Lumpy, Sizzling Robo-Vocals

The last time I started a blog with a quote from music technology guru Jim Aikin, it provoked an erudite uproar, which taught me a lot. So in honor of Jim’s latest feature for O’Reilly Digital Media, I thought I’d whack that beehive once more.

Jim covers the Korg MS2000B and many more voice-twisting technologies in his article “How to Make Your Sound Sing with Vocoders.”

Jim and I had been discussing doing an article on vocoders, those magical devices that impose the sonic signature of one sound (usually a vocal) on another, making the second sound appear to talk or sing. Our discussion flowed on to speech synthesis, another of my favorite music-production techniques.

Jim noted, “I reviewed the Yamaha/Zero-G Vocaloid synth. Basically, it sounds realistic but utterly bland. As I said in the review, it can sing, but it can’t shout, moan, or whisper. It’s utterly devoid of emotion.”

“Good point.” I replied. “Perhaps the best use of robovocals is to serve as a foil to a real vocal—that tasty contrast of the smooth serving platter and the lumpy, sizzling roast.”

That made me think of a song that’s been stuck in my head since I heard it on the Donnie Darko soundtrack: “Mad World,” as performed by Gary Jules. (Click “Mad World” to start playback.) The vocoder comes in at the end of the first chorus (around 1:20), then more strongly at the end. Its otherworldly sound makes Jules’s delicate voice sound even more vulnerable.

When I looked up the original Tears for Fears version (iTunes Music Store link), I was unmoved. In that case, the humanity was buried by the technology rather than enhanced. (Spencer Critchley shares more examples in Strip Away the Production, Reveal the Great Song Within.)

To pound the beehive again, I’ll postulate that emotional music is dramatic, and that drama springs from contrast: light vs. dark, smooth vs. gritty, soft vs. loud, high vs. low, etc. When you think of composing and arranging in those terms, you may find your music speaks more powerfully.