Tips on Filter Sweeping Vocals

[kk]

Dear Moog Friends,

I have a problem and would be very grateful if any body can please help..on so many records I have heard vocals that have passed thru some sort of filter sweepin' via an analog synthesiser...my problem is I am tryin' so hard to re-create them but it seems I am not getting any where AT ALL..

A very good example of what I am trying to say was used on Craig David's 'Whats Your Flavour' and also N.E.R.D 'Lap Dance' where the the girl Pharell, Chad and Shay featured vcocals where just sweeping from RIGHT INTO THE START OF EACH CHORUS LINE...Can someone please help...I need assistance...

Some friends of mine to me to try using the my Moog Voygers' signal input..but still no result..any person also told me to try using My Malstrom Synth on Reason 2.5...BUT STILL NO RESULT...

I'll very glad if someone can help...thanks guyz..

Regards,
'kk'

[Sweep]

I may be wide of the mark here, but there's a vocal effect that's been used for a few years now that may be the one you're after.

It sounds a bit like flanging, but somehow cleaner, and has a filter sweep feel to it.

If that's the sound, someone who knows what she's talking about told me it's not done the way you might expect. It's actually done by creative use of Autotune, the software that's usually used to bring a singer's voice onto pitch.

I haven't heard the records you mentioned, but what you say sounds like it could be this effect.


- Andrew

[kk]

Dear Andrew,

Thank you very much for your opinion which I try appreciate..but I want you to please search for the records I am talking about and have a listen at the backgrounds..YES! U are right it has been used on somany records..and trying/phatom this trick....

Please Andrew get your hand on these record and have a listen to it to be sure...

On AutoTune 3.0, my worry how do I get this effect out of it when it basically meant for auto tuning vocals to the right pitches of the song...

thanks alot men! ...I hope you get to reply...I really dont mind sending you a sample via e-mail if I can have your e-mail address..

Urs,
'kk'

[Sweep]

Sorry for the delay. I asked the person I wanted to check this with. She wasn't sure about those records, but heard some bad quality copies and didn't think it was Autotune.

I was only guessing from what you'd said, as I haven't heard those songs myself. If you still need comments then please do e-mail me with samples as you suggested in your last post. If I can make any suggestions at all, I will.

I'm at taoist.hermit1@virgin.net

[ikazlar]

To create vocals sounds you need multiple band pass filtering. Cutoff frequencies should be set at the formant frequencies and filters should be configured in parallel. Formants are high-energy regions of the spectrum and they are responsible for the character of many sounds, including the human voice. (Extra tip: if you boost the resonance just a little at these frequencies it will make the quality of the respective sound more "clear" or "pronounced")

If you want I can email you the formant frequencies for both male, female and children and for both soprano, alto, tenor, and bass and for all vowels.

To sweep vocals, I suppose that first you have to create something that should pass as a vocal and then feed the whole signal to some other filter. I think that should be good enough. However, if you want something more drastic and fascinating then maybe you should try to set the target frequencies of the sweep to different formant frequencies, thus morphing a sound from say "a" to "o" or whatever.

However, I don't really see how you can do all these things with a Voyager. The technique I described can be implemented with other synthesizers: any modular system, any Korg with the MOSS board installed, CSound of course, and a number of software products like VirSyn Cantor.

I hope this helps!