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1. WELCOME TO VOCODER V
1.1. Iconic Sound, Modern Features
A vocoder analyzes the human voice and imparts those vocal qualities to synthesized
sounds. Although known mostly for making "talking instrument" and robot voice effects, the
vocoder (from "voice encoder") had its origins almost a century ago at Bell Labs. The goal
was to improve the efficiency of telecommunications by reducing the bandwidth needed
to communicate speech. Later, during World War II, some of these same principles were
applied to a classified communications system.
The vocoder wasn't used much in music until 1968, when Robert Moog developed a solid-
state vocoder. Since then, several companies have introduced hardware vocoders. Vocoder
V draws its inspiration from a variety of vocoders, including those considered "gold
standards" for classic vocoder effects.
The vocoder's popularity started soaring in the 70s, and the effect has been used by artists
as diverse as Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, Neil Young, Phil Collins, Herbie Hancock, Daft
Punk, Michael Jackson, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and others. Vocoders have also
found a home in movies, games, and radio. Famous songs using vocoders include:
Kraftwerk - The Robots
Giorgio Moroder - E=MC²
Daft Punk - Robot Rock
Herbie Hancock - I Thought It Was You
Beastie Boys - Intergalactic
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - Scorpio
Vocoders are typically either stand-alone devices used with an external synthesizer, or
built into keyboards. Software-based vocoders no longer need to incorporate expensive
hardware, so not only have they made vocoding more affordable, they can also add
features that would be difficult or impossible to implement with hardware.
When Arturia started designing Vocoder V, the object was not simply to produce "another
vocoder," but to add a level of innovation, flexibility, and sound quality that took advantage
of Arturia's decades of experience with synthesis, modulation, and effects.
Arturia - User Manual Vocoder V - Welcome to Vocoder V
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