One of the techniques I love to use to add unique character to the music I make is the creative use of vocal manipulation. I don't just use vocals for singing; I treat them as raw material, transforming them into entirely new sonic elements. This approach allows me to blur the lines between instrument and voice, aiming for a unique and captivating soundscape.
Why Manipulate Vocals?
- Unique and Personal Touch: While the lead vocals will, of course, be unique to the singer, adding additional sounds to the instrumental soundscape created using the vocals adds an extra layer of the singer’s sonic character.
- A World of Possibilities: From pitch and format shifting to distortion and vocal chopping, vocal manipulation unlocks a vast palette of sonic textures and rhythmic possibilities from an instrument we all have access to - the human voice.
- Fuel Your Creativity: Experimentation is key - vocal manipulation encourages a playful and exploratory approach to music-making.
Examples of Manipulation Techniques I've Used
- Create Rhythmic Instruments: In a couple of tracks, I've made hi-hat sounds from a vocal sample by copying a very sharp “t” sound from the vocal take, reversing it, and replicating it into 16th notes. I add subtle modulation effects to create slight variations between notes to humanise the performance as if hi-hats were being played.
- Unexpected Timbre: Pitch and formant shifting can give the vocals an unexpected sound and catch the listener’s attention. I used some of these these techniques in the track Paranoia - n1ghtmar3cat Remix, and I show how I did it in this video.
- Rhythmic Exploration: Chopping vocals into fragments creates intriguing rhythmic patterns and textures, as featured in the drop section (or bridge) in the track Don’t Sleep - n1ghtmar3cat Remix.
- Vocoder Magic: In Hurting Myself (and I Think I Like It), I utilised a vocoder to create a unique and expressive vocal sound.
- "Ecstasy" - Vocals Only! My album RAT RACE features the track Ecstasy, a piece entirely constructed from manipulated vocals. This track demonstrates the incredible versatility of the human voice paired with the manipulation technology we have today, showcasing how the voice can be used as a truly unique instrument.
Some Plugins I Use
There are many plugins that can do pitch shifting, formant shifting, or vocal chopping. Some of my favourites include:
- Polyverse Manipulator: As well as pitch and formant controls, this one has a heap of other controls that can give you crazy results. The presets provide a great range of starting points to tweak from.
- Little Alterboy / Vocal Bender: Two simple but great-sounding pitch plugins. They can do similar things, but the pitching results can sound a bit different so I alternate between them. They also have settings that flatten a performance to a single note, which can then be automated into a new melody. I made a video about this, which you can watch here.
- Melodyne: This is my primary vocal correction software, and it’s a beast - I’ll write more about it in another article. It can also be fun to experiment with for creative manipulation.
- Momentum: This is a sampler that has a vocal-chopping function. When you drop a vocal clip into it, it automatically creates slices that get distributed across your MIDI keyboard. It’s a fun way to experiment, and I often come up with new melodies I wouldn’t have thought of. For some reason, it’s a free sampler. I’ve only used it for vocal chopping, but that function alone is super valuable. Here’s a video showing how to use it for vocal chopping.
Give Your Music a Sonic Fingerprint
With these techniques, I’m using vocals to develop a sonic fingerprint that makes my music more recognisable. By pushing the boundaries of vocal manipulation, you can explore the untapped potential of your voice and those of the artists you work with, adding a unique flavour to the music.
