20
EXPLORING SPECTRAVOX (Continued)
PLAYING WITH THE PROGRAM
You don’t have to use a microphone as your PROGRAM source. While Spectravox is a VOice enCODER,
any source rich in harmonic movement will be analyzed by the analysis filter bank and mapped onto
the carrier.
The HOLD switch in the PROGRAM section allows you to take a snapshot of
certain vocal formations and hold them. Remember, inside Spectravox there
are two filter banks. The PROGRAM is fed into the analysis filter bank, which
outputs 10 envelope follower signals for each of the 10 bands. The envelope
followers are sent to control the synthesis filter bank, which shapes the
CARRIER. When you set HOLD to ON, the 10 envelope follower signals will
pause and hold wherever they currently are until the HOLD switch is turned
OFF. Make an “aaaah” sound and turn the HOLD switch ON and Spectravox will
hold that “aaaah” shape.
A favorite of ours is to use a drum machine—try a DFAM
if you have one, or any other drum machine you might
have! Plug its output in to the PROGRAM INPUT and raise
the GAIN LEVEL so you see a strong movement in the
indicator LED. The drum machine will shape the carrier
signal with rhythmic movements of the resonant filter
bank. Sibilant hi-hats will shape the higher frequencies
while kick drums and toms will open and close the lower
frequencies. Play with RESONANCE for more extreme
filter coloring, SPECTRAL SHIFT to sweep the filter bank
up and down, and add the SHIFT LFO for modulation!
While modulating a static CARRIER signal with Spectravox is a lot of fun, you
can start playing around with the CARRIER for more diverse tones. Adjust the
VCO FREQ, or better yet, play it with a keyboard/sequencer by connecting
a keyboard CV output (such as on Grandmother or Matriarch) or sequencer
(using Mother-32, DFAM, or Subharmonicon) to the 1V/OCT input.
You can also use the CARRIER input on the patch bay to swap Spectravox’s
internal carrier generator with any external sound. Map your voice’s movement
onto chords from Matriarch for classic vocoder sounds, or map it onto shifting
tonal sounds from Subharmonicon or an external Eurorack-level signal.
NOTE: The CARRIER input expects a +4dBu line level audio signal. 10V peak to peak
signals from Eurorack systems may need attenuation to avoid distortion.
20
1V / OCT
GAIN LEVEL
VOCODER (Continued)
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