The Secret History of the Vocoder [video]

YouTube ^ | August 20, 2014 | New Yorker Video

[Squawk 8888]

The vocoder—the musical instrument that gave Kraftwerk its robotic sound—began as an early telecommunications device and a top-secret military encoding machine.

[Squawk 8888]

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[Army Air Corps]

Funny that the post would mention Kraftwerk - I was listening to Computerworld while at work today.

[bigbob]

And if you like that, check out the Sonovox (Alvino Rey and the classic PAMS radio jingles) and Bob Heil’s “talk box” (Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, et al). All different techniques.

[Celtic Conservative]

I seem to remember that ELO was rather fond of the vocoder. the 2 biggest songs that relied on it were “the diary of horace wimp” and “Mr. Blue Sky” , which is one of my favorites.

CC

[RC one]

for later

[blam]

Mr Blue Sky

[QBFimi]

Don’t forget the Bell Labs Voder at the 1938 World’s Fair in New Yawk:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voder

[ADemocratNoMore]

I see somebody got to the Voder.

Starting at 21:44 is the song “Whose shoulder are you looking over anyway?” from Curved Air's third LP Phantasmagoria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdYrorEsa9A

It was speech from Sonja Kristina processed through the Synthi 100 and a PDP 11 at the BBC Radiophonic Studio - Groundbreaking back in 1972!

Also from that save era was a cut on Tonto's Expanding Headband circa 1971 which featured the TONTO (truly a beast of an analog modular) singing on the following...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mhOmPHHjc

Jump forward some 40 odd years and we have the Vocaloids/Utaloids. One of my fellow Freepers turned me on to Hatsune Miku so I'll return the favor. This song is a short operating manuals for Miku, who is a concatenative vocal synthesizer. Be sure to follow the English translation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9EwxLO9Ado

She's got a hell of a good band behind her too! Just a little off topic but I've been listening to a lot of JPop/JRock and find it, strangely enough the last place on the planet that hasn't been taken over by rapCrap

[Octar]

Don’t forget the Bell Labs Voder at the 1938 World’s Fair in New Yawk:It was in 1939. I was there.

[Rodamala]

It is notable that in 1961 Arthur C. Clarke had an acquaintance employed at Bell Labs and Clarke was invited to see a demonstration of an IBM 704 programmed to synthesize speech at Murray Hill. The song that it performed was “Daisy Bell”(A Bicycle Built for Two)... That song is the song that HAL sings at it is being disconnected in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

You guys probably knew this already, though.

[Brother Cracker]

[left that other site]

I had a terrific Digitech Vocal Processor that was rigged to a footswitch.

When I did my “Tribute to WW2 Vets” solo act, I would hit the switch with my foot and do a Medley of Andrews Sisters tunes in close, perfect 3-Part Harmony. The “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” would bring down the house every time! :-)

[Drumbo]

Before Walsh or Frampton: Jeff Beck demonstrates “The Bag”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqUINS7NH44

[HandyDandy]

Nice video. I saw Jeff Beck using that thing live in Buffalo in ‘73 or ‘74. The other band that played that night was none other than Foghat (with two lead guitar players ala Spinal Tap!)