11.3

Table Of Contents
BV512 VOCODER573
The FFT mode is best suited for vocoding speech or vocals, giving crystal clear and highly intelligible results.
It is not so well suited for vocoding drums and percussion, since the FFT process is inherently “slower” than the
regular filtering and doesn’t respond as quickly to transients, and also there will be a slight delay added to the sig-
nal (in the region of 20ms). A workaround solution to this would be to move the modulator signal slightly ahead to
compensate for the delay.
Where the conventional filter bands are distributed logarithmically (i.e. the same number of filter bands per oc-
tave), the 512 bands in the FFT mode are distributed linearly.
This means a lot of the bands will be in the high frequency range - this is one of the reasons for the clear sound
but it is also something to keep in mind when making settings for the vocoder in FFT mode.
Setting up for vocoding
! Note that the vocoder set-up might differ, depending on which DAW you are using. The important thing in the
vocoder set-up is to be able to route MIDI to an instrument to play the carrier sound - and at the same time also
be able to route the modulator audio (e.g. your voice) to the vocoder. This might require both an instrument
track and an audio track in your DAW. Consult the manual for your DAW for details.
Here are some guidelines for creating a typical vocoder setup. We assume here that you have a MIDI keyboard con-
nected. For details on the parameters, see “BV512 parameters”.
1. Create the instrument device you want to use for the carrier signal.
This could typically be a synth or a sampler. In this example we choose a Subtractor synthesizer.
2. Set up the carrier device (Subtractor) for a sustaining, bright sound.
It’s important to have high frequencies (a lot of harmonics) in the carrier. On the Subtractor, a simple but effective
carrier sound would be based on a sawtooth wave, with the filter fairly open. For more about choosing carrier
sounds, see “Choosing a carrier sound”.
3. Select the carrier device (Subtractor) and create a BV512 Vocoder.
If you flip the rack around you will see that the carrier input of the Vocoder is automatically connected to the Sub-
tractor output:
4. Route the microphone/audio signal to the Modulator Input on the BV512.
Depending on which DAW you are using this routing could be a little different. If possible, connect the appropriate
Audio In on the I/O device to the Modulator input on the back of the BV512.
5. Make sure the “Dry/Wet” knob on the BV512 Vocoder is turned to “Wet” (fully clockwise).
6. Play some notes or chords on your MIDI keyboard and sing through the microphone.
The result should be the classic vocoded vocal sound.