Operation Manual

BV512 VOCODER
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D Connect the gate outputs on a Redrum to individual band level inputs.
With this connection (and no device connected to the Modulator input), the Re-
drum will serve as a pattern sequencer, opening and closing different filter bands.
To adjust the gate times, set the drum sounds to Gate mode and use the Length
parameter. The result is totally different from using the audio signal of the Redrum
as modulator.
The vocoder bands are now solely controlled by the gate signals from the drum channels - the
modulator input isn’t used.
Note that you can use a Spider CV Merger & Splitter device to split a gate signal, sending it to
several bands. Also, note that the velocity of the programmed drum notes govern the level of the
corresponding filter bands.
“Playing” the vocoder from a MIDI keyboard
If you have routed MIDI to the BV512, playing notes from C1 and up will control indi-
vidual filter bands. For example, in 16 band mode, C1 controls band 1, C#1 band 2
and so on up to D#2 (which controls band 16).
• The level of the bands is proportional to key velocity (how hard you play).
• A band will be “open” until you release the corresponding key.
• Bands to which you have connected a CV signal (using the individual band level
inputs on the back panel) will not respond to MIDI keys.
Note that with this function, you “play the modulator”. You still need a carrier signal to
get any sound. Typically, you would first record the notes or chords for the carrier de-
vice in the sequencer, then route MIDI to the vocoder and “play” it from your MIDI key-
board while playing back the recorded carrier notes.
✪ An interesting application of this is to patch the vocoder as an insert ef-
fect for the whole mix (the output of the main mixer connected to the car-
rier input, with no modulator device connected), and “play the vocoder”.
Only the frequency bands for which you press keys will be let through.
Use the FFT (512) mode for best results.