Vocoders...my..oh my, needs sum advice and help.

[masshysteria]

So, i think i have followed every tutorial out there.

I use cubase 5.

This is what i have tried to follow



but it does not work.

what i do is this:

a) create 1 Audio track
1 instrument track
1 Group track

b) on the audio tracks Output routing i choose the group track
c)i click the channel settings (e) icon on the midi track with the synth, and set the output routing to the group track and pan it to the right.
d) And i add the mda vocoder to the group track and pan it to the right.

and i get nothing.

Now, what am i doing wrong?

i mean i want to take my audio clip, and add a synthsound to the vocals controlled by the miditrack i have set up. But i cant get it to work. Why is this so difficult? Even when i follow the turorials. It doesent work.

i dont care wich vocoder i use, aslong as i can get this effect to work. Any help is gladly welcomed.

I really hate video tutorials, and would rather like a text with images tutorial on this.

oh well, anyways have a good day!

[arkmabat]

Make sure you have the routing correct. I don't know Cubase very well unfortunately.

[layzer]

with EnergyXT2's modular design, setting up a vocoder in it is so easy, even a fetus can do it.

https://soundcloud.com/layzerkvr/ramire ... achines_v2

[masshysteria]

Arkmabat, yeah its a bit backwards really. Id just like to add a vst as you do any other effect to an audio track, but that doesent fly.

Layzer. Hm yeah, i play a few instruments live, and i dont feel a reason to go to reason. Even though all i need is a midi keyeditor.

ill keep on looking but thanks.

[sin night]

The routing sounds fine (maybe you should also pan the audio track to the left? I'm not sure), I don't think you'd need quadro groups for this (I hope it's so!); maybe there's a wrong setting on the mda vocoder... Anyway, you could use the TAL Vocoder, both in that way (so, by using an external synth) or use its built in synth. For the second way of operation, you just need to insert it directly on your audio track, then add a midi track and route it to the midi input of the vocoder.

[Cuauhtli]

Have you tried Image Line's Vocodex? Pretty flexible as far as how you can set it up.

If you're willing to try Reaper, it is pretty easy to set up a vocoder in it.

Set up one track with Vocodex, one track with vocals, one track with the synth.
In vocodex, mod should be set to 0. Set the carrier to 1 (in the windows at the top, next to the L R encoding option).

Click the i/o button on the vocal track and create a send to the vocoder track. Note the "Audio 1/2 => Audio 1/2". You'll want to change the "Post-fader (post pan)" option to "Pre-fader (post Fx)" That way you can turn down the volume fader on the vocal track to mute the unprocessed sound.

Click the i/o button on the synth track and create a send to the vocoder track. Change the "Audio 1/2 => Audio 1/2" to "Audio 1/2 => Audio 3/4" (click on the 1/2 and click on "new channels on receiving track" and select 3/4). Change fader option to "Pre-fader (post fx)".

That's it.

Alternate version which may be the way other vocoders work:
Change the vocal send to "Audio 1/2 => Audio 1"
Change the synth's send to "Audio 1/2 => Audio 2"
Change the fader settings as above (Pre-fader post fx)
Click L-R encoding in Vocodex

The second method works with Tal-vocoder except that the vocals should be sent to audio 2 and the synth to audio 1 (L/R are reversed compared to Vocodex).

Hope this helps in some way.

[OutCider]

Op screenshot shows tal elektro. That's never going to work as a vocoder.

Don't know cubase any more, but add an audio track. On that tracks mixer channel, add a proper vocoder plugin (not tal elektro) as an insert effect. Create a midi track and select the vocoder plugin as it's output. Press a key, talk in the mic, robots.

[masshysteria]

Hey sin night, Cuauhtli and OutCider. i thought id gotten a stroke or something. But yeah, that tutorial is shit and that dude is urgh. Well it wasent a goodtutorial in the first place. I fell onto your recomendation Outcider, (even though i did it before i read your answer).

So i got the vocoder up n running, i used the tal vocoder since its what i have as of now. The sound quality is really bad, and its not picking up the synth iam using either its using the tal vocoder synth. But its probobly what Cuauhtli (u like vowels? ) said, i need to pan it correctly. But now when i hear the melodi...i dont think i like it, sounds like a pet shop boys song for some reason hahaha.

But still, its really advanced, the way u need to set up a vocoder, but if yer doing elektronic music i guess its a must to learn. I have been just playing chords and instruments, and focusing on mixing and mastering and not so much about the technical side setting upp effects like these. ill put something up when i have something iam not totally embarresed about :p.

This is the song without the vocoder. In caze u guyz wanna ear.

https://soundcloud.com/phonkholic/umzumzumzblippop

Oh and the above is not mixed properly. i just gave it a grotty mix treatment

[arkmabat]

Op screenshot shows tal elektro. That's never going to work as a vocoder.

Don't know cubase any more, but add an audio track. On that tracks mixer channel, add a proper vocoder plugin (not tal elektro) as an insert effect. Create a midi track and select the vocoder plugin as it's output. Press a key, talk in the mic, robots.

The synth is to vocode with the voice. The vocoder is blending them together.

[whyterabbyt]

AFAIR, MDA Vocoder, which is what you mentioned, takes the modulator from one side of a stereo track, and the carrier from the other side of a stereo track. Cant remember which is left or which is right, but as a result it wont work with regular stereo tracks... its a dual-mono-input effect not a stereo one.
TAL Vocoder has an internal synth, but again, to use an external synth, it gets fed to the left side only; once again a dual-mono input.

To get around that you'll either have to work out how to route an appropriate mono signal to each channel in Cubase. Instrument and vocals as mono tracks panned hard left and right when sent to a stereo bus with the vocoder on it? I dont know Cubase's options. Or just wrap the whole thing in a modular subhost.

Some vocoders do have a pair of stereo inputs and can be used by whatever sidechain- or multiple-track- type routing a host host offers, but I dont think Cubase ever supported VST2 plugins with multiple inputs, just VST3 plugins.

[UltimateOutsider]

For what it's worth, Waldorf Lector is a pretty good vocoder (very tweakable) and it's a VST3 plugin so you can route audio directly to it in Cubase via its sidechain inputs. I've used it several times and it's the easiest vocoder, setup-wise, that I've ever worked with in Cubase, in addition to sounding good.

You can insert it as an effect on your modulator (voice) channel, and then in Cubase's MixConsole set the output routing of the carrier channel (synth) to Lector's sidechain input.

[masshysteria]

UltimateOutsider: Well, for 149 dollars it better be a really pretty good vocoder, But, all i want is the vocoder to do as Arkmabat wrote: "to vocode the voice, blend them together"

And there must be somewhere...Over the rainbow...Way up. high... There's a free VST3 vocoder that I heard of...Once in a lullaby...kzzhzt

Whyterabbyt: I think wich side is the carrier, L or R is something u just drag a slider to. Its customizable.

[OutCider]

The synth is to vocode with the voice. The vocoder is blending them together.

I didn't catch the mda vocoder on first read through.

Perhaps until the routings are worked out the op should try using a vocoder with a built in voder and move on from there.

[masshysteria]

Outcider, well, i dont think that will happen in this lifetime. Maybe just leave cubase, as long as i dont hafto go near a mac, iam happy.

[Lotuzia]

Maybe try this one.

Xils-lab Vocoder 5000
Works in all hosts, available as VST2, VST3, AAX, AU. Tutorials for all hosts. Pristine organic sound.