Contents

Introducing Auto-Tune Vocodist 4

Vocoder Models and Artist Presets 5
Pitch Control Options 5
Output + FX Section 5
Pitch Correction and the Auto-Tune Effect 5
Auto-Key Compatibility 6
Global Controls 7
Preset Menu 7
Input Type 8
Key and Scale 8
Auto-Tune Button 8
Auto-Tune Targets MIDI 9
Settings 10
Help 10
Keyboard and XY Pad 10
Keyboard 10
XY Pad 11
Voice Controls 12
Low-Cut Filter 12
Compress 13
Emphasize 13
Retune Speed 13
Humanize 14
Noise Controls 15
Unvoiced Indicator Light 15
Noise Model (White/Pink) 15
Sensitivity 16
Balance 16
Level 17
Color 17
Synth Controls 17
Source 18
Pitch Track 18
Contents 2

Gate 19
Hold Time 19
Comp and Gain 19
Mini Keyboard 20
Pitch Bend 20
XY Pad MIDI Assignment (X CC# and Y CC#) 20
Filter Design 21
Play (Audition Filter) 21
Model 22
Filter Slope 23
Lowpass and Highpass Filters 23
Bands 24
Q 24
Min Hz and Max Hz 24
Stretch and Slide 24
Filter Graph 25
Envelope Design 27
Attack 27
Release 27
Band Gain Multi-Slider 28
Multi-Slider Control Buttons 29
Freeze 29
Band Shift 30
Smear 30
Oscillator Controls 31
Voices 31
Glide (Portamento) 32
Octave 32
Release 32
Detune 32
Unison 33
Interval 33
Scale 33
Shape 34
Oscillator Gain (Osc 1 and Osc 2) 34
Cross Mod (X) 34
Output + FX Controls 35
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Output Meter 35
Voice Env 35
Spread 36
Gain 36
Warmth 36
Voice Mix 36
Chorus 37
Send Source Vocal to Chorus (right arrow button) 37
Voice HPF 37
Voice Mod 37
Settings and Preferences 38
Quick Start/Show Quick Start on Startup 38
Enable Auto-Key Detection 39
Enable Auto-Tune 39
Enable Tooltips 39
Choosy Tracking 39
Ignore Vibrato 40
Detune and Detune Display 40
Use OpenGL Graphics 40
Save as Default 40
Contents 4

Introducing Auto-Tune Vocodist

Auto-Tune Vocodist brings back the sound of vintage vocoders with the full power of
Auto-Tune built right in.

Start vocoding quickly and easily with an expansive collection of vocoder models and
artist presets.

Or, dive deep and explore limitless sonic possibilities with the fully configurable XY Pad,
Filter and Envelope design sections, and more.

With industry-standard pitch correction and vintage vocoder models, Auto-Tune

Vocodist is a match made in heaven.
Contents 5

Vocoder Models and Artist Presets

Vocodist includes models of vintage vocoders made famous by artists like Herbie
Hancock, the Beastie Boys, Kraftwerk, and Devo.

Plus, we teamed up with some friends to build an extensive collection of Artist Presets
– Chromeo / P-Thugg, J Chris Griffin, Damien Lewis, Rachel K Collier, and Buddy Ross to
name a few.

Pitch Control Options

Multiple pitch tracking options let you control the pitch of your vocoded sound with your
voice or with your favorite MIDI keyboard.

The built-in 8-voice dual oscillator helps you start vocoding quickly and easily. Or use
any external audio source via side chain input. So get ready to grab your favorite synth
and make it sing!

Output + FX Section
Add the finishing touches to your blended vocal and vocoded sound with the Output+FX
controls.

With a variety of effects like classic analog tube saturation, lush chorus, and mutative
ring modulation, these controls help you achieve any combination of subtle
enhancements and extreme vocal mutations.

Pitch Correction and the Auto-Tune Effect

Auto-Tune Vocodist includes the same core Auto-Tune technology that professional
artists and producers have relied on for years.

Blend your vocoded sound with the perfect amount of pitch correction: Turn the Retune
Speed to 0 for that classic Auto-Tune Effect, or apply it subtly with the Humanize
parameter.

Take Vocodist to your next gig and vocode in real-time – Low latency processing
eliminates distracting delay, keeping the spotlight on you.
Contents 6

Auto-Key Compatibility
On top of all that, Auto-Tune Vocodist is fully compatible with the Auto-Key plug-in and
mobile app. Auto-Key saves you valuable time in the studio by detecting the key and
scale of your music, and sending it to Vocodist with a single click.
Contents 7

Controls
Global Controls

The Global Controls at the top of the plug-in window give you quick access to some of
Auto-Tune Vocodist's basic parameters and settings, plus a link to help pages and FAQs.

Preset Menu
Auto-Tune Vocodist comes loaded with a collection of
artist presets to help you get started.

Use them as is, or as a starting place to create your own unique sound.

Browse through the artist preset folders to try out different

settings and effects designed by Buddy Ross, Chromeo, Damien
Lewis, J Chris Griffin, and Rachel Collier.

Click Save or Save As to create your own personal presets, and

save them to the User folder.

Click Show Preset Folder to locate the folder on your hard drive
where your user presets are stored. This can be useful if you
need to move your presets from one computer to another.

Click the “like” button next to a preset to add it to your favorites folder.

The Random Preset button lets you quickly try out a variety of different effects.
Click it to call up a random preset from the Presets Menu.
Contents 8

Input Type
Auto-Tune Vocodist offers a selection of processing algorithms
optimized for different pitch ranges of input audio.

Options include: Soprano, Alto/Tenor, Low Male, and Instrument.

The expected pitch range for the currently selected Input Type is highlighted in lighter
gray in the background of the Filter Graph.

For more accurate pitch detection and correction, choose the Input Type that best fits
the pitch range of your audio.

Key and Scale

The Key and Scale menus let you define the set of notes that
your audio will be tuned to.

For best results, set them to match the actual key and scale of your music.

The Keyboard is automatically updated to show which notes are active for the current
Key and Scale selection.

If you’re not sure what key your music is in, use the Auto-Key plug-in to automatically
detect it and send that information to Auto-Tune Vocodist.

Auto-Tune Button
The Auto-Tune button lets you easily enable or bypass Auto-Tune’s
pitch correction processing.

Turn it on to tune your vocals or dial in the perfect Auto-Tune Effect. Or turn it off to hear
just the vocoder, without any Auto-Tune.

When the Auto-Tune button is on, Auto-Tune pitch correction is applied to the original
voice input (which you can hear by turning up the Voice Mix control), but that’s not all it
does.
Contents 9

Auto-Tune’s pitch detection also controls the built-in oscillators, for perfect pitch and
scale tracking on the vocoded output as well as the original vocal.
When Auto-Tune is off, the following controls are disabled:
● Retune Speed
● Humanize
● Auto-Tune Targets MIDI

In the Preferences Window you can choose whether to have Auto-Tune on or off by
default when you open a new instance of Auto-Tune Vocodist.

Pro Tip
Use Retune Speed and Humanize to dial in the amount of Auto-Tune processing
on your original voice input (they won’t impact the sound of the vocoded output,
so you’ll have to turn up Voice Mix to hear the result).

Try setting both to 0 for a pronounced Auto-Tune Effect. Or use higher settings
for more subtle pitch correction.

The Glide control functions similarly to Retune Speed, but for the vocoded output,
setting the rate of transition between pitches for the internal oscillators.

Set Glide to 0 for more abrupt, immediate transition between pitches, or to a

higher value for more gradual, sliding pitch transitions in the vocoded output.

Turn up Voice Mix to combine your Auto-Tuned vocal input with the output of the
vocoder. Then experiment with different settings for Retune Speed and Glide to
create a subtle contrast in the phrasing and pitch transitions of the two voices.

Auto-Tune Targets MIDI

The Target MIDI button lets you control Auto-Tune’s pitch with MIDI note
input.

You can perform a melody in real time on a MIDI keyboard, or play it from a MIDI track,
and Auto-Tune Vocodist will tune your audio to whatever MIDI notes are on at any given
time.
Contents 10

Check out the Auto-Tune Vocodist help page for tips on how to route MIDI to a plug-in in
your DAW.

Settings
This button opens the Settings Menu where you can also access the
Preferences Window.

Help
The Help button gives you quick access to the Auto-Tune Vocodist help page
where you can find links to helpful articles and answers to frequently asked
questions.

Keyboard and XY Pad

Keyboard

The Keyboard displays the current detected pitch by highlighting it in blue.

It also allows you to add and remove notes from the scale. If Auto-Tune is on, this
determines what pitches your voice input will be tuned to, and if the Scale button is on, it
determines what pitches the oscillators will be tuned to when transposed with the
Interval controls.

When a new scale is selected from the Key and Scale menus, the keyboard updates to
show which notes are enabled and disabled. From there, you can further customize your
scale by adding or removing notes from the Keyboard.

When a note on the Keyboard is on, it will appear white or black (depending on which
note it is). If Auto-Tune is on, any detected pitches in the voice input that are closest to
that note will be tuned to it.
Contents 11

When a note on the Keyboard is set to off, it will appear grey, and any incoming pitches
that are closest to that note will be tuned to the next closest scale note instead.

XY Pad

The XY Pad gives you real-time control of virtually any two

parameters in Auto-Tune Vocodist at once, from a single
control.

By default the X and Y axes XY Pad controls the Shape of

the two oscillators, but there are endless other possibilities.

Just assign whatever parameters you’d like from the X and

Y dropdown menus and start experimenting.

You can even map the XY Pad to your MIDI controller for a more hands-on experience,
with the XY Pad MIDI Assignment dialog.

The XY Pad responds to the following keyboard commands:

● To lock the cursor’s X position so it only moves on the Y axis, hold down Shift.

● To lock the cursor's Y position so it moves only in the X axis, hold down
Command (Mac) or Control (Windows).

● To set the parameters assigned to the XY Pad to their default values,

Option+Click (Mac) or Alt+Click (Windows).

● To reset only the X axis to default, hold down Shift+Option/Alt and click.

● To reset only the Y axis to default, hold down Command+Option (Mac) or

Control/Alt (Windows) and click.
Contents 12

Voice Controls
The Voice controls represent the first stage of processing of the
input vocal.

The upper three controls in this section, Low-Cut Filter,

Compress, and Emphasize, help to optimize the dynamics and
EQ of the voice input signal for vocoder analysis.

This is sometimes needed in order to maximize the amount of

signal sent to the vocoder’s internal filter banks, enhance speech
intelligibility, and produce the desired vocoder effects.

These three controls apply only to the audio that is fed into the vocoder analysis filter
bank. They have no effect on the original (non-vocoded) voice input channel, which can
be mixed back in using the Voice Mix control.

The other two controls in the Voice section, Retune Speed and Humanize, let you
configure the amount of Auto-Tune processing applied to the input audio.

These two controls only affect the (non-vocoded) voice channel, which you can hear by
turning up the Voice Mix control. They have no effect on the vocoded signal.

Low-Cut Filter
This button enables/disables a low-cut filter to reduce frequencies below
80Hz for cleaner vocoder analysis.

The low-cut filter is on by default, and helps to remove unwanted bass frequencies that
can result from mic proximity effect.

Note
The low-cut filter applies only to the input of the analysis filter bank. It does not
affect the original voice input channel (which you can hear by turning up the
Voice Mix control.)
Contents 13

Compress
Compress sets the threshold (in dB) of a compressor that’s applied to the
analysis signal (usually a voice) before vocoder processing.

If your input/analysis signal has a broad dynamic range, adding a bit of

compression can help to even it out before it reaches the analysis filter
banks and envelope followers for more responsive vocoder analysis, and
better intelligibility.

The Compress control automatically adds gain as you increase the amount of
compression (in other words, it applies upward compression), so you can also use it as
a makeup gain for a low level input signal.

Note
Compress applies only to the input of the analysis filter bank. It does not affect
the original voice input channel. (which you can hear by turning up the Voice Mix
control.)

Emphasize
The Emphasize control lets you apply a high frequency boost to the voice
input before vocoder processing. Try turning this control up if the vocoded
output sounds muddy or lacks intelligibility.

Note
The Emphasize control applies only to the input of the analysis filter bank. It does
not affect the original voice input channel (which you can hear by turning up the
Voice Mix control.)

Retune Speed
Retune Speed controls how quickly Auto-Tune tunes your audio to the
target pitch. The units are measured in milliseconds.
Contents 14

Try setting Retune Speed close to zero to create the signature robotic Auto-Tune Effect,
which you can mix with in the vocoder effect by turning up the Voice Mix control

For more subtle pitch correction, try setting Retune Speed to a higher value. Larger
values allow through more vibrato and other interpretive pitch gestures, but slow down
how rapidly corrections are made.

Note
Retune Speed only applies to the original voice input (which you can hear by
turning up the Voice Mix control), and has no effect on the vocoder output.

For a similar control that does affect the vocoder output, see Glide.

Humanize
Humanize allows you to add realism to longer sustained notes when using
fast retune speeds.

It applies a slower Retune Speed only during the sustained portion of longer
notes, to allow through more natural pitch variation while still bringing the
note into tune.

Note
Humanize only affects the original voice input (which you can hear by turning up
the Voice Mix control), and does not affect the vocoder output.

If Voice Mix is set to 0, Humanize won’t have any audible effect.

Pro Tip
To add natural sounding pitch correction to your vocals, start by isolating the
voice input signal. To do that, turn Voice Mix up to 100, and then click the Band
Gains Down button. You should now hear just your input vocal, without any
vocoder effect.

Now set Humanize to zero, then adjust the Retune Speed until the shortest
problem or out-of-tune notes in the performance are in tune.
Contents 15

If the longer, sustained notes sound unnaturally static, increase the Humanize
setting until they sound more natural.

Noise Controls
Sibilance substitution (or noise substitution) is an essential
component of vocoder intelligibility.

Unvoiced vocal consonant sounds like s, sh, t, and ch are

composed of broad-frequency noise (filtered in various ways
by the shape of the mouth). So when those sounds are
detected in the voice input, Auto-Tune Vocodist outputs bursts
of noise to replicate them in the vocoder output.

With the Noise Controls, you can fine-tune the level, balance
and color of the generated noise, as well as the sensitivity of the sibilance detector,
either to maximize intelligibility or create a wide variety of special effects.

Unvoiced Indicator Light

This indicator light, located in the upper right corner of the Noise Controls
section, lights up to indicate that an “unvoiced” signal (e.g. sibilance) has been
detected in the voice input, triggering the noise generator.

Noise Model (White/Pink)

The Noise Model switch allows you to choose between two different
types of noise: white and pink.

White noise is noise that has equal intensity across the frequency spectrum, and
sounds brighter than pink noise, which tapers off in intensity at higher frequencies.

For sibilant sounds that stand out and cut through the mix, try white noise. For a slightly
mellower, more subtle sound, try pink.
Contents 16

Sensitivity
The Sensitivity control lets you set the sensitivity of the sibilance detector
that triggers the noise generator.

At higher values, it will be more likely to interpret components of your audio

as sibilance, and therefore more likely to produce noise.

If you’re having a hard time hearing the “sss” and “shh” sounds in your vocoded audio,
try turning up the Sensitivity.

If you’re hearing bursts of noise that stick out too much or that don’t actually
correspond to sibilant vocal sounds in your source audio, you might want to turn it
down.

Pro Tip
Try turning both Sensitivity and Balance all the way up, then experiment with the
Color and Band Gain controls to create a variety of ethereal whispery effects.

Balance
The Balance control lets you adjust the mix between the noise generator and
the synthesis channel during the sibilant portion of your vocal track. Higher
settings result in stronger, louder sibilance substitution.

When Balance is set to 0, it will disable the noise generator completely. When
set to 100, the noise generator will completely replace the synthesis channel
during sibilance.

Pro Tip
The Balance setting will only have an audible effect when sibilance is detected
the noise generator is triggered.

To more clearly hear the effect of the Balance control, try turning Sensitivity up to
100, so that the noise generator entirely replaces the synthesis channel in the
vocoded output. Then experiment with different Balance settings.
Contents 17

Level
The Level control sets the amplitude of the noise generator.

Use it in combination with the Balance and Sensitivity controls to configure

how much noise is added to your vocoded audio.

Color
The Color control sets the cutoff frequency of a high-pass filter that’s applied
to the noise generator. The default value of 3500 Hz will typically provide the
most natural sounding sibilance in most cases.

Try turning it all the way up to let through higher frequencies, resulting in a
brighter sound. Then try bringing it down to gradually filter them out for a
warmer, less bright tone.

Synth Controls
Contents 18

Auto-Tune Vocodist offers a variety of flexible routing and control options, which you
can configure using the Synth Controls.

Take advantage of the versatile, built in 8-voice dual-oscillator, or make any instrument
sing by routing it to Vocodist via sidechain input in your DAW.

You can control the pitch of the built-in synth with your MIDI keyboard, or with your voice
(with or without Auto-Tune).

Source
The Source menu lets you choose whether to use Vocodist’s built-in
oscillators as the synthesis channel, or to route audio from another
plug-in or instrument.

Choose Oscillator to use the internal 8-voice dual-oscillator.

Choose the Side Chain option to vocode your favorite sampler or software instrument, or
any other audio source. The Oscillator Controls are disabled when Source is set to Side
Chain.

Check out the Auto-Tune Vocodist help page for tips on setting up sidechain input in
your DAW.

Pitch Track
The Pitch Track menu offers three different options for how to control the
pitch of the built-in oscillator.

Options include:
● Voice
● MIDI
● Key
Contents 19

Choose Voice to control the pitch of the oscillator with your voice, either with or without
Auto-Tune (you can toggle Auto-Tune off and on with the Auto-Tune button.)

Choose MIDI to control the pitch of the oscillator with your MIDI keyboard, or a MIDI
track in your DAW.

Choose Key to select a single pitch for the oscillator to drone on, using the Mini
Keyboard.

The Pitch Track menu is only enabled when Source is set to Oscillator.

Gate
The Gate button is enabled when Pitch Track is set to Voice. It lets you apply
a hard pitch-gating effect on the built-in oscillators.

When Gate is on, the oscillator will only sound when a clear pitch is detected in the
source audio. When Gate is off, the oscillator will simply follow the dynamics of the
source audio.

Hold Time
The Hold Time slider is enabled when Pitch Track is set to Voice.

It lets you control how long the oscillator will hold the pitch that’s
detected in the source audio.

Turning it up can help eliminate “squeaks” and other artifacts that may sometimes
occur between notes.

If you’re hearing sudden pitch jumps or other artifacts when controlling the pitch of the
oscillator with your voice, try increasing the Hold Time and/or turning on the Gate.

Comp and Gain

The Comp and Gain controls are enabled when Source is
set to Side Chain.
Contents 20

They’re useful for optimizing the levels and dynamics of the audio coming in through the
side chain input prior to modulation by the synthesis filter bank.

The Comp control sets the threshold (in dB) of a compressor that’s applied to the side
chain audio input.

The Gain control sets the level of the side chain audio input.

Mini Keyboard
The Mini Keyboard is enabled when Pitch Track is set to Key. It
lets you select a pitch for the built-in synth to hold continuously
for a droning effect.

Pitch Bend
The Pitch Bend control is enabled when Pitch Track is set to MIDI.

If your MIDI controller has a pitch wheel, you can use this control to set
the range of pitch bend (in semitones) that’s applied to the pitch of the
built-in oscillators.

XY Pad MIDI Assignment (X CC# and Y CC#)

This control is enabled when Pitch Track is set to MIDI. It allows you
to control Vocodist’s XY Pad with your MIDI controller.

By extension, this gives you hands-on access to virtually any two of

Vocodist’s parameters at once, since the XY Pad itself is fully configurable.

To set up MIDI control of the XY Pad:

1. Connect your MIDI controller and route it to Vocodist in your DAW (see the
Auto-Tune Vocodist help page for tips)

2. Click the X CC# control in Vocodist. A red box will appear around it.

3. Move the knob or slider (or anything that sends MIDI CC messages) on your
MIDI controller to pair it to the X-axis.
Contents 21

4. Your MIDI controller is now mapped to the X axis of Vocodist’s XY pad.

5. Repeat this process for the Y CC# control, using a different knob or slider on your
MIDI controller.

Filter Design
The design of the analysis and synthesis filter banks is at the heart of what gives each
vocoder its unique sonic character, and Auto-Tune Vocodist comes loaded with an
extensive collection of filter designs carefully modeled after classic hardware vocoders.

The Filter controls take things a step further though, letting you tweak the design and
configuration of most of those classic filters in real-time for a dazzling variety of
dynamic effects.

Play (Audition Filter)

The Play button in the upper right corner of the Filter Controls lets you
audition the character of the filter by playing pink noise through it.
Contents 22

Try turning on Play, then try out different settings with the Filter Controls to hear the
effect that they have.

Model
The Model menu offers 20 unique vocoder
filter models to choose from. 18 of those
have been meticulously modeled after
iconic vintage and modern hardware vocoders.

From Homer Dudley’s original 1937 voder design to classic hardware units used on hits
by Wendy Carlos, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, and more, the
heavy hitters are all here.

Vocodist also includes our own original addition to the tradition of filter bank design, the
Antares Voc-1, as well as a model designed for maximum intelligibility and fidelity, the
Barkhausen.

Most of the Filter Models in Auto-Tune Vocodist can be fully customized and redesigned
on the fly, using the Filter Controls.

However, a few of the Models feature specific custom curves for each filter band, and
therefore can’t be edited with the Filter Controls. These include:
● Barkhausen
● ES 2000
● SN VSM-201
● DF A-129
● MM VF11

Note
When any of the filter parameters have been changed from their default values
(for the current filter model), the name of the model will be italicized and an
asterisk will appear next to it.

To restore the default filter settings for the model, re-select it from the Model
menu. The name of the model will no longer be italicized, indicating that the
default values have been restored.
Contents 23

Filter Slope
The Filter Slope buttons allow you to choose between
four different types of band-pass filters for the analysis
and synthesis filter banks.

When you select a different filter slope, the difference is displayed visually in the Filter
Graph.

Try out each of them, and note the different amounts of frequency overlap between the
bands, as well as the resulting effects on your audio.

Higher order (steeper, narrower) filters provide stronger isolation between adjacent
frequency bands, which tends to
result in a greater intelligibility.

Lower order (wider, less steep) filters create more overlap between frequency bands,
which tends to result in a grittier,
more lo-fi vocoder sound.

Note that the Q setting also affects the width of the filters, and the extent of overlap
between the frequency bands.

Lowpass and Highpass Filters

Some vocoder filter banks have a lowpass filter at the low end
of the frequency range and a highpass filter at the high end,
instead of bandpass filters.

The Lowpass and Highpass filter buttons in Vocodist let you switch the outer two filters
from bandpass to lowpass/highpass, and vice versa.
Contents 24

Bands
The Bands control sets the number of bandpass filters in the analysis and
synthesis filter banks.

Generally, more bands results in better intelligibility and fidelity to the input
signal, and fewer bands creates a more lo-fi vocoder sound.

Q
The Q control, along with the Filter Slope determines the sharpness (or width)
of the bandpass filters in the analysis and synthesis filter banks.

Higher Q settings result in sharper (narrower) filter bands.

Min Hz and Max Hz

The Min and Max Hz controls set center frequencies of the lowest
and highest filter bands respectively.

Together, they define the overall frequency range of the analysis and
synthesis filter banks.

Try lowering or increasing the Min Hz or Max Hz setting. Note that the interior filter
bands also adjust their positions to maintain consistent relative spacing.

Stretch and Slide

The Stretch and Slide controls both adjust the frequencies of the
synthesis filter bands relative to their corresponding analysis filter
bands.

If you’re using a vocal track as your voice input, this has the effect of
shifting the formant frequencies up or down and changing the character of the
resynthesized vowel sounds.
Contents 25

The Slide control slides the frequencies of all the synthesis filter bands uniformly up or
down in relation to the analysis filter bands. Turning it up shifts the resynthesized
formants up in pitch, and turning it down shifts them lower.

The Stretch control “stretches” or “compresses” the spacing of the synthesis filter banks
in relation to the analysis filter banks. Turning it down moves the filter bands of the
synthesis filter closer together, turning it up spreads them further apart.

Filter Graph

The Filter Graph gives a real-time visual representation of the frequency response of the
analysis and synthesis filter banks.

Try adjusting some of the Filter Controls, such as Q or Min Hz and Max Hz and watch
the Filter Graph to see the resulting
changes in the frequency curves of
the filter bands.

The small vertical white lines at the top of the graph indicate the center frequencies of
the synthesis filter banks. By default, they line up perfectly with the analysis filter banks.

If you adjust the Slide control, the white lines slide to the left or right, to show that the
synthesis bands have shifted in relation to the analysis filter bands.
Contents 26

Similarly, if you adjust the Stretch control, the white lines illustrate the synthesis filter
bands spreading out or crowding together in relation to the analysis filter bands.

The lighter gray area in the background of the Filter Graph displays the expected
frequency range for the current Input
Type setting.

During playback, a little green pitch

indicator arrow at the bottom of the
Filter Graph shows the current
detected pitch of the voice input at
any given moment.

If you’ve chosen the right Input Type

setting for your vocal input, the pitch indicator should stay mostly within the light grey
area.

This small eye button, located in the upper left corner of the Filter Graph allows
you to show or hide the frequency and decibel markings on the graph.
Contents 27

Envelope Design

The Envelope controls let you configure the volume level of each filter bank
independently, and also how the filter banks respond to the detected amplitude of audio
input (e.g. your voice).

These controls can affect the intelligibility of vocoded vocals, and can also be modified
to produce many other elaborate effects, such as completely alien vocals for sound and
character design (see Band Shift).

Attack
The Attack control determines how quickly (in milliseconds) the
envelope follower attached to each analysis filter band reacts to rising
signal level.

Shorter Attack settings cause the envelope followers to react more quickly to peaks in
the analysis signal. This results in quicker, more responsive articulation, and generally
better intelligibility in the vocoder output.

Longer settings make the envelope followers react more slowly to peaks in the analysis
signal. This tends to soften and blur the articulations, for a less percussive sound.

Release
The Release control determines how quickly (in milliseconds) the
envelope follower attached to each filter band reacts to falling signal
level.
Contents 28

Shorter Release settings mean that the envelope followers react quickly to falling signal
levels, so that the amplitude decay of the vocoder output more closely follows the
analysis signal.

Higher Release settings make the envelope followers react more slowly to falling signal,
resulting in longer decays and a more sustained sound.

Band Gain Multi-Slider

The Band Gain Multi-Slider lets you individually set the gain for each filter band. It
functions very much like a graphic EQ, allowing you to sculpt the frequency response of
the vocoder output.

When you adjust a band gain slider, its corresponding band filter is highlighted in the
Filter Graph.

Try drawing different curves across the Multi-Slider, and listen to the effect it has on the
vocoder’s output. Or click the Random Band Gains button to try out different randomly
generated filter settings.

You can also use the Play (Audition) button to send broadband pink noise through the
filter to get an even clearer sense of how the Multi-Slider affects the frequency response
of the filter banks.

Pro Tip
If you notice excessive boominess or high-end sizzle on the vocoded output, try
lowering a few of the sliders in the low end or high end (respectively) to tame
these issues.
Contents 29

Multi-Slider Control Buttons

These buttons function as macro controls that let you quickly set all the bands in the
Multi-Slider at once.

Band Gains Up (Reset All)

This button sets all the bands in the Multi-Slider to the default value of 0 dB.

Band Gains Down (Bypass All)

This button turns all the bands in the Multi-Slider all the way down, which mutes
the output of the vocoder entirely.

Pro Tip
This button is useful if you want to dial in the Auto-Tune settings and other
effects on your input vocal without hearing the vocoder output.

Just click the Band Gains Down button to mute the vocoder, and turn up Voice
Mix to bring in the input signal.

Then you can experiment with the Auto-Tune settings on your input vocal before
mixing the vocoder output back in with the Band Gains Up button.

Random Band Gains

This button sets each of the bands in the Multi-Slider to a different random
value.

This is a great way to quickly experiment with different filter band gain settings and get
a sense of the different types of effects you can create with them.

Freeze
The Freeze button lets you lock the vocoder onto the current frequency
spectrum of the voice input signal.
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If the voice input signal is a vocal, Freeze will lock onto the current vocal formant and
hold it indefinitely (until you turn Freeze off).

This can be useful for creating sustained vowel sounds in the vocoder output without
having to pause and take a breath.

Band Shift
Similar to the Slide control in the Filter Design section, the
Band Shift control creates a formant shifting effect by
offsetting the synthesis filter bands from their corresponding analysis filter bands.

But unlike Slide, which slides the synthesis bands continuously, Band Shift creates a
formant shifting effect in a way inspired by a feature found on some old vintage
hardware vocoders–by “re-patching” the connections between the analysis and
synthesis filter banks.

To visualize how this works, imagine a patch bay with a cable that connects each filter
band in the analysis filter bank with the corresponding filter band in the synthesis filter
bank.

By default (when Band Shift is set to 0) analysis band 1 maps to synthesis band 1, 2
maps to 2, and so on.

The Band Shift control offsets this mapping, shifting it over in either a positive or
negative direction. Positive Band Shift settings will shift the pitch of the resynthesized
formants up, and negative settings will shift them down.

In addition, Band Shift includes three extra settings (X1, X2, and X3) that implement a
‘criss-cross’ re-routing to create speech scrambling effects (turning your voice into
something very alien).

Smear
Another feature inspired by vintage hardware vocoders, the Smear control is
useful to create ringing reverb-like effects.
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It staggers, or “smears” the follower release times across all of the bands, either up or
down, depending on which way you move the control.

At lower Smear settings, envelope release times are increased for each band, from the
lowest to highest band. Similarly, at higher settings, release times are decreased for
each band, from lowest to highest.

Oscillator Controls

The Oscillator controls let you configure Auto-Tune Vocodist’s powerful built-in 8-voice,
dual-oscillators. When the Source control is set to Oscillator, these oscillators function
as the synthesis channel input into the vocoder.

With the Oscillator controls, you can set the mix between oscillator 1 and 2, create
harmonies by transposing them by chromatic or scale intervals, morph their
waveshapes independently, and even add some cross modulation.

You can also set the number of polyphonic voices (up to 8), determine the glide rate
when moving from one pitch to another, add some depth by introducing slight detuning.

Try mapping different pairs the Oscillator controls to XY Pad or automating them in your
DAW to create dynamically morphing textures and shifting harmonies.

Voices
The Voice control lets you choose the number of polyphonic voices for
the oscillators (up to 8).
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This control is only active when Pitch Track is set to MIDI.

Glide (Portamento)

The Glide Control sets the amount of time (in milliseconds) that the
oscillators take to glide from one pitch to another.

Pro Tip
Try using the Glide control in conjunction with Retune Speed to set different glide
rates between your Auto-Tuned input voice and vocoded voice (be sure to turn up
Voice Mix to hear the input voice).

Octave
The Octave control lets you transpose the pitch of the synth up to two
octaves up or down.

Release
The Release control in the Oscillator section (not to be confused with
the one in the Envelope section) is only active when Pitch Track is set
to MIDI.

It controls how long it takes the oscillators to fade out the end of a MIDI note (or after
you release a key on your MIDI keyboard).

Detune
The Detune control allows you to introduce slight detuning between
oscillator 1 and oscillator 2, to create a chorusing effect. The units
represent the tuning difference between the two oscillators in cents.
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Unison
The Unison control is enabled when Pitch Track is set to Voice or Key.

Similar to Detune, Unison slightly detunes the oscillators for a

thickening or chorusing effect.

Unlike Detune, which slightly detunes oscillator 1 and oscillator 2 from one another,
Unison introduces detuning among 8 stacked unison voices, for each of the two
oscillators.

Interval

The Interval controls allow you to create harmonies between the two
oscillators, by individually transposing them.

Depending on the state of the Scale button, transpositions can be

specified either in semitones (-12 to 12), or by scale intervals (e.g. 3rd,
5th, etc).

Scale
The Scale button lets you choose between two different methods of pitch
transposition when using the Interval controls.

When Scale is off, the Interval controls let you transpose each oscillator up or down by a
fixed number of semitones (up to 12).

In this mode, the harmonic relationship between the two oscillators remains fixed, and
the resulting pitches may not conform to the Key and Scale.

When Scale is on, transpositions are specified in scale intervals, and the resulting
pitches will always conform to the current Key and Scale settings.

As a result, when Scale is on, the exact amount of transposition will sometimes vary. For
example an Interval setting of 3rd might result in a transposition of 3 semitones or 4,
depending on the context within the current scale.
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Shape
The Shape controls let you set the waveshape independently for each
of the two oscillators.

These controls are continuously variable, so you can smoothly adjust

between sawtooth, pulse, and square waves.

When the Shape control is set to 0 the oscillator will generate a

sawtooth wave. At the maximum setting, it generates a square wave.
Settings in between produce a pulse wave of varying pulse widths.

Try assigning the Shape controls to the XY Pad or automating them in your DAW to
create dynamic, real-time morphing effects.

Oscillator Gain (Osc 1 and Osc 2)

The Oscillator Gain sliders (labeled OSC 1 and OSC 2) set the relative levels of the two
oscillators.

Cross Mod (X)

The Cross Mod slider lets you multiply the outputs of the two oscillators to create a
cross modulation effect (also known as ring modulation).
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Output + FX Controls
The Output + FX controls are the last stage of Vocodist’s signal
path.

This section is where you make gain adjustments, dial in the mix
of dry vs. vocoded signal, and even add some finishing touches
like modeled tube saturation, chorus, and ring modulation
effects.

Output Meter

The Output Meter displays the current level of Auto-Tune Vocodist’s output during
playback.

Voice Env
The Voice Envelope control lets you adjust how much of the voice input’s
amplitude envelope is impressed onto the vocoder output.

Turn this control up to make the vocoded output more closely follow the
dynamics of the voice input.
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Spread
With the Spread control you can adjust the width of the stereo spread of the
vocoder output.

At maximum spread, odd numbered filter bands are panned all the way to
the left, and even bands to the right.

Gain
The Gain control sets the level of the vocoder output (in dB.)

Use it in combination with the Voice Mix , Voice Env, and Warmth controls,
while keeping an eye on the Output Meter, to optimize Vocodist’s overall
output level,

Warmth
The Warmth control adds modeled analog tube-style saturation to the
vocoder output.

Specifically, it sets the drive gain of the modeled tube saturation, in dB.

Voice Mix
The Voice Mix control lets you mix in your original input vocal (with or
without Auto-Tune) with the vocoded output.

When Voice Mix is set to 0, you’ll only hear the output of the vocoder.
Additionally, the Voice HPF and Voice Mutate controls are disabled (since
no original input vocal is present to be filtered or mutated).

Try setting Retune Speed to 0, then turn up the Voice Mix to hear a combined vocoder
and Auto-Tune Effect.
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Chorus
The Chorus control offers a choice of three different chorus effects, modeled
after a famous vintage hardware chorus unit.

By default, Chorus applies to the output of the vocoder, but you can also add
it to your input vocal by turning on the Send Source Vocal to Chorus button.

Send Source Vocal to Chorus (right arrow button)

When this arrow button is set to on, the Chorus effect is
applied to the source vocal as well as the vocoder output.

When it’s off, Chorus is only applied to the vocoder output, and
not the source vocal.

Voice HPF
The Voice HPF control sets the cutoff frequency of a high-pass filter which is
applied to the source vocal before it’s mixed with the vocoder output.

Combined with the Noise Model control, it allows you to sculpt the timbre of
the noise used for sibilance substitution

Voice HPF is disabled when Voice Mix is set to 0.

Pro Tip
To enhance voice intelligibility, try turning the Voice HPF control all the way up to
5KHz - 6KHz, and then increase voice mix.

Voice Mod

The Voice Mod control lets you choose from 24 different varieties of
pitch-tracking ring modulation effects. Voice Mod is disabled when Voice Mix
is set to 0.
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Settings and Preferences

The Settings Menu (left) gives you quick access to the
most commonly used settings.

The Preferences Window (below) includes the same

settings, plus a few others, and allows you to save them as
default.

Changes made in the Settings Menu will be reflected in the

Preferences Window and vice versa.

Quick Start/Show Quick Start on Startup

Auto-Tune Vocodist includes a built-in Quick Start guide to help you get familiar with the
controls and common workflows.

The Quick Start will open automatically when you first open the plug-in. To see it again
at any time, just choose “Quick Start” from the Settings Menu.
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In the Preferences Window, you can choose whether or not to show the Quick Start
automatically when you open a new instance of Auto-Tune Vocodist, or reopen your
project.

Enable Auto-Key Detection

Auto-Key is a plug-in and mobile app (included in your Auto-Tune Unlimited
subscription) that automatically detects the key of your music, and then sends it to
Auto-Tune Vocodist.

When Enable Auto-Key is on, Auto-Tune Vocodist will listen for any incoming messages
from Auto-Key.

The only time you should really need to turn this off will be if you are using Auto-Key, but
you want this specific instance of Auto-Tune Vocodist to ignore any messages coming
from it.

Enable Auto-Tune
This setting lets you choose whether to automatically enable Auto-Tune pitch correction
when you open a new instance of Auto-Tune Vocodist

Enable Tooltips
When this setting is on you can hover your mouse over any of the controls in Auto-Tune
Vocodist for a brief explanation of what the control does.

Choosy Tracking
In order to accurately track the pitch of the audio input, Auto-Tune requires a periodically
repeating waveform, characteristic of a solo voice or non-chordal instrument with a
clearly defined pitch.

The Choosy Tracking setting determines how much variation is allowed in the waveform
for Auto-Tune to still consider it periodic.
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In most cases, Choosy Tracking should be left on. Try turning it off if the audio is noisy
or poorly isolated and pitch correction becomes unreliable.

Ignore Vibrato
The Ignore Vibrato setting is designed to help Auto-Tune identify pitches correctly when
a performance includes vibrato so wide that it approaches adjacent notes.

If you hear a rapid alternation between two notes when you want to be hearing a single
note with a wide vibrato, try turning this on.

Detune and Detune Display

The Detune setting allows you to change the pitch reference of Auto-Tune from the
default A = 440 Hz.

This can be useful when working with an instrument or track that’s tuned to a different
reference frequency.

The Detune Display setting lets you choose whether to specify Detune in hertz or cents.
The range of adjustment is -100 to +100 cents, or about 415 to 466 Hz.

Use OpenGL Graphics

Auto-Tune Vocodist uses OpenGL for improved graphics on computers with compatible
graphics card hardware.

Most modern computers support OpenGL, so we recommend leaving this enabled for
best performance.

However, if the Antares logo does not appear in the Preferences window, that indicates
that your system does not support OpenGL, and you should uncheck this box.

Save as Default
When the Save as Default box is checked, any changes to Preferences that you save will
become the default settings for future instances of Auto-Tune Vocodist.
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If you want to make a temporary change to the preferences just for this instance,
without overwriting your default preferences, uncheck this box before clicking “Save.”