Say “vocoder” and most producers will
immediately think of classic Kraftwerk or
’80s funk and rap, but this tool has far more
uses than simply generating robot voices. In
essence, a vocoder is a highly specialized
filter bank and can create exotic effects that
are almost impossible to achieve otherwise.
Another common vocoding technique is
to use a drum or percussion loop to impart
rhythmic effects to a bright synth sound,
but that’s also just scratching the surface. If
you’ve ever spent a session tweaking LFOs
and envelopes in search of the perfect filter
sweep, you’re going to dig this month’s
tutorial, because vocoders are a fantastic
way to create perfectly timed sweeps,
stabs, and falls using the most familiar controller
you have: you.
Step 1. Make some percussive and whooshy sounds with your voice. Pops,
clucks, and shushes are great starting points for sweeps or percussive
effects. This type of unpitched material will give the vocoder more frequencies
for the modulator input, so be ridiculous and record the results. --Click for Audio--
Step 2. Next, create a simple sawtooth patch with the filter wide open so the sound is
bright and buzzy. The initialized patch for Reason’s Subtractor is a great starting
point, but any bright sawtooth will work. This will be the carrier signal the vocoder’s
filters will operate on. --Click for Audio--
Step 3. Now, using your vocoder’s input functions, set the sawtooth
patch as the carrier and the recorded voice as the modulator. By
using only a few filter bands — eight is ideal — the results will be
more synthetic and less “vocal,” which is the effect we’re after. --Click for Audio--
Step 4. From there, you can add effects like chorus and delay to thicken the sound and add ambience. --Click for Audio--
Step 5. Another really cool trick is to use
white noise as the vocoder’s carrier. Ableton
Live’s vocoder includes noise as an
option, so select that as the carrier and
apply the techniques described above. This
approach is well suited to noise sweeps,
retro ’80s synth snares, or even thunder
and rain effects. --Click for Audio--
Visit author and electronic music producer Francis Preve at www.fap7.com.