9

1978 saw the beginning of mainstream vocoder use, riding on the back of popularity
created through the music of Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, and a handful of other artists.
Among the manufacturers who jumped into vocoder production at this time are
Synton/Bode, Electro-Harmonix, and Korg, with the VC-10.
In 1979, Roland released the VP 330 ensemble/vocoder keyboard.
The late 1970s and early 1980s were the heyday of the vocoder. Artists who used them
included ELO, Pink Floyd, Eurythmics, Tangerine Dream, Telex, David Bowie, Kate Bush,
and many more.
On the production side, vocoders could—and can still—be picked up cheaply in the form
of kits from electronics stores.
From 1980 to the present, EMS in the UK, Synton in Holland, and PAiA in the USA have
been—and remain—the main flyers of the vocoding flag.
In 1996, Doepfer in Germany and Music and More joined the vocoder-producing fraternity.
From the late 1990s to the present, a number of standalone and integrated software-based
vocoders—like the EVOC 20—have appeared.
160 Chapter 7 EVOC 20 PolySynth