XILS Vocoder 5000

What is XILS Vocoder 5000?

A XILS Vocoder 5000, what is it?

A XILS Vocoder 5000 is an effect that uses two signals to combine them into one output signal. The first signal is called the modulator and the second, the transporter.

Typically, vocals are used as a modulator (but you can also use drums, percussive material, or any other musical signal, such as an orchestra or a full track).

A synthesizer is used as a carrier (oscillator with different waveforms, which can be played with chords, white noise, or anything with a rich harmonic spectrum)

The signal from the modulator is then divided into several frequency bands using a Bandpass filter bank. The same bank is used to split the operator's signal. The levels detected in the modulator spectrum are then applied to the carrier spectrum, resulting in what we generally call "Robotic Voices" when an XILS Vocoder 5000 is used in the simplest way.

For good results, clear and understandable synthetic voices, 22 bands are used in our legacy EMS 5000 model. (Fewer bands were also commonly found in other hw professionals: 10, 12 bands in most budget line units.)

The quality of a voice encoder depends greatly on the following components:

The filter bank: it should provide a good spectrum of analysis. Each band must be equally measured (no digital artifacts). Band level analysis: the way each level of the band is measured and is the main factor for a hi-end vocoder with clarity and accuracy.

The modulation of the synthesis band: the way each synthesis band is modulated is also part of the sound of the voice encoder, its quality and smoothness. Synthesizer support: Without a good synthesizer powering the vocoder filters, the results won't be as good as expected.

System Requirements

Mac OSX 10.5 and later: VST, Audio Drive, RTAS (Protools 7.0 and later), AAX (32-bit and 64-bit, native)

Windows XP, Vista and 7,8,10; VST, RTAS (Protools 7.0 and later), AAX (32-bit and 64-bit, native)