Robot Vocal Effect

[BrandonS]

I searched the forum and sadly found no answers to this question: How do you make a robotic effect on vocals? I'm looking for a monotone metallic sound, you know, like a robot. I want to apply this effect to an existing voice recording. Is it some strange mixture of reverb or something? I have all of the different "generating" effects available but I just don't know how to tweak them to create this robotic effect... please help.

 

[KeithRT99]

a vocoder

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

a vocoder

yup.

 

[BrandonS]

I've got the Vocoder here available but I can't get it to make a robotic sound on the voice clip... what do I need to do for the settings?

 

[Sweetnothing]

You have to set a carrier signal, it depends on the vocoder really.
You can also try a ring modulator, or a very very short delay (completely wet signal, as insert, something along the lines of 20-30 ms, try) with medium to high repeats

 

[greyskull]

try sending me what you want vocoded and i'll see what i can do.

alls i can say is go pretty mental with the vocoder settings

 

[Torniojaws]

I've got the Vocoder here available but I can't get it to make a robotic sound on the voice clip... what do I need to do for the settings?

Go low, low, low, LOW! Program the Vocoder MIDI track to something in the C0-C1 range, and put the notes as thirds (for example E0 + A0).

 

[carl@laruso.com]

if you cant get a vocoder to do it.....

autotune set to stunn on 1 note,
flanger
delay set to a really short time
and send to something like waves doubler with 2 voices at diferent pitches one a few cents down one a few cents up and animate them a bit

if you need more "robot" do Torniojaws said and ad a bit of minor third harm

that would do the trick i recon mate.

C

 

[iekobrid]

"[Transformers character] Soundwave was performed by Frank Welker, whose voice was heavily modulated by a vocoder to achieve Soundwave's distinctive, metallic monotone. [Minus the vocoder, Welker's Soundwave voice is] very similar to the one he used for his role as Dr. Claw in the series Inspector Gadget. In Japan, Soundwave's voice was performed by Issei Masamune. The Chinese dub, presumably lacking a vocoder, attempts to imitate Soundwave's original mechanical voice by having the actor 'sing' the dialogue in different tones, resulting in an operatic (and unintentionally hilarious) performance."

 

[gabriel g.]

in cubase you have this metalizer effect or something like that

this is perfect for robot sounds!!! You only have to play some time.

Or you´re looking for the chino morino robot effect on around the fur.
I think this little note was made with a reverb and doubled vocals

greets

 

[BrandonS]

I gave up on the vocoder deal, as the one I've got must be a simplified vocoder or something. Instead I popped in Antares Auto-Tune, which until recently I haven't been able to get it to work at all... but it finally started working, and I set it to change the key to C# for the voice so that it stays monotone...

It sounded robotic yet more like a human robot, if that makes sense? It wasn't metallic. So you're saying I should layer them with some disharmony, with a clip one note above and one a note below, and then add a flange and some delay? I'll try it. I don't have cubase or anything too special, I'm using Adobe Audition.

 

[Kazrog]

Try using a bitcrusher type of plugin. Bitmodder is a great free AU plugin if you're on a Mac.