Yamaha Vocal Processor

Evaluation Versión

User´s Guide

Release 1.01 beta, January 2004

1 Introduction....................................................................................................4 2 Getting Started...............................................................................................4

2.1 System Requirements ............................................................................4 2.2 Two Different Plugins..............................................................................4 2.3 Demos ....................................................................................................5

2.3.1 Demosongs .....................................................................................5 2.3.2 Effect examples...............................................................................5 2.3.3 Cubase SX Real-time Demo ...........................................................5

3 FX Sections ...................................................................................................6 3.1 Buttons and Sliders ................................................................................7 3.2 Transposition ..........................................................................................7

3.2.1 Section Overview.............................................................................7 3.2.2 Transposition...................................................................................7

3.3 Vibrato and Tremolo ...............................................................................8 3.3.1 Section Overview.............................................................................8 3.3.2 Vibrato/Tremolo Rate ......................................................................8 3.3.3 Tremolo Depth.................................................................................8 3.3.4 Vibrato Depth ..................................................................................8

3.4 Excitation ................................................................................................8 3.4.1 Section Overview.............................................................................8 3.4.2 Growl ...............................................................................................8 3.4.3 Creak...............................................................................................8 3.4.4 Rough..............................................................................................8 3.4.5 Breath..............................................................................................9 3.4.6 Air / Whisper....................................................................................9

3.5 Formants ................................................................................................9 3.5.1 Section Overview.............................................................................9 3.5.2 Shift .................................................................................................9 3.5.3 Range..............................................................................................9

3.6 Timbre Mapping......................................................................................9 3.6.1 Section Overview.............................................................................9 3.6.2 GUI Usage.......................................................................................9

3.7 High-level..............................................................................................10 3.7.1 Section Overview...........................................................................10 3.7.2 Intonation.......................................................................................10 3.7.3 Bluesy............................................................................................10 3.7.4 Gender ..........................................................................................11 3.7.5 Sweetness.....................................................................................11

3.8 Effects...................................................................................................11 3.8.1 Section Overview...........................................................................11 3.8.2 Frequency Stretch .........................................................................11 3.8.3 Odd/Even Mix................................................................................11

4 Harmonizer ..................................................................................................11 4.1 General.................................................................................................11

5 MIDI implementation....................................................................................12

5.1 MIDI channel assignation .....................................................................12 5.2 MIDI controls ........................................................................................12

5.2.1 Global MIDI Controls .....................................................................12 5.2.2 Lead Voices MIDI Control..............................................................12 5.2.3 Harmonizer MIDI Controls .............................................................13 NOTE: The Operatic effect simulates the voice characteristic of an opera singer emphasizing the singer’s formant frequency.....................................13

6 Tutorial: How to automate the Vocal Processor effects using the automation in Cubase SX 2.0 ? .............................................................................................15

6.1 Using VoiceFX_VST .............................................................................15 6.1.1 Configure Cubase Audio Tracks and insert effects .......................15 6.1.2 Using the automation.....................................................................16 6.1.3 Using VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer...................................................17

7 Tutorial: Singing Live with the VFX using VoiceFX_VST or VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer..........................................................................................................18 8 Troubleshooting ...........................................................................................19 9 Known Bugs.................................................................................................19

9.1 Both versions........................................................................................19 9.1.1 Preset Storage and Loading..........................................................19 9.1.2 Timbre Mapping GUI .....................................................................19

9.2 VoiceFX Harmonizer ............................................................................19 9.2.1 Vibrato Tremolo.............................................................................19

10 Credits......................................................................................................20

1 Introduction The VoiceFX plug-in is a software tool for singing voice transformations. These transformations do not refer to generic transformations such as distortion or delay, but mostly to singing voice specific meaningful transformations such as vibrato, growl, or intonation.

2 Getting Started

2.1 System Requirements Our proposed system requirements are based on the platforms we used for testing:

• PC Pentium III 1GHz, better Pentium IV 2.4GHz with 512 MB RAM. • Windows 2000 or Windows XP. • ASIO compatible soundcard with a short latency, especially when you

want to use the plug-in live (recommended latency ≤ 10 ms). • Cubase SX 1.0 or later.

Note that the plug-in has not been tested on any other platform of host software.

2.2 Two Different Plugins All featured functions are implemented in two different versions. In your host application you will find the

• VoiceFX_VST and • VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer.

This is temporal solution, which was implemented to reduce the CPU usage if you generate a chorus using the harmonizer. The VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer uses half of the frame rate as the VoiceFX_VST. This reduces the temporal resolution of the processing, but needs fewer calculations. In certain effect the reduced frame may cause audible artifacts, see chapter 9.2.1.

2.3 Demos

2.3.1 Demosongs You find two demosongs in MP3 format in the Startmenu All Programs Vocal Processor Demosongs, called “Hold On” and “Message”. Both songs gives you a first impression what kind of effects you can achieve with the plug-in.

2.3.2 Effect examples In Startmenu All Programs Vocal Processor Audio Examples you find examples for each effect to become familiar with the sound characteristics for each effect. In each examples you will listen first the original recording and after a short pause the transformed one.

2.3.3 Cubase SX Real-time Demo To study how to use the Vocal Processor with Cubase SX we recommend you to have a look at one of the Cubase SX demosongs you find in the directory where you have installed the plug-in.

Load one of the demo Cubase project files, e.g. HoldOn-VoiceFX-Demo.cpr and start the playback. Investigate how effects have been automated how do the mixer channels have been configured to be able to control plug-in.

3 FX Sections The featured effects of the Vocal Processor are grouped in six sections:

• Transposition • Excitation • Formants • Timbre Mapping • High-level • Effects

Most of the sliders in the GUI control just one effect, which we call a basic effect. On the other hand there is the effect section called “High-level”, which provides an easier control of several basic effects and the same time. These High-level controls are used to change its singer’s expression. For example changing his intonation (“Intonation”), giving him a timbre of a blues singer (“Bluesy”), changing the gender of the singer, i.e. convert a female voice in a male voice or the other way around.

3.1 Buttons and Sliders The controls for the user are:

• Switch on/off buttons for each effect section. • Sliders which control effect characteristics. • The Timbre Map GUI

3.2 Transposition

3.2.1 Section Overview The Transposition effect section can be switched on and off using the button.

3.2.2 Transposition The Transposition effect allow you to shift the pitch of singer’s voice continuously upwards or downwards. The range is one octave in both directions. In the sliders center position no transposition is applied.

3.3 Vibrato and Tremolo

3.3.1 Section Overview This effect adds vibrato and tremolo to the singer’s voice. The Vibrato can be switched on/off using the button of the Transposition section. Note: Vibrato modulates the singer’s pitch, i.e. the tone and the tremolo modulates its amplitude.

3.3.2 Vibrato/Tremolo Rate Controls the vibrato/tremolo frequency.

3.3.3 Tremolo Depth Controls the tremolo intensity.

3.3.4 Vibrato Depth Controls the vibrato intensity.

3.4 Excitation

3.4.1 Section Overview The excitation effects are base in a transformation of the singer’s vocal tract excitation adding inharmonic components, that simulates voice characteristics like grow, creak, rough, breathy or whisper. The growl, creaky and rough effects adds typical characteristics of singers like Joe Cocker, Tom Waits, Louis Amstrong. Additionally the Vocal Processor features an Automatic Expression Control which automatically controls the intensity of the excitation effects, considering the singer’s performance and expression, to apply those effects only when it makes sense, e.g. the singer raises pitch and dynamic. The Automatic Expression Control can be switch on/off globally using the MIDI Control 81 (Gen Purp 2), see chapter

3.4.2 Growl Adds a growl effect to the singer’s voice.

3.4.3 Creak Adds a creak effect to the singer’s voice.

3.4.4 Rough Adds a rough effect to the singer’s voice.

3.4.5 Breath Transforms the singer’s voice in a more breathy voice.

3.4.6 Air / Whisper Transforms the singer’s voice into a whispering voice. If the slider is in full upward position you here the pure whispering voice.

3.5 Formants

3.5.1 Section Overview The Formant Shifter allows shifting the relevant frequency range of formants. This effect is also interesting in combination with transposition, for example if you want to shift a female voice in a male voice, try the following:

• Transpose one octave downwards. • Shift formants downwards.

You will notice that the notice that the voice sounds even more like a male voice.

3.5.2 Shift The Shift slider shifts the formants down- or upwards.

3.5.3 Range The Range slider modifies the lower frequency cutoff from where on the formant shift is applied.

• Slider set to zero means: the low frequency cutoff is linked to the pitch of the voice.

• Slider between zero and maximum modifies linearly the low frequency cutoff between 40Hz and 4 kHz.

3.6 Timbre Mapping

3.6.1 Section Overview The Timbre Mapping can be switched on/off using the button. You can use Timbre Mapping to color the voice and give very extreme effects. Examples what you can do with it:

• Formant shifting: male to female or female to male transformation. • Mickey Mouse effect. • Child voice.

3.6.2 GUI Usage On the left you see the unmodified curve. This state you achieve when you hold down the “Ctrl” key and click on the Timbre mapping GUI, i.e. the GUI is cleared. When you click once with you mouse in whatever position a new breakpoint is added to the graph. You can also move points when you grab those.

Delete Points. If you move a breakpoint close to second one, the second one becomes deleted.

3.7 High-level

3.7.1 Section Overview The High-level controls are to be though to provide easy to use interface for the user. Some of them control various basic effects at the same time. If High-level effects are used some of the basic effect control sliders are deactivated (you can move the slider but it will not have any effect). The dependencies are:

• Bluesy affects Vibrato, Growl, Formants.

3.7.2 Intonation The Intonation effect stretches or smoothes (like expanding and compressing) transitions in pitch.

3.7.3 Bluesy The Bluesy effect gives a bluesy character and feeling to the singer’s voice, applying a combination of Vibrato/Tremolo, Formant Shift and Growl effect.

3.7.4 Gender The Gender slider changes the characteristics of formant to achieve a more female or a more male character of the voice.

3.7.5 Sweetness The Sweetness control is thought to sweeten a voice, so as some would sing with a low loudness and without any growl. This effect also does clean a growly or rough voice. The effect is applied in two stages. When you move up the slider first the cleaning of the voice is started, and then follows a modification of its singer’s excitation.

3.8 Effects

3.8.1 Section Overview The Effects can be switched on/off using the button above the sliders.

3.8.2 Frequency Stretch This slider stretches the distance between harmonics and adds inharmonicity to the voice.

3.8.3 Odd/Even Mix This slider controls the balance between odd and even harmonics.

4 Harmonizer

4.1 General The version VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer provides the following features:

• Lead voice is transformable with all effects. • Up to 3 additional voices can be generated using MIDI setting.

Using the harmonizer you can generate a accompaniment based only on the lead voice recording, controlling the 3 additional voice generators by MIDI notes and controls. One the other hand the plug-in works also for live singing, playing a MIDI keyboard in real-time to control the voices of the harmonizer or using MIDI notes in an arrangement to control the additional voices.

5 MIDI implementation

5.1 MIDI channel assignation • MIDI Channel 1: Lead Voice • MIDI Channel 2: Harmonizer Voice 1 • MIDI Channel 3: Harmonizer Voice 2 • MIDI Channel 4: Harmonizer Voice 3

5.2 MIDI controls There are three different types of MIDI controls.

5.2.1 Global MIDI Controls • Change the Vocal Processor Presets: MIDI Program List.

5.2.2 Lead Voices MIDI Control • Lead Voice Volume: controlled by MIDI Main Volume of channel 1. • Panning of each Voice: controlled by MIDI Panning for all voices

independently. • Harmonizer Voices Tones: controlled by MIDI Not On/Off for all voices

independently. • Harmonizer Voices Volume: controlled by the MIDI Velocity of each

voice (corresponding to the MIDI channel of each voice). • Automatic Expression Control: controlled by “Gen Purp 3” (MIDI Control

82). • Operatic effect on/off: controlled by “Gen Purp 2” (MIDI Control 81). • For the lead voice any other slider and button of the GUI can be

controlled by MIDI or in the Cubase SX automation, see picture below for a complete list of controllable parameters:

5.2.3 Harmonizer MIDI Controls • Voice Volume: controlled by MIDI Main Volume of channel 1 (for all

voices independantly). • Panning of each Voice: controlled by MIDI Panning for all voices

independently. • Portamento time of the harmonizer voices: controlled by MIDI

Portamento for all voices independently. • Autotune of harmonizer voices on/off: controlled by “Gen Purp 1” (MIDI

Control 80) for all voices independently.

NOTE: The Operatic effect simulates the voice characteristic of an opera singer emphasizing the singer’s formant frequency.

Received MIDI Data

MIDI channel

Voice Type

Note On/Off Velocity

Main Volume

(C7) Panning

(C10) Portamento

(C5) Autotune

(C80)

Automatic Expression

Control (C81)

Operatic Effect (C82)

1 Original X X X X X

2 Harmonizer Voice 1 X X X X X X X

3 Harmonizer Voice 2 X X X X X X X

4 Harmonizer Voice 3 X X X X X X X

6 Tutorial: How to automate the Vocal Processor effects using the automation in Cubase SX 2.0 ?

6.1 Using VoiceFX_VST

6.1.1 Configure Cubase Audio Tracks and insert effects For the VoiceFX_VST you have to you a mono audio track and for the VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer a stereo track. Witch to the mixers “insert” view. Then you click on one of the insert channels and look for Vocal Processor. There you the two plug-ins. Choose one. Afterwards you a similar configuration like in the picture below:

VoiceFX_VST-harmonizerVoiceFX_VST

6.1.2 Using the automation Right click on a track in the arrange window opens a context menu where you can find the option “Show used automation”. This displays all already existing automation data. If you to record new data switch the automation in mode “Record” and move sliders in the GUI of the Vocal Processor. All movements of sliders or buttons will be recorded. The only exception is the Timbre mapping GUI, which can not be automated. Nevertheless you can use several presets to automate different timbre mappings during an arrangement.

6.1.3 Using VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer To use the harmonizer you need an stereo audio track where you put the original voice recording. In one of the channel inserts you load the VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer. Then you one or more MIDI Tracks depending on how many harmonizer voices you want to generate. To route the MIDI Track data to the plug-in during playback, you have to connect MIDI Out in the track parameters to the plug-in. Furthermore you have to choose the MIDI channel corresponding to the voices you want to control.

Routing of MIDI Track “Harm LV Vol”to theVoiceFX_VST-harmonizer

Voice recording as inputfor the Vocal Processorplug-in

MIDI Track thatcontrol the harmonizer, with MIDI notes andMIDI control data.

Routing of MIDI Track “Harm LV Vol”to theVoiceFX_VST-harmonizer

Voice recording as inputfor the Vocal Processorplug-in

MIDI Track thatcontrol the harmonizer, with MIDI notes andMIDI control data.

7 Tutorial: Singing Live with the VFX using VoiceFX_VST or VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer

To use the VoiceFX_VST or the VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer for live singing, you insert it as usual in a mixer channel insert. To be able to listen to output of the Vocal Processor you have activate the orange colored “Monitoring” button of the Audio Track. If you want to the harmonizer use the VoiceFX_VST-harmonizer in the channel insert and route the output from a MIDI channel to the plug-in. Use MIDI channel 1. Connect a MIDI keyboard to Cubase. Sing something and play chord on the keyboard. Each note of the chord is routed automatically to another harmonizer voice.

ActivateDirect MonitoringTo hear your voice

Select the MIDI TrackYou use to control theVocal Processor

Route MIDI Track outTo the VoiceFX_VST

ActivateDirect MonitoringTo hear your voice

Select the MIDI TrackYou use to control theVocal Processor

Route MIDI Track outTo the VoiceFX_VST

8 Troubleshooting • If you have written automation data to control the plug-in, then you should

not unload the plug-in, because automation data may be erased. • If the VoiceFX_VST fails loading restart the computer (maybe not

necessary) soundcard and Cubase. • Presets you have to LOAD MANUALLY because of a bug, see chapter 9.

9 Known Bugs

9.1 Both versions

9.1.1 Preset Storage and Loading Stored presets are not loaded automatically in Cubase SX2.0, when you open the project file. You have to load the presets manually. Therefore we recommend you to always store your presets manually on hard-disk before closing the project. NOTE: This bug probably is a host problem, refer to Steinberg´s bug report.

9.1.2 Timbre Mapping GUI If Cubase runs in play mode the GUI is probably not updated correctly when you change presets.

9.2 VoiceFX Harmonizer

9.2.1 Vibrato Tremolo To reduce the CPU consume of the harmonizer plug-in, it works with half of the frame-rate, which means the resolution of voice characteristics is not as accurate as in the normal plug-in. In theory this may not have any negative effect of the sound quality, but in case of applying vibrato to the lead voice, it sounds distorted, but more like a growl or creaky voice. A workaround for this problem is just to use two plug-ins, the normal one for the lead voice and the harmonizer one just to generate the choir voices (setting the volume of the lead vocal to zero using MIDI controls (see chapter ).

10 Credits The Vocal Processor has been developed during a inside a collaboration project between Yamaha and the Music Technology Group (MTG) of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra from 2003 to 2004. Investigators and programmers: Alex Loscos, Lars Fabig, Merlijn Blaauw, Jordi Bonada, Jordi Janer.