a bit |
| lowest frequency in a harmonic series). Is is then | | | | writing today’s article, and I hope you feel the same |
| measured how its spectral characteristics are | | | | way. Now we’re much better prepared to create |
| changed over time by recording someone speaking. | | | | a symphony of robot voices. |