The Ronco Voice-A-Matic
In 2002, Line6 debuted their GuitarPort product, an interface through which an electric guitarist can plug his trusty Strat or Les Paul into the USB port of his computer. As part of its software, it allows guitarists to download patches that are often excellent recreations of the tones used by Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and other guitar heroes.
I have no doubt that within a few years, a similar product will be available for budding vocalists. Who do you want to sound like? Al Green? Paul Rodgers? Barbra Streisand? Aretha Franklin? Simply dial in a patch and sing into the Ronco Voice-A-Matic!
In the meantime, TC-Helicon's VoiceOne product may be the ultimate--or at least certainly the most technologically advanced--solution to getting great vocals. The patches built into the VoiceOne allow the user to edit and change not just pitch and timing, but alter the vibrato, breathiness, tonal characteristics, even the throat and neck sizes, and/or add a Louis Armstrong-like growl to a recorded voice. It can be controlled manually or in real-time, via MIDI. The VoiceOne can also correct the pitch a vocal whilst simultaneously altering its timbre, as well as pitch change a vocal. RBC Audio's Voice Tweaker Pro
For the vocalist who can't truly sing, lessons and lots of practice are good first steps. But there are certainly plenty of tools--and lots of techniques, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculously advanced--to make an OK vocalist sound (as a famous baritone once said) "Impressive...most impressive."
Article comments
1 - year book
very interesting article!!
its 8.23am and i still managed to take most of it in!! Good stuff!!
Please feel free to check out my music on the link provided!! cheers!!
2 - matt
heres that url in case ya cant find it......check it out........thanks
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?songs=275074&T=1602
3 - Lewis Upperton
Excellent article, and one that I have gleaned a lot of information from, as well as a few links. I now at least know how to use vocals well. Great Stuff.
4 - Vox
You can get colour and pitch shifting, pitch detection and other effects on vocals really cheaply using Phonotron 1 (http;//www.phonotron.com). It's stand-alone, but it works.