Voicebox

Riaan

I am very curious about the voicebox thingy that guys like Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh uses - I guess you all must have seen that - whilst playing they have this plastic pipe in the mouth and look like they're singing. Now is this a guitar signal modulated by voice or mouth movements, or is it voice modulated by the guitar effects setup? How does the setup work?

AlanRatcliffe

The Heil Talkbox is what those guys use (now manufactured by Dunlop). It's modulation using the shape of the mouth to modulate the sound. Kinda cool - modulation done by mechanical control. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_box

Also listen to Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion, Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer

I used to use an electronic modulator to do the same kind of thing (one of the FX in a Boss SE-50 I had) - modulating the guitar with a mic input. I also did a similar thing using a drum box to modulate the guitar, which is very cool way to get a guitar rhythm to lock in to the rhythm - techno keyboardists use that kind of thing all the time.

Riaan-Combrink

Hi guys,

Here's also a nice link on Frampton's page discussing the Heil Talkbox

http://www.frampton.com/equipment.html

and then a good discussion, in his own words, of his entire tone setup.

http://www.frampton.com/oldequipment2.html

And, apparently, you can build your own Talkbox with a toilet-plunger and pc-speakers! Don't blow yourself up! Alan, maybe you can build this thing to go with the Partscaster (building on the DIY theme for guys who don't want to buy a Dunlop or Framptone)?! ?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Talk-box-inside-a-Toilet-Plunger/

Keep warm

Riaan C

Renesongs

The best use of a Talk-box on a guitar is East St. Louis Too-da-loo off the Steely Dan Album Pretzel Logic. The talk box melody is done by either Denny Dias or Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. The second best IMhO is by Gilmour on Pink Floyds Animals album. Most multi Effects pedals come with some sort of of Talk-Box simulator, bit like a wha-wha on steroids.

AlanRatcliffe

This has got me to thinking. Does anyone know of an amplitude modulation plugin that can use an external input to modulate another? I had a quick look around, but all the AM plugs use internal waveforms.

Renesongs

I think you going deep into Vocoder, vocal correction and voice synth territory there, Antares, NI Vokator and the like. I've played with some wave to midi programs that operate in "real time", (20ms latency), the midi could theoretical be re-routed to to trigger AM on another instrument IMO the toilet plunger and PC speaker approach would be easier or if you have a good pair of lungs and poorly wound pickups you could try singing into your guitar while playing. ?

I may be confusing AM with FM though

Riaan

The toilet plunger project sounds way too much fun not to try... ? Hope nothing goes wrong and I'm found unconscious next to that setup... ?

AlanRatcliffe

Hope nothing goes wrong and I'm found unconscious next to that setup...

? on the floor with a plastic pipe in your mouth hooked up to what looks like a little pot. ?

I think you going deep into Vocoder, vocal correction and voice synth territory there

You may be right. I found a little freeware plug called The Modulator which looks nice - has a LFO and can play a signal from wave file to modulate a track realtime, but alas, you can't use an external modulator.

:-[ I've just realised, I'm being a twit... I think Guitar Rig can already do it - it's just not all in one module. How does this sound:

Split Module (set to split L & R inputs)
Split A
Input Level MDF (which is basically an envelope follower)
Split B
Amp
Speaker
Volume Pedal
Mix

Modulating signal into A, carrier signal (guitar) into B. The envelope follower MDF follows the amplitude of the signal in channel A, sends out a control signal that I can use to control the volume pedal level - basically modulating the amplitude. ? Does that sound right?

AlanRatcliffe

It works! ?

I just did something quick and obvious - http://ratcliffe.co.za/music/guitarforum/modulate.mp3

(290KB).

I ran a simple drum loop and a guitar into GR, split the guitar into two, used an octaver to make one split an octave below the other and amplitude modulated it with the drum loop. All done within guitar Rig.

Renesongs

Sorry I haven't been following this thread , the wife and I were watching a DVD last night "There will be blood" zzzzz ??? While I was watching DVD my mind was thinking one signal, modify another signal, GR3 channel split 8) But I'm glad to see that you have worked out all the messy details - We should Order Guitar rig socks and T-Shirts now ?

AlanRatcliffe

That's all right - I realise most folk have lives outside the forum. I think I'm the only full-time resident. ?

I had a guilty but fun hour or so fiddling with it to get it to work (while I should have been working). It's been quite a while since I wanted to do something that I didn't already know how to do, so I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 8)

AlanRatcliffe

I think my wife has taken out There will be blood for tonight. Daniel Day Lewis is usually in very good films.

We should Order Guitar rig socks and T-Shirts now

? So right!

Renesongs

@ Alan Completely off the topic but what did you think of There will be blood

AlanRatcliffe

I didn't get to see it - it was out apparently. So we ended up watching 10,000 B.C. - which was a fair amount of what are frequently known as "cobblers".