KVR Audio

saxophonic · Post by **saxophonic** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 9:35 pm

I play in a 2-person band, but do not have a good singing voice. I would like to be able, while playing guitar, to sing or hum or toot a note into a mike or kazoo or whatever and have it sound like a tenor or alto sax, to solo over my guitar chords. Any ideas as to how I can do this? I have been asking around for a while but no one seems to take my inquiry seriously. I intend to buy whatever equipment is needed to do this. The pitch must be generated by my voice, hands-free, and come out sounding like Sonny Stitt (just kidding)- I will settle for Kenny G.

MachineClaw · Post by **MachineClaw** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:02 pm

You will need a midi wind controller.

examples found at Sweetwater:
http://www.sweetwater.com/c966--Wind_Co ... controller

usb hook up to laptop with your sound source on the computer playing any sound you want.

many of the wind controller come with drivers and some sound pack/software or you could program it to play a Kontakt library if you wanted.

I am not sure about a hands free approach though while playing guitar. I'm sure you could mount it to a mike stand or duct tape it and then do it, but I think you still need to press a button on the controller from time to time. not really sure, never used on.

I have seen them used in bands before with realistic sounds being heard, but the player was always using one or both hands on the controller.

RunBeerRun · Post by **RunBeerRun** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:20 pm

I don't why people do weird stuff w/vocals, but one way would be audio to midi, like the Sonuus stuff.

Sendy · Post by **Sendy** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:24 pm

How would you generate articulation? There's just too much more to a real saxaphone sound than just providing pitch and volume information via your voice. So that will limit the realism no matter how good the model/emulation is.

JonSolo · Post by **JonSolo** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:37 am

The wind controller is out. Can't be done while playing guitar.

I am with Sendy...too much going on with not enough info to articulate a real sax.

On the other hand, if you could do audio to midi and also ready volume info, a good sampled sax with round robin samples MIGHT pull it off to SOME extent. Kontakt would be essential for the sample pak as mentioned in the "wind controller" answer.

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:52 am

Live 9 audio to midi and some good sax samples might get you there.

MachineClaw · Post by **MachineClaw** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:35 am

Honestly a midi pedal and triggering samples or a Kontakt sequence might be better for you. hands free and hit the pedal and just play a sequence.

you could do something with a TalkBox as an option. definitely breth controlled and I don't know how a sax would sound TalkBoxed. could be interesting.

saxophonic · Post by **saxophonic** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:45 am

Thank you all for the ideas. The answer to RunBeerRun as to why people do weird stuff with vocals, is that some people (most people?) are not given a really good singing voice, and I am one of them. The songs we play (Jazz standards, Girl from Ipanema, etc) really call for a melody instrument over the two guitars. Also we do not know any good sax players who could gig with us. So we are trying to make do. i will look into some of the ideas and post again later. Thanks again!!

Frantz · Post by **Frantz** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:50 am

saxophonic wrote:The songs we play (Jazz standards, Girl from Ipanema, etc) really call for a melody instrument over the two guitars.

Could one guitarist play the leads and the other do the rhythmic, chordal stuff?

stanlea · Post by **stanlea** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:29 am

Maybe Imitone
http://imitone.com/

MadAnthony81 · Post by **MadAnthony81** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:15 am

What you do is this. I know it will work to a pretty good degree.

You can do it with a DAW. A vocoder like in Ableton Live 8 Suite. And a Saxaphone sound in a midi lane via a VST like Brass 2. Or instead of brass 2 you can use something built in Ableton or sample a real sax and play via Sampler in Ableton. Sampler comes in Ableton Live 8 Suite.

What a vocoder does is this. It combines a sound with a vocal (eg.). It combines a synth sound in a midi lane and a sound from an audio lane. You can vary the degree to which it combines. You can combine any midi sound with any audio sound in a vocoder, but, it doesn't mean it will work unless you have a pure sound.

Even synthesizers get gritty and can work though. For instance. THE robot voice.

Do it and live robot man.

b4serenity · Post by **b4serenity** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:46 pm

There was an audio to midi VST that was freeware. Does anyone recall what that was?

MadmanST · Post by **MadmanST** » Wed Sep 24, 2014 2:30 am

If you have an iPhone, you could try Thumbjam. It can take input from the iPhone's mic. The Tenor Sax sounds decent.

If you're on computer try Midi Guitar. It can also take mic input. You will need a good sax vst.

Both options will require that you can actually hit the right note.

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Wed Sep 24, 2014 5:00 pm

Frantz wrote:
saxophonic wrote:The songs we play (Jazz standards, Girl from Ipanema, etc) really call for a melody instrument over the two guitars.
Could one guitarist play the leads and the other do the rhythmic, chordal stuff?

That seems like the most practical answer. Maybe get a MIDI guitar or MIDI pickup?

xoxos · Post by **xoxos** » Wed Sep 24, 2014 8:30 pm

if sequencing/vodocing is too involved, convolve your voice with a sax sample, or one of those plugs that stamps one signal with the eq of another.

if that sounds too voicey, go more complicated..

voice > pitch follower

pitch follower > sawtooth or sinc/impulse wave.. something with all harmonics..

that stuff > eq/convolve to sax spectrum

How to turn a human voice into a saxophone sound