Just how rugged is your microphone? Mats St̴lbr̦st, editor of the Stockholm-based Studio, took testing to a new extreme last year. He did violence to the legendary Shure SM58 Рthe sub-$100, vocal dynamic mic. It was used to hammer nails. It was dropped several meters. It was frozen. It was dunked in water. It was driven over by a car. It had beer poured on it. It was placed in a microwave atop a pizza. And the thing kept on working.

We covered the gory abuse back in October 2007. Little did we know then that the test wasn’t over. It seems Mats and company buried the SM58. The SM58 has been there, underground, for a year, even enduring a harsh, Swedish winter. To complete phase II of their test, the folks at Studio unearthed the poor mic, washed it (running it under a tap, of course, not doing it properly), and gave it another test. Surprise: still working.

Incidentally, the SM58 and variants make a fantastic gift for a musician. Even if they’ve already got one, they could probably use another.

Shure SM58 Product Page – and yup, positive they do not endorse this sort of thing, but if it keeps working like this, who needs a warranty?

Here’s the new video. May not be suitable for squeamish audiophiles:

And the original torture test:

Sound files promised in Studio 01-09, but that issue doesn’t seem to be up yet. (Selected from the dropdown.)

Got an SM58 – or other mic – that’s taken some abuse? Send us photos!

CDM’s resident game composer W. Brent Latta continues pouring over the epic choral sampling library that is EWQL’s Symphonic Libraries. In case you weren’t already impressed with its 9 DVDs of sounds, in this episode, Brent constructs actual words out of samples — the holy grail of synthetic vocals. -Ed.

WordBuilder is arguably the most significant piece of technology in the Choirs package. Sure – in terms of raw samples, there has never been a choir library this substantial. But more important is the ability to actually get the choir to say exactly what you want them to, without resulting to bland “Oooohs” and “Aaaaahs” or resulting to bland, pre-recorded phrases such as “Hallelujah”.

That said, our look at WordBuilder will be brief, only because the application is so deep that to fully explain its use and application would exceed the scope of a review and lead into something more of a tutorial.

As we discussed in the earlier episodes, we’re using Choirs along with Logic Pro 7 – thus we use WordBuilder in standalone mode. We fire up Logic, WordBuilder, and 4 instances of our Choirs Kompakt plugin (SATB), and begin our foray into building words. The first thing to understand about WordBuilder is that while a monophonic note-line will be routed in (from your controller or sequencer), WordBuilder will transmit much more MIDI data at output. Consider the word “sly”. The composer things of this as a single word or syllable, however WordBuilder must break this individual word into multiple segments, “s”, “l”, and “y” – each to be routed (with the same note value) to a different sample. Thus we can see that WordBuilder is a sophisticated MIDI processor, and harnessing its power is no small undertaking.

The incoming note from your controller or sequencer will have a velocity value that will be passed into each segment in WordBuilder. However, we can change the velocity of each segment on the fly in WordBuilder, if we so desire. Even more useful is the ability to set transitions between segments and phrases. As noted in the documentation, “singing the word ‘alone’ might need to be noticeably different than singing the phrase ‘a loan’, even though the sounds of the letters are the same and the notes on the staff identical.” WordBuilder allows the user several ways to specify transitions between phrases, the most flexible being “Text Entry” mode, where entering symbols into the text field will specify the type of transition between segments. “had a lit-tle =lamb” would yield slurring on the first word, staccato on the next 3 words, and a normal transition on the final word.

As a side-note, it should be mentioned that we can solo specific words or phrases to further hone and refine our performance. As we select a given syllable in the text field and click ‘Solo’ in WordBuilder, we then loop the particular notes in our sequencer, or simply play them in repeatedly from our controller.

Perhaps the most important functionality of WordBuilder – aside from assigning the actual text to be sung – lies in its ability to ‘learn’ the timing of the lyrics to be sung. There are two basic approaches: Change Speed, which actually adjusts the duration of each phonetic segment, and Draw Only, which merely indicates the length of each syllable in the timeline. Each one is useful in its own right. Change Speed is the most efficient way to get the choir to sing the lyrics with the melody you’ve written, though it is not necessarily precise enough to simply ’set-it-and-forget-it’. Draw Only doesn’t change the actual duration of the segments – that type of adjustment is up to the composer. What it does is give you a guideline, a foundation from which you can adjust and tweak the syllables to your hearts content. Personally, I’m the impatient type, so I’m going to be working with the Change Speed mode, with manual tweaking after the fact.

One nitpick I have with the documentation for WordBuilder – it constantly references the different colors of segments and notes, but the manual itself is in black and white. I realize that they assume the user will have the application open while they’re reading the manual, but that is a faulty assumption for some of us, who use our commute time (on the bus, mind you) to read through the documentation and our studio time to put it into practice.

It should also be noted that there is one cumbersome quandary in the WordBuilder system that makes it somewhat difficult to get the lyrics to come out the way you want. When a single word or syllable requires multiple notes, the composer must toggle a MIDI CC event – one for “Hold On” and one for “Hold Off”. These toggles are set in the options menu – completely separate from the learned timing system used elsewhere. This dislocation of the hold system from the rest of the timing system is frustrating. Surely there must be a better way to incorporate held syllables over multiple notes within the primary “learning” system. I certainly hope East West refines this feature in the future.

Here is a quick MP3 sample of the Lacrimosa phrase from Mozart’s requiem. As shown in the graphic, one must insert a separate syllable for the note to be held (the ‘a’).

lacrimosa.mp3

WordBuilder is a complex application, requiring proprietary syntax and a great deal of patience. However, it pays off in the end, and your results will be directly proportional to the amount of time you’re willing to spend refining your song. While I wish that it were easier for a composer to get a virtual choir to sing, I honestly can’t think of a more efficient or flexible way of doing it. East West has done an amazing job with this application, and I’m excited to share my results with you in our next, and FINAL installment.

Previously:
EWQL Symphonic Choirs Episode 2: Digging In
Review: EWQL Symphonic Choirs Sample Library, Episode 1 – The Arrival
[Ed.: We're currently correcting an error in the database that caused some mis-encoded characters in episode 1. Thanks for your patience. -PK]

As previously mentioned, the first thing I had to throw out was the concept of plug-and-play. Once the application is installed, the similarity to other sample libraries ends. In order to really take advantage of this app, a second application is used, namely WordBuilder. WordBuilder is the application that allows the user to specify what text is to be sung, as well as the duration and dynamics of the piece. For those who may not grab the concept, it is easiest to think of WordBuilder as an intermediary app – it sits between your input device (usually a MIDI keyboard controller, sequencing or scoring app) and the Choirs Kompakt player. As note information comes in, WordBuilder maps the appropriate sample to each note, taking into account what syllable you wish to play, the duration, the intended sampleset (is it a Bass or a Tenor singing “Aaaaah”), etc. In a way, it is like a MIDI processing unit, adding additional ‘control’ values to incoming notes, and sending out a more complex signal.

After plowing through the first few WordBuilder chapters, I decided it was time to get Choirs setup with Logic Pro, my sequencer of choice, so I could really put it to the test. The manual for Choirs goes into detail describing the possible configurations, depending on what operating system and sequencing or scoring application you wish to use. In short, there are three basic setup styles: Stand-alone (the most commonly used setup) works in OS X and XP, with any sequencer or keyboard that sends MIDI on a specific port. MIDI loopback connections are required for most of these configurations. The second setup is VST MA (VST Module Architecture) and works under Windows or Mac OS X for users of Cubase SX or Nuendo (versions 2 and 3). Lastly, they offer MFX plug-in support for users of Sonar., For me, I would have to go the standalone route, diving into Logic’s Environment to configure the loopback ports…or would I?

On one of my web surfing expeditions, I recalled seeing a Logic and Choirs template referenced on the East West forum. After some sleuthing, I found it on the FAQ page, and shall link to it here for your future reference. It was a HUGE timesaver and got me up and running with Choirs and Logic Pro in less than 10 minutes. Similar setup assistance is available for Cubase, Sonar, ProTools, Digital Performer and Finale. EWQL Symphonic Choirs Setup FAQ

So after flying through that setup, I fired up the SATB template in WordBuilder, which loads the appropriate Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass presets, loaded four instances of Kompakt in the Logic SATB template, each with its respective multi sample set (more about those in a later installment), and went back to the manual to come to grips with the heart of Choirs: WordBuilder.

WordBuilder consists of two primary components: a text window, where the user specifies the text to be sung, and a duration window, where the user specifies the duration of each syllable. In addition, the user can use one of three types of text input: 1) standard spelling, 2) an easy-to-learn phonetic alphabet, and 3) VOTOX, a phonetic alphabet designed by EW specifically for choirs. I quickly tested out standard spelling and found the results to be less than satisfactory, and since I don’t know the phonetic alphabet, I figured it would be just as easy to learn VOTOX. There’s a handy reference sheet in the manual, so memorizing VOTOX isn’t necessary unless you’re typing a whole lot of text. I quickly ran through some of the included “Latin Phrase” presets – these are VOTOX transcriptions of common Latin phrases used in classical choir contexts. VOTOX yielded a much more convincing and accurate sound, so on to the next step.

Unfortunately, the lyrics for Pie Jesu are not among the Latin Phrase presets, so I would have to craft my own text for my first Opus. My first attempt was rather pathetic, so I wont even bother posting an MP3. The syllables transitioned on the incorrect notes and it sounded like a bad virtual choir kind of singing what I wanted them to…but not very well. It was clear that I was dealing with an amateur choir here, and we would need a lot of practice before we were able to sing the whole piece from start to finish. My skills as engineer and composer would be put to the test, and WordBuilder was going to take some significant wrangling to achieve the desired result.

…to be continued. Next Episode: WordBuilder Unleashed

Read EWQL Symphonic Choirs Episode 1

The only real challenge in using vocoders in software is routing, since you need two signals — a carrier and a modulator. People are regularly asking how to do this on the Ableton Live forums, because there’s not an obvious way in Live to sidechain signal. Here’s one tutorial, and it’s friendly to people who have never used a vocoder before:

How To Use A Vocoder In Ableton Live [SonicTransfer]
More Orange Vocoder Tips [SonicTransfer]

Since some of the links are broken, here are the vocoders mentioned in the article. Both are Mac/Windows compatible, but only mda TalkBox is free:

Orange Vocoder Mac, Windows [Prosoniq]

mda Free Effects (Download the whole archive in VST Windows or VST/AU Mac format; TalkBox is in each version — and yes, the free mda stuff now runs Universal on Intel Macs)

Interestingly, this tutorial assumes you want a non-live solution. My preferred method is to set up two channels, one with the vocoder, and another with a live mic input (or other source), then route into the vocoder using the “Audio To” dropdown. I’m working on a tutorial specific to this with some other tips, so stay tuned.

My own vocoder of choice, which immediately suggests breaking out of the cliched vocoding mold with lots of wacky experimental presets and lovely-sounding synth sounds (I’ll share some of mine if I come up with anything nice):

Native Instruments Vokator [also in Komplete]

The vocoder has a long and fascinating history, one that goes beyond the narrow knowledge many people have of it. Wikipedia keeps getting better and better and has an extensive history; Obsolete.com looks at the first vocoders:

Vocoder [Wikipedia]
Homer Dudley’s Speech Synthesisers, “The Vocoder” (1940) & “Voder”(1939) [Obsolete.com: 120 Years of Electronic Music]

Note that Bob Moog and Wendy Carlos get credit for creating the vocoder as we now know it. (The original vocoder sounded quite different!)

The best news, here, however, is that you can build your own vocoder thanks to a PAIA kit designed by none other than Craig Anderton. It’s a traditional 8-band model (none of this new-fangled, 128-band nonsense), but with a “spectral cross modulator” for some additional effects. I would be running to buy one myself if I weren’t dead broke.

PAIA Vocoder

If anyone has one, let us know how it is to work with.

The key with making new vocoder effects is to get out there and experiment; love or hate the song, Imogen Heap’s blockbuster “Hide and Seek” (just when you thought vocoder hits were dead) came out of some happy accidents as the vocoder modulates between pitches. That’s made it hard to perform — and inspired choral a Capella versions — but it demonstrates yet again that the organic effect of struggling a bit with your technology often creates the most satisfying results.

Got more vocoder questions or tips? Send them on in.

9 DVDs – are you serious!?

EWQL Symphonic Choirs arrived at work one sunny, summer afternoon. The packaging was nice – standard software size, with the usual EastWest design aesthetic. â€Å“Hmmm…this box is pretty heavy,â€Â? I thought to myself. I cracked open the seal, and emptied the contents. A couple of user-guides, some registration papers, and a thick, posterboard disc envelope. I mean really thick.

â€Å“How big is this thing?â€Â? I checked the back of the box. 38 gigabytes. 9 DVDs. Let me type that again, in case you missed it. 38 gigabytes. 9 DVDs. â€Å“I wonder how long this will take to install,â€Â? I mused to my co-workers. â€Å“I’ve got a Pioneer DVR108 in my G5 – it should have no problems flying through this installation, right? It reads at 16x…â€Â? I took the package home that night and decided to wait until the weekend to do the installation.

Saturday morning arrived and I decided I would go ahead with the install and start plowing through the user guide. I put the first disc into the drive, opened up Omniweb to grab any software updates from the SoundsOnline website, and cracked open the manual. The installation dialog box slowly ticked upwards:

5 minutes remaining, 7 minutes remaining, 11 minutes remaining, 15 minutes remaining.

I was clearly in for a long wait. â€Å“So…I’ve got 9 DVDs here…I’m thinking I don’t want to sit in front of my Mac for two-plus hours today to wait for this to install. Boy I wish dual-layer discs were in-fashion…â€Â?

And so it was, that I spread out the installation of EWQL Symphonic Choirs over the course of two days. Yes – it took me a weekend to finally get this app up and running on a Dual 1.8Ghz PowerMac G5 with relatively fast drives. I spaced the install out such that I would stick a disc in, resume the install, and walk away to run errands, clean the apartment, play some Ghost Recon, or catch up on e-mail. This is not an installation for the impatient. Now, if you’ve got the time and willingness, you could probably get this thing installed in a couple of hours. But honestly I’ve always been rather fussy about how I spend my time, so this seemed like the best way to do it. After all was said and done, I was up and running by late Sunday afternoon and had skimmed the manual enough to know that not only was the install process rather lengthy – this was not a simple plug-and-play application. I’d had it easy with EWQL RA and Stormdrum – just pick a patch and start jamming! Not so with Choirs. If I was going to get ANY useful results from this library, I was going to have to devote some serious time and study to its use and application.

So back to the manual I go – this time from start to finish.

…to be continued…

Symphonic Choirs Product Page

Process of making Etch-a-Sound [flickr set]
Etch-a-Sound at Cybersonica [flickr set]
Etch-a-Sound on Pixelsumo (blog of the Cybersonica curator, Chris O’Shea)
Project Page, atoyfactory

And the video:

Brilliant work, Seulki Kang and Kenichi Okada!

Tune Automatic pitch correction and “melody transformation.” (also available separately for US$600 list)

DeBreath Breath removal (a description that also applies to me attempting to play soccer); this one is designed to work as transparently as possible

Renaissance Channel Channel Strip

Renaissance DeEsser “Intelligent” Sibilance Control

Doubler Emulates Double-Track Effects

Grand total: US$1000. And those of you who already have a Waves bundle can expect to see Tune LT for free. Supports most Mac/PC hosts (Pro Tools and Native alike). Copy protection via iLok dongle, as with other Waves products.

Waves Vocal Bundle

The Tune effect is the most intriguing to me, as it includes MIDI export, formant correction, and other editing tools. Pitch correction just gets more and more sophisticated, making it possible to use it for ever-subtler effects and new far-out special effects, rather than the “let’s over-correct everything” approach that gained popularity in the studio for a while.

This also vindicates something else for me: there’s a market for more software products for singers. (Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to take advantage of the brilliant sound of my Shower Pro effects processor on the velvet fog that is my voice.)

While I wait for a TonePort for review, what would be important to you for computer-based vocals? Would you (or your local singer) croon into an onstage laptop?

No . . . not Wings, Wing,
one of the hotest vocal artists on the planet. If you haven't heard
this Hong Kong native yet (she was recently featured on South Park, a
TV show that has launched . . . or re-launched . . . many a pop
superstar), you're missing out on incredibly smooth, sultry tones.
Velvet fog, indeed. And now M-Audio (a part of Avid) has earned a major endorsement. Sure, M-Audio has scored endorsements from the likes of everyone from Grammy-Winning Black-Eyed Peas to Straight Male Apartment Conversion Theme Song wonders Widelife, but clearly the addition of Wing is proof positive that digital music-making is here. (Don't believe me? Check out Wing's site, have a listen, and be converted.)

Tired of the lead vocalist in your hardcore thrash death metal band? Why not replace him or her with a parrot?

Yes, it's Hatebeak,
the band with a parrot (literally) singing — make that "savaging you
with feathers of razored steel." (I've heard a few folk
singer-songwriters who also fit that description, but I digress.) Where
else could you find tunes like "Bird Bites, Dog Cries," "Beak of
Putrefaction," or "Bird Seeds of Vengeance." The sound is best
described as, um, just go listen to the MP3.

Reptilian Records is also lucky enough to have signed Caninus, which
features two pitbulls — Budgie and Basil — so if you're a dog lover,
you can get that on 7" vinyl, too. Thanks, Kamala, for the tip!