Vocoders for symphonic choirs

[Otto Halmén]

Here's an imitative synthesis experiment that I've been working on intermittently. The idea is to turn a single solo vocal take into a symphonic choir.

So far, I've learned that:

• Simply vocoding your average choir patch doesn't quite cut it.
  
• Layering voices with random MIDI delay and random LFO pitch modulation is the simplest way to get an ensemble sound that doesn't sound like a chorus pedal.
  
• Consonants are trouble. A sawtooth carrier works for vowels, but consonants (especially 'S') require something like a noise generator or the end result sounds robotic. Right now, the carrier fades manually between saw and noise, but I'm pretty sure it could be automated with side chains.
  
• Male modulator vocals don't quite cut it for a female choir (though I haven't explored pitch shifting fully yet).
  

Here's my latest result. I used 12 instances, each with a Synth1 saw carrier (with random LFO vibrato), a Synth1 noise carrier, a MDA Talkbox (the vocoder), and Logic's ensemble plugin (set up as a random vibrato) on each modulator vocal for some additional timing variation. The instruments are from the Kaiyoti bank for Synth1. The reverb is Hibiki.

Still not quite there yet, but I don't think it's entirely impossible to eventually pull off something usable with this method.

EDIT: I actually can sing. I recorded the demo out of tune simply for effect.