Antares AVOX 4 user manual

							5
AVOX 4 Overview
The AVOX 4 Antares Vocal Toolkit includes:
Harmony Engine Evo  
Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator
Harmony Engine Evo is a real-time harmony 
generating plug-in that puts professional-
quality vocal harmony arrangements within 
reach of any songwriter, producer, musician or 
engineer.
With four independent harmony voices, a 
variety of powerful harmony generating 
modes, humanization features for natural 
sounding performances, five integrated 
channels of CHOIR Evo Vocal Multiplier, and a 
flexible real-time preset system for harmony 
and vocal type, Harmony Engine Evo provides 
incredibly easy-to-use tools to quickly and 
easily produce virtually any vocal arrangement 
you can imagine. 
Whether you’re an experienced vocal arranger, 
a songwriter looking for that perfect backup 
vocal, or a composer experimenting with 
unique vocal effects, Harmony Engine Evo 
gives you entirely new ways to create the 
harmony parts you hear in your head. In fact, 
experimenting with different harmonies is so 
easy (and, dare we suggest, fun), you may find 
yourself using Harmony Engine Evo to explore 
harmonic alternatives you may have never 
otherwise considered. 
Mic Mod EFX   
Classic Microphone Modeler
Mic Mod EFX lets the mics you own sound like 
the mics your wish you owned.
Using our patented Spectral Shaping Tool™ 
technology, we’ve created precise digital 
models of a wide variety of historical classic 
and exotic microphones. Simply tell Mic Mod 
EFX what microphone you are actually using 
and what microphone you’d like it to sound 
like. It’s as simple as that.
With over 125 microphones models included 
in Mic Mod EFX, you can afford to record each 
track through a model of the specific mic 
that will best produce that ideal sound you’re 
looking for. Or use it in live performance to get 
the sound of mics you’d never consider using  on stage. You can even use it during mixdown 
to effectively change the mic on an already 
recorded track.
THROAT Evo
 
Physical Modeling Vocal Designer
THROAT Evo is a revolutionary new vocal 
tool that lets you process a vocal through a 
meticulously crafted physical model of the 
human vocal tract. THROAT Evo begins by 
neutralizing the effect of the original singer’s 
vocal tract and then gives you the ability to 
specify the characteristics of the modeled 
vocal tract. 
THROAT Evo’s controls allow you to modify 
the voice’s glottal waveform as well as globally 
stretch, shorten, widen or constrict the 
modeled vocal tract. For even more detailed 
control, THROAT Evo’s graphical Throat 
Shaping display allows you to individually 
adjust the position and width of five points 
in the vocal tract model, from the vocal 
chords, through the throat, mouth and out to 
the lips. THROAT Evo’s Breathiness controls 
let you add variable frequency noise to the 
model, resulting in a range of vocal effects 
from subtle breathiness, to raspiness, to a 
full whisper. Finally, THROAT Evo allows you 
to shift the pitch of the voice up or down an 
octave to create a wide range of alternative 
vocal characters. 
While THROAT Evo has been designed to 
allow subtle modifications to a voice’s vocal 
quality, the range of the controls also allows 
the creation of vocal tract models well beyond 
the limits of physical human anatomy, offering 
the possibility of vocal characteristics that are 
simply unattainable by any other means. 
DUO Evo   
Vocal Modeling Auto-Doubler
DUO Evo automatically generates a doubled 
vocal part from an existing vocal. In addition 
to allowing programmable variation in pitch, 
timing and vibrato depth, for even more 
realism, DUO also includes a simplified version 
of THROAT Evo’s vocal modeling to provide 
timbral variation for the doubled part. DUO 
Evo’s output section gives you independent 
control of the level and stereo position of the 
original and doubled voices.   
						

							6
CHOIR Evo  
Vocal Multiplier
Neither a harmonizer nor a conventional 
chorus effect, CHOIR Evo is a unique processor 
that actually turns a single voice into 4, 8, 16, or 
32 distinct individual unison voices, each with 
its own pitch, timing and vibrato variations. 
The voices can, if desired, be spread across the 
stereo spectrum. Assign an instance of CHOIR 
Evo to each of four voices singing four-part 
harmony and voilà, instant choir. 
PUNCH Evo   
Vocal Impact Enhancer
PUNCH Evo is a unique processor that, as its 
name implies, lets you quickly and easily give 
your vocal more dynamic impact, allowing it 
to cut through a dense mix with clarity and 
p o w e r.  
SYBIL Evo   
Variable Frequency De-Esser 
SYBIL Evo tames vocal sibilance with 
threshold, ratio, attack and decay controls 
as well as a variable sidechain high pass 
frequency to match any vocal performance. 
ARTICULATOR   
Evo Digital Talk Box
A modern-day version of the venerable talk 
box, ARTICUL ATOR Evo lets you extract the 
formant and amplitude information from a 
vocal (or other dynamic source) and apply 
it to any other audio track or to a built-in 
broadband noise generator. Perfect for talking 
guitars, singing synths, and a wide range of 
special effects. 
MUTATOR Evo   
Extreme Voice Designer
MUTATOR Evo provides a combination of 
tools for creating unusual, weird, or downright 
wacky voices. With high-quality pitch 
shifting, throat modeling, pitch-tracking ring 
modulator-based “mutation,” and a mind-
bending tempo-synced Alienization function, 
MUTATOR Evo is the perfect tool for unique 
special vocal effects and post-production 
sound design.  WARM 
 
Tube Saturation Generator
Based on Antares’ legendary (at least among 
those of us who work here and, based on 
the volume of emails we’ve gotten since we 
discontinued it, a fair number of others as well) 
Tube plug-in, WARM, warms up your vocals 
with Antares’ world-renown tube modeling 
technology, while being so processing-
efficient, you can put an instance on pretty 
much every track in your project and still 
barely see your CPU meter twitch. (And yes, 
that’s probably the longest single sentence in 
this manual.) 
ASPIRE Evo   
Aspiration Noise Processor
ASPIRE Evo is the world’s first tool for 
modifying a voice’s breathiness independently 
of its harmonic content. Whether reducing a 
bit of vocal rasp or adding a bit of smokiness, 
ASPIRE Evo lets you modify the amount 
and quality of a voice’s aspiration noise (the 
component of every voice that’s the result 
of air passing over the vocal chords) without 
otherwise affecting the vocal’s harmonic 
characteristics.
What’s New in AVOX 4  
The following are the key new features that 
have been added in AVOX 4:  
64-bit Compatibility
All of the AVOX plug-ins have been rewritten 
to support 64-bit hosts. 
Mic Mod EFX
Mic Mod EFX Classic Microphone Modeler has 
been added to the AVOX 4 bundle
VST3 Support
The VST versions of the plug-ins now support 
the VST3 standard.
AAX Support
In addition to RTAS versions, A AX 32-bit 
versions (for Pro Tools 10) and A AX 64-bit 
versions (for Pro Tools 11 and later) are now 
included.    
						

							7
AVOX 4 Processing Guidelines
While it might seem to be convenient to 
consolidate all of the AVOX 4 functions in one 
huge integrated plug-in, some of the AVOX 4 
functions use quite a bit of processing power. 
By organizing them as separate plug-ins, you 
can choose to instantiate only those you need 
for each particular vocal track, thereby using 
only as much of your computer’s DSP power as 
you absolutely need. 
While it’s not likely that you’ll be using all ten 
plug-ins on every track, it is likely that you’ll 
often be using more than one. When that’s the 
case, keep the following in mind: 
General Guidelines
• In general, you should progress from the 
cleanest possible source vocal through 
successive stages of processing. Harmony 
Engine Evo, THROAT Evo, ARTICUL ATOR 
Evo, MUTATOR Evo, ASPIRE Evo, DUO Evo 
and CHOIR Evo in particular are designed to 
process pitched monophonic voices and will 
function much more effectively with clean 
input signals.  
•  If you’re using Mic Mod EFX to change your 
microphone sound, start with that.
• If a track requires de-essing, use SYBIL Evo 
as the first of the AVOX 4 plug-ins. 
• Next in line would be one of the “Voice 
Creation/Modification” plug-ins, i.e., 
THROAT 4, MUTATOR Evo and/or ASPIRE 
Evo.  
• Once you’ve tweaked the voice exactly as 
you want it, you can double, multiply, or 
harmonize it with DUO Evo, CHOIR Evo or 
Harmony Engine Evo. 
• Finally, WARM and PUNCH Evo work well 
with pretty much any input, so they would 
typically be the last of the AVOX 4 plug-ins 
in the chain. 
• Effects like reverb and conventional chorus 
or flanging should typically be applied after 
processing by the desired AVOX 4 plug-ins.  Special Cases
• 
While you will usually choose between 
DUO Evo or CHOIR Evo, you can use 
them together for a really huge vocal 
section. Assign DUO Evo to your track 
and pan the original and doubled 
voices to opposite tracks. Then assign 
separate instances of CHOIR Evo to 
each of the two tracks. Humongous!
• If you will be using Harmony Engine to 
generate harmonies from a single vocal 
line, start with Mic Mod EFX, then SYBIL (if 
necessary) and then THROAT and then feed 
its output to Harmony Engine. 
• If you have a vocal with problematic 
vibrato (either too much or too little), you 
can use DUO Evo for vibrato modification. 
Assign DUO Evo to the track and use only 
the doubled output. Set all parameters to 
their minimum effect and use the Vibrato 
function to adjust the performance’s vibrato 
depth. See Chapter 6 for more details.
• For maximum control of the timbre of 
doubled voices (at the cost of increased CPU 
requirements), assign DUO Evo to your vocal 
and pan the original and doubled voices to 
opposite tracks. Then assign an independent 
instance of THROAT Evo to each part and 
create a unique timbre for each voice. 
But all that being said, always feel free to 
ignore any of the above suggestions. The 
AVOX 4 tools offer entirely new realms of 
creative possibilities. There is no wrong way. 
Now on to the details.  
						

							8
3: Harmony Engine Evo
VOc AL M OdELING H ArMON y GENE rATO r
You’ll find a separate Harmony Engine Evo PDF manual included with your AVOX 4 download. Read 
it, try out the factory presets, and play with the included tutorial sessions.
4:  Mic Mod EFX
cL ASSI c MI crOPHONE MO dELE r
You’ll find a separate Mic Mod EFX PDF manual included with your AVOX 4 download. Read it.  
						

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5: THROAT Evo  
PH ySI cAL  MO dELING  VOcAL  dESIGNE r
THROAT Evo is a revolutionary vocal tool 
that lets you process a vocal through a 
meticulously crafted physical model of the 
human vocal tract. THROAT Evo begins by 
neutralizing the effect of the original singer’s 
vocal tract and then gives you the ability to 
specify the characteristics of the modeled 
vocal tract. 
THROAT Evo’s controls allow you to modify 
the voice’s glottal waveform as well as globally 
stretch, shorten, widen or constrict the 
modeled vocal tract. For even more detailed 
control, THROAT Evo’s graphical Throat 
Shaping display allows you to individually 
adjust the position and width of five points  in the vocal tract model, from the vocal 
chords, through the throat, mouth and out to 
the lips. THROAT Evo’s Breathiness controls 
let you add variable frequency noise to the 
model, resulting in a range of vocal effects 
from subtle breathiness, to raspiness, to a full 
whisper. Finally, THROAT 4 allows you to shift 
the original pitch of your vocal up or down a 
full octave in semitone intervals. 
While THROAT Evo has been designed to 
allow subtle modifications to a voice’s vocal 
quality, the range of the controls also allows 
the creation of vocal tract models well beyond 
the limits of physical human anatomy, offering 
the possibility of vocal characteristics that   
						

							10
are simply unattainable by any other means. 
In order to understand what THROAT Evo is 
doing and how you can use it to process your 
vocal tracks, it helps to know how our throats 
actually work to create what we perceive as 
unique vocal qualities. 
Vocal production starts with the vocal chords. 
Air from our lungs is forced through the vocal 
chords, causing them to vibrate. The contour 
of this vibration is the glottal waveform. The 
actual shape of the waveform is affected 
by each individual’s anatomy as well as the 
pressure applied to the vocal chords. From 
there, the voice is propagated through the 
throat, the mouth and out through the lips. 
It is the shape of these structures, both their 
length and width, that create the resonant 
characteristics that combine with the glottal 
waveform to define a unique vocal identity. 
With THROAT Evo, for the first time, you have 
individual control over each of the elements 
that go into creating a distinct vocal character. 
Whether you are a producer or engineer 
looking to subtly enhance a in pursuit of a 
totally new vocal effect, THROAT Evo will 
give you creative capabilities that have simply 
never before existed. 
controls
Se TTI nGS
In order for THROAT Evo to do the best 
possible job of modeling, it needs to know 
some basic things about the source audio. 
The following three controls are used to 
characterize the vocal that you will be 
processing: 
Vocal Range
Use this control to select the range of the 
track you will be processing. Choices include 
Soprano Voice, Alto/Tenor Voice, Bass/
Baritone Voice and Instrument (a general 
setting for anything that isn’t actually a vocal). 
Matching the appropriate algorithm to the 
input results in faster and more accurate pitch 
detection and more accurate modeling. 
To select vocal range, click on the Vocal Range 
pop-up and then select the desired range from 
the pop-up list. 
NOTE: Choosing the wrong Vocal 
Range (or just forgetting to set it 
at all) can result in compromised 
performance. Pay attention.
Source Glottal Waveform
The glottal waveform is the waveform 
produced by the vibration of the vocal 
chords. The range of an individual’s possible 
waveforms is defined by their particular 
anatomy. Within that range, the waveform 
can change pretty dramatically depending 
on the performer’s singing style. Imagine, 
for example, the progression from a breathy 
whisper, to a straight-ahead pop vocal, to hard 
rock or full-on operatic aria. 
A lot of subtle factors influence the glottal 
waveform, but for ease of setting, we have 
characterized the choices as loudness. 
Typically, as loudness increases, so does the 
pressure applied to the vocal chords and 
with that change in pressure a corresponding 
change in glottal waveform. 
When setting this control, select the loudness 
level (soft, medium, loud, intense) that most 
closely matches the performance you are 
processing. If you’re not sure where your 
performance lies on this scale, don’t worry.     
						

							11
There is no need to obsess over subtle 
distinctions. If in doubt, just pick one. Once 
you have set up a model, you can always 
come back and try another setting and see if it 
makes a (positive) difference. 
To select vocal type, click on the Vocal Type 
pop-up and then select the closest stylistic 
character of the vocal performance from the 
pop-up list.
Source Throat Precision
If you’ve already been poking around the 
THROAT Evo interface, you might be asking 
yourself, “What the heck is throat precision?” 
And a good question it is. 
As it happens, this control works a bit differently 
than the previous two. Here, you’re not being 
asked to tell THROAT Evo something about 
the input, but instead to tell THROAT Evo how 
precise to be in its attempt to calculate the 
characteristics of the input based on the type 
of modeling you intend doing (the choices 
being subtle, medium, or extreme). So why 
not always leave it at “subtle”? Another good 
question. The answer is that THROAT Evo’s most 
precise analysis results in extremely accurate 
characterization of the source throat, which 
works well for models that are within the 
general range of human anatomy (i.e. subtle 
modifications). However, for more extreme 
models, the “subtle” setting can in some cases 
result in artifacts — most often a sort of 
“whistling.” In those cases, such artifacts can 
often be reduced or eliminated by choosing a 
different setting for this control. As a result, the 
strategy for this control should be to always 
start with “subtle” (which is the default) and, if 
a particular model results in artifacts (and you 
don’t actually like those artifacts), change the 
precision one step at a time (i.e. to medium and 
then extreme) until you get the desired effect. 
To select throat precision, click on the Source 
Throat Precision pop-up and then select the 
appropriate model type from the pop-up list.  PITC h 
The Pitch control is 
a new addition to 
THROAT Evo that 
allows you to shift 
your entire vocal 
up or down up to 
an octave in either 
direction in semitone 
increments. In 
combination with 
the various modeling 
functions, this allows 
the creation of voices 
that range from tiny 
creatures (or children) 
to growling monsters 
(as well, of course, as 
more subtle options). 
In practice, you 
should typically set 
your pitch shift range 
first and then adjust the modeling controls to 
create your desired vocal timbre. 
To adjust pitch shift, simply click and hold on the 
fader and move it to the desired position. 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the fader to reset it to its default 
value of 0. 
The next two controls allow you to add a 
variety of breathiness effects to your modeled 
voice:
ADD B ReAThIne SS 
Breathiness Mix
This control lets you select the amount of 
breathiness component mixed into your 
modeled voice. With a setting of 0, there will 
be no breathiness (apart from what might be in 
the original vocal). At a setting of 100, the model 
will be all breathiness, with none of the original 
vocal characteristic present at all. Intermediate 
settings will produce mixes of the original vocal 
and the breathiness component.   
						

							12
The sonic character of the breathiness will 
depend both on the articulation of the original 
vocal and, more dramatically, the setting of the 
Highpass Frequency control described below. 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 0. 
Highpass Frequency 
This control lets you set the high pass frequency 
of the breathiness component  
(i.e., the frequency above which the breathiness 
will be present). This frequency determines the 
audio range and character of the breathiness 
effect. 
At high settings, the effect will be rather 
whispery and ethereal (depending, of course, 
on the original vocal and the Mix amount). At 
lower settings, the effect is more of a raspiness 
(again, depending on the mix). Experimentation 
is the best way to become familiar with the 
possibilities. 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 4000 Hz. 
The remaining controls are used to define the 
model vocal tract:
T h R OAT  
m OD eLInG 
Model Throat 
Length
The Throat 
Length control 
allows you 
to globally 
lengthen or 
shorten the 
modeled throat. 
Values above 
1.00 represent a 
lengthening of 
the throat while 
values below 
1.00 represent 
a shortening of 
the throat. 
The actual 
values represent 
the percentage change in the throat 
length. For example, a value of 1.20 represents 
a 20% increase in throat length, while a value 
of 0.80 represents a 20% decrease in throat 
length. 
Changes made to this control are reflected on 
the Graphic Throat Display described below. If 
you have used that display to create a custom 
throat contour, this control will preserve the 
overall contour while scaling it by the selected 
amount.
N OTE: While this control gives you 
the ability to radically change the 
throat length, keep in mind that the 
variation in the length of human 
vocal tracts is rarely more than about 25% 
in either direction. If you are looking for a 
“realistic” vocal characteristic, start with 
modest settings of this control. (As a visual 
reference, this range is indicated by color on 
the control scale.) More extreme settings can 
produce dramatic results, but probably not 
what anyone would call “realistic.” 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 1.00.  
						

							13
Model Throat Width
The Throat Width control allows you to 
globally widen or constrict the modeled 
throat. Values above 1.00 represent a 
widening of the throat while values below 1.00 
represent a narrowing  
of the throat. 
The actual values represent the percentage 
change in the throat width. For example, a 
value of 1.20 represents a 20% increase in 
throat width, while a value of 0.80 represents 
a 20% decrease in throat width. 
Changes made to this control are reflected on 
the Graphic Throat Display described below. If 
you have used that display to create a custom 
throat contour, this control will preserve the 
overall contour while scaling it by the selected 
amount.
N OTE: Similar to the Length control 
above, this control gives you the 
ability to radically change the throat 
width. Again, if you are looking for 
a “realistic” vocal characteristic, start with 
modest settings of this control. (And again, this 
range is indicated by color on the control scale.) 
More extreme settings can produce dramatic 
results, but probably not what anyone would 
call “realistic.”
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 1.00.
mOD eL G LOTTAL W AVefOR m
As was explained above in the Source Glottal 
Waveform section, the glottal waveform 
is the waveform produced by the vibration 
of the vocal chords. We used the Source 
Glottal Waveform control to help THROAT 
4 neutralize the effect of the original vocal’s 
glottal waveform. The Pulse Width and 
Voice Type controls let you define the glottal 
waveform you want to model. 
Glottal Voice Type
This control is the converse of the Source 
Glottal Waveform control described above. 
We used that control to tell THROAT 4 the 
characteristic of the original performance. We  use this control to tell THROAT 4 what kind of 
characteristic we would like to model. 
The choices here are the same as the choices 
for the Source Glottal Waveform control 
(i.e., soft, medium, loud, and intense). If you 
want to preserve the stylistic character of 
the original vocal, set this control to the 
same voice type as you set the Source Glottal 
Waveform (e.g., if you set Source Glottal 
Waveform to “soft,” set this control to “soft”). 
As mentioned below, this control interacts 
with the Glottal Pulse Width control. Each of 
the Voice Types sets a default Pulse Width 
that is associated with it. Once a Voice Type 
is set, the pulse width may then be adjusted 
separately..
N
OTE: Despite the value names 
(soft, loud, etc.), this control does not 
necessarily change the actual level 
of the signal (although the “intense” setting 
does sometimes result in some level gain). Its 
purpose is to model the glottal waveform that 
would result from the various styles of singing. 
If you want to adjust the level, use the Output 
Gain control described below.   
						

							14
To select vocal type, click on the Vocal Type 
pop-up and then select the desired stylistic 
character from the pop-up list. 
Glottal Pulse Width
This control allows you to select the pulse 
width of the modeled glottal waveform. If you 
are at all familiar with analog synthesizers, 
you can think of this as being vaguely similar 
to the variable pulse width control on a square 
wave oscillator (and if you’re not familiar with 
analog synthesizers, don’t worry, just move 
the slider and listen to what happens). 
You will find that the most dramatic timbral 
changes are usually found at the extreme ends 
of this control’s range. If you’re looking for 
realistic, stay in the middle 80% of the range.
IMPOr TANT NOTE : Keep in mind 
that this control interacts with the 
Glottal Voice Type control above. 
Each Voice Type sets a default Pulse Width that 
is associated with it. So if you set this control 
and then select a new Voice Type, the value of 
this control will change to the new voice type’s 
associated pulse width default. For that reason, 
it is usually best to select the Glottal Voice Type 
first and then make any desired adjustments to 
the pulse width. 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 64.
G RAPh IC Th ROAT  DISPLA y
Okay, here’s where the fun really starts. 
The Graphic Throat Display allows detailed 
tweaking of the model throat. For the purpose 
of this control, the model throat is divided into 
four sections defined by five boundary points. 
For reference, these sections and boundary 
points are illustrated on the head graphic to 
the left of the Throat Shaping display. Point 
(1) starts at the vocal chords and the sections 
progress through the throat and the mouth out 
to the lips, which are at point (5). 
The Throat Shaping display itself consists of 
two elements: the original throat plot and the 
model throat plot. The original throat plot is 
colored blue and is not user-changeable. It 
represents the original length and width of the 
four throat sections and serves as a reference 
relative to which changes to the model throat 
are made. 
The model throat plot is colored red and 
includes five control points that can be 
grabbed and moved, effectively adjusting the 
length and width of individual sections of the 
throat. 
Additionally, the background of the display is 
divided into two sections by color. The lighter 
grey central area represents the range of 
adjustments that are consistent with typical 
human anatomy. As long as all control points 
and plot lines fall in this area, the results of 
your model will be more or less “realistic.” 
The darker grey area represents the range 
of adjustments that exceed the dimensions 
of typical human vocal tracts. When any 
control point or plot line falls in this area, the 
result may or may not sound like something 
that you might recognize as a human voice. 
The more points and/or plot lines fall in 
this area, the more extreme the effect. 
When you open a new instance of THROAT 
Evo, the default state of the Throat Shaping 
display is with the original and model throat 
plots exactly superimposed, indicating no 
difference. 
If you adjust the Throat Length and/or Throat 
Width sliders, you will see the entire red model 
plot move to reflect the changes. Length