High Frequency And Balance - Arturia VOCODER V User Manual

7.4. High Frequency and Balance

The voice produces three main sonic elements: vowels, consonants, and fricatives. Fricatives
are a particular type of consonant, created by sounds that constrict the vocal tract (like
S, Z, V, F, and H). Vocoders are good at reproducing vowels and most consonants, but
high-frequency fricatives are difficult to reproduce with conventional filtering. The High Freq
controls pass high frequencies through to the vocoder to increase intelligibility.
Switched/Direct Switch Switched adds high frequencies only when they're present and
fairly strong (a gated action), and is preferred for robotic/synthetic sounds. Direct feeds high
frequencies through at all times, which can sound more natural.
Level Adjusts the level of the high frequencies inserted into the vocoder. Use this to provide
the best balance with the vowel and consonant sounds.
Balance Varies the balance of the white noise that's sent when high frequencies are detected
(Hiss setting) with the "buzz" sound generated when the vocoder reacts to high-frequency
sounds (Buzz setting). Middle settings tend to sound more natural.
Fast/Slow When fast, high frequencies appear as more of a percussive burst. Slower speeds
create a less percussive effect.
Arturia - User Manual Vocoder V - Vocoder Section 49