Vocoder

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wizboy · #1 Post by **wizboy** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 1:56 am

Did you notice the use of vocoder in Fundamental ? Less significant than in Release but take Casanova in hell, at some point, we could hear background voices of Neil accompanying his own lead melody.

Darkmoon · #2 Post by **Darkmoon** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 1:50 pm

Isn't that a voicemachine?
(That's a plugin with which you can alter the melody of vocals without changing the timbre of it).

BlueSwan · #3 Post by **BlueSwan** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 4:11 pm

On their latest records PSB haven't only made extensive use of the likes of vocoders, but they have always used pitch correction devices quite a bit. Sometimes very obviously, like on Always, but on other tracks you're not supposed to be able to hear it, but if you know how pitchcorrection sounds you can recognize it. It is definitely used on Fugitive.

BrilliantPSB · #4 Post by **BrilliantPSB** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 4:25 pm

this is why LIVE performance voice tend to sound quite different lately.

wizboy · #5 Post by **wizboy** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 4:48 pm

but they can also use vocoders during concerts ...... just plug Neil's mic into one of Chris' keyboard

BimboDuncan · #6 Post by **BimboDuncan** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 6:36 pm

It's called Autotune and I would imagine that Neil uses it almost 100% of the time - live and in the studio. It does occasionally give the user's voice a slightly 'metallic' or robotic sounding timbre.

yves · #7 Post by **yves** » Thu 08 Jun 2006, 9:18 pm

BimboDuncan wrote:It's called Autotune and I would imagine that Neil uses it almost 100% of the time - live and in the studio. It does occasionally give the user's voice a slightly 'metallic' or robotic sounding timbre.

Indeed, you can also hear it very clear in Numb : the "to leave me alone" part.

Neil has explain this in the ARTE-program "Tracks" with Cher as example.
Cher has used this in her song "Do you Believe".

Darkmoon · #8 Post by **Darkmoon** » Fri 09 Jun 2006, 2:44 am

Of course we know the autotune, but a vocoder/voicemachine is completely different! We're not talking 'London' here but background vocals being altered in a different way...
Ow and the autotune... it's addictive to use! The strange thing about it is that it works on *every* song! Ballad, uptempo, you name it.... it works!

Deschanel · #9 Post by **Deschanel** » Fri 09 Jun 2006, 3:16 am

Darkmoon wrote:Of course we know the autotune, but a vocoder/voicemachine is completely different! We're not talking 'London' here but background vocals being altered in a different way...
Ow and the autotune... it's addictive to use! The strange thing about it is that it works on *every* song! Ballad, uptempo, you name it.... it works!

Totally right. Autotune alters pitch, pretty imperceptibly.

Vocoder rocks- it isn't a proper PSB song without Chris adding some Vocodered vocals.

Gently now: Vocoder is the hard robotic sound applied to vocals, for the both of you out there that didn't know that. Autotune is something diff entirely.

What's interesting about Vocoder: years ago when i dabbled, I found that Vocoder like PSB is a hardware effect: you would think that the software could do it, and there is software, but i found it bewildering like a math quiz. But then, I am an idiot.

I just wanted to sound like a Cylon on Battlestar Galactica 1978.
Which is exactly how every PSB Vocoder has ever sounded. Is that so hard? I imagine someone's done better since.