Antares AVOX 4 user manual

							15
changes are self-evident. For width changes, 
any part of the model plot that lies above 
the original plot indicates a widening of the 
throat while any part of the model plot below 
the original plot indicates a narrowing of the 
throat. 
Here are some things to consider when 
working with the Throat Shaping display:
• Point (1), which represents the vocal chords, 
serves as the anchor of the vocal tract. It can 
be adjusted for width but not length. 
• When you move points (2), (3), or (4) 
horizontally, you are adjusting the relative 
lengths of the adjacent sections. For 
example, if you move point (3) to the right, 
you are lengthening the section between 
(2) and (3) while shortening the section 
between (3) and (4). The overall length of 
the throat model remains the same. 
• Only by moving point (5) can you change 
the overall length of the model (apart from 
using the Throat Length slider, of course). 
• As we’ve mentioned, if you’re looking 
for “realistic” vocal characteristics, you 
would do well to start with relatively small 
adjustments that result in all control points 
and plot lines remaining in the central light 
blue area. 
• In addition to the plot point positions, watch 
the contour of the plot lines connecting 
them. It’s possible to place the points in 
positions relative to each other that cause 
the plot lines to bow out towards the edges 
of the display (or even pin against an edge of 
the display). This will almost always result in  artifacts of one sort or another. (Of course, 
if it’s artifacts you’re looking for, they may 
be just what you want.)
• 
When you have created a custom model 
contour, the Model Throat Length and 
Width controls will adjust the overall 
throat length and width while retaining 
(and scaling) your custom contour. 
• Extremely striking effects can be created 
by moving plot points in realtime. You 
can do this manually (for one point at a 
time) or, much more powerfully, you can 
use your host’s automation capabilities 
to program movements of all five points 
simultaneously. For the purposes of 
automation, each point is represented by 
two parameters, one for horizontal position 
(length) and one for vertical position 
(width).
In addition to the original and model plots, 
when THROAT Evo is processing audio 
the display will also contain real-time 
representations of the original and modeled 
throat contours. As with the plots, the blue 
contour is the original throat and the red 
contour is the model throat. 
As you begin to get familiar with the Throat 
Shaping display, trial-and-error will no 
doubt be the first order of the day. However, 
with a little experience, you will soon be 
able to predict what effect a particular plot 
adjustment will have. Checking out the factory 
presets, with a particular eye towards model 
plot shapes, should help you on your way.   
						

							16
Reset
Clicking the Reset button cancels any custom 
contour you have programmed, but retains 
any global Stretch and Width settings set by 
the Model Throat Length and Width controls. 
To reset those controls,Command (Mac)/
Control (PC)/Option (Pro Tools) click them to 
set them to their default values. 
OuTPuT 
This control lets you adjust the output level 
of the modeled vocal over a range of +/- 24 
dB. As you will discover, some models result in 
substantial level changes. This control is used 
to bring them back up or down to the desired 
level. 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 0 dB
Level Matching
As mentioned above, some model settings 
result in substantial level changes. The Level 
Matching function attempts to compensate 
for level differences between the original and 
processed versions by automatically applying 
gain adjustments to the modeled version. 
VEry I MPO rTANT N OTE: This 
function is provided for ease of A/B 
comparisons with the original vocal. 
It inserts some processing into the modeled 
vocal path that can have a very small but 
nonetheless real effect on the overall audio 
quality. Once you have a model you like, turn 
the Level Matching function Off and use the 
Output Gain to adjust the proper level. 
Click the Level Matching button to toggle 
its state. The button will display On or Off as 
appropriate. 
Bypass
This control is used to (you guessed it) bypass 
the plug-in. It has been designed to provide 
artifact-free bypass switching so that you can 
use it to seamlessly enable THROAT Evo only 
where desired on a track. 
Click the Bypass button to toggle its state. The 
button will display On or Off as appropriate. 
Keep in mind that “On” means that the Bypass 
function is on, i.e., the plug-in is bypassed. 
Usage Tips
•  THROAT Evo is a monophonic processor.
• For best modeling performance, THROAT 
Evo needs to be able to detect the pitch 
of the original performance. To do that, 
THROAT Evo requires a clean, pitched, 
monophonic signal. If THROAT Evo can 
not reliably detect the pitch of the input, 
either because of a noisy or effected 
signal or because the input is not a single 
monophonic voice, it will not fail, but 
will fall back to an alternative (but not 
quite as accurate) modeling method. 
• If you are going to be using pitch shift, set 
your pitch shift range first and then adjust 
the modeling controls to create the desired 
vocal timbre.
• As has been mentioned several times 
already, for natural, “realistic” results, 
always start with relatively small 
adjustments to the various throat modeling 
controls, whether the Length and Width 
sliders, or the Graphic Display control points.   
						

							17
 The actual range of variation in human 
anatomy is quite small relative to the overall 
range offered by THROAT Evo. When you’re 
first getting started, try limiting control 
changes to around +/- 15%. As you get a 
feeling for the effect of various settings, 
slowly increase the ranges until things start 
sounding weird (not that that’s necessarily a 
bad thing).
• If you just want to start playing, try the 
following brief tutorial.
  Start by assigning THROAT Evo to a vocal 
part and set the above contour on the 
Throat Shaping display.
  Be sure you have set the proper Vocal Range 
and Source Glottal settings and leave all the 
other controls at their default values.
  Now, while listening to your vocal, slowly 
move the Model Throat Length slider from 
1.00 to 1.25. Note the effect. Depending, 
of course, on the source vocal, you might 
typically hear the vocal quality become 
subtly darker, more male, older, etc. 
  Then try moving it back to 0.75. Again note 
the effect. In this case the result might be 
subtly more bright, female, young, etc.
  Next, return the Model Throat Length slider 
to 1.00 and repeat the above with the Model 
Throat Width.
  Experiment with various combinations of 
the two controls. As you become familiar 
with their effects, try more extreme 
settings of the controls.   
Finally, use the Pitch control to shift the 
vocal up or down 4–6 semitones and repeat 
the steps above to see how the controls 
affect the shifted vocal. 
• Speaking of weird, it may be useful to 
understand just why extreme models are 
perceived as “unrealistic” or strange.
  As mentioned above, the range of human 
vocal anatomy is actually relatively small. In 
order that we can differentiate between the 
voices of the many people we encounter in 
our lives, the auditory processing function 
in our brains is extremely sensitive to very 
small differences in vocal timbre within the 
typical range of variation. But as a result 
of this, we have no frame of reference for 
vocal timbres that fall outside of the range 
of common human anatomy. We can’t 
picture the person who would sound like 
that. So we think more in terms of “filtered,” 
“tubular,” or whatever. Trust us, if there 
were people with vocal tracts of the more 
extreme dimensions THROAT Evo is capable 
of, this is what they’d sound like. 
• While THROAT Evo has been designed for 
voice, experiments here have shown that 
it can produce quite striking effects when 
used on other instrumental tracks. Try it 
with drums, guitars, bass, in fact pretty 
much anything. (In particular, applying 
it to a drum loop and then following 
that up with PUNCH Evo has resulted in 
some truly twisted beats. Give it a try.)
• Play, play, play.  
						

							18
A few words about the THrOAT 
Evo  factory presets
Unlike synth presets, which will always sound 
the same for all users, the THROAT Evo presets 
are heavily dependent on the vocal tracks that 
you use them on. Consequently, they serve 
primarily as starting points for various general 
effects, with the expectation that you will 
tweak them to work best with your particular 
audio. 
Specifically, they all contain the default 
settings for Vocal Range and Source Glottal 
Waveform controls. After calling up a preset, 
you should be sure set each of those controls 
to reflect your track. 
None of the presets include any Pitch Shift. 
After checking them out at your track’s 
original pitch, try shifting the pitch up or down 
(and readjusting any parameters as desired). 
Also, although some presets are named to 
give a general idea of their intent, feel free 
to experiment with any preset on any source 
track. There are no rules.  
						

							19
6: DUO Evo  
V Oc AL M OdELING A UTO-dOU bLE r
The DUO Evo Vocal Modeling Auto-Doubler 
automatically generates a doubled vocal part 
from any existing monophonic vocal. Unlike 
conventional doublers that simply apply 
pitch and delay variation to the original part, 
DUO Evo makes use of Antares’ unique vocal 
modeling and vibrato processing technologies 
to create a doubled part that actually sounds 
like another singer. There is no easier or quicker 
way to create a realistic doubled vocal part.controls
V OCAL  RAn Ge
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.
To select the desired Vocal Range, click on 
the Vocal Range pop-up and then select the 
desired range from the pop-up list. 
N OTE: Choosing the wrong Vocal 
Range (or just forgetting to set it 
at all) can result in compromised 
performance. Pay attention.  
						

							20
VARIATIOn
Vocal Timbre
Behind this unassuming knob lies a compact 
version of the THROAT Evo vocal modeler. 
When this control is set to 0, the doubled 
voice will have exactly the same character 
as the original voice. As you adjust the 
control in either direction, DUO Evo sends 
the doubled voice through a progressively 
more extreme vocal model. I.e., near 0, the 
timbre is very close to the original voice. As 
the control approaches .40 or -.40, the vocal 
timbre undergoes a fairly radical change.
As you might imagine, this knob 
simultaneously controls a number of 
vocal modeling parameters. We’ve linked 
them together to give you quick and easy 
access to a range of useful timbres.
Although the exact effect of any setting 
will depend a good deal on the vocal being 
processed, in general:
• Selecting a positive value will result in a 
lengthening of the vocal tract and hence 
an older/darker/more male vocal quality.
• Selecting a negative value will result 
in a shortening of the vocal tract and  hence a younger/brighter/
more female vocal quality.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/
Option (Pro Tools) click the control 
to reset it to its default value of 0.
Vibrato
The Vibrato control allows you 
to select the amount of variation 
in vibrato depth applied to the 
doubled voice. 
Selecting a positive value increases 
the doubled voice’s vibrato depth 
relative to the original voice. 
Selecting a negative value 
decreases the doubled voice’s 
vibrato depth relative to the 
original voice.
I
MPOr TANT NOTE : 
Unlike vibrato controls 
on most vocal processors, 
this function does not simply use an LFO to 
apply a synthesized vibrato. DUO 4 actually 
analyses the original vocal part to identify its 
vibrato and modify its depth. As a result, the 
modified vibrato will still reflect the overall 
contour of the original vibrato. As an additional 
consequence however, the Vibrato control will 
only have affect if the original vocal contains 
vibrato. It will not add vibrato to a performance 
that does not originally have it. 
The Vibrato control may be used by itself to 
modify the vibrato of a performance. See the 
Usage Tips below for details.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 0.
Pitch Variation
The Pitch Variation control lets you select the 
amount of random variation in pitch applied 
to the doubled voice. The higher the value, 
the larger the maximum amount of allowable 
variation.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 10.  
						

							21
Timing Variation
The Timing Variation control lets you select 
the amount of random variation in timing 
applied to the doubled voice. The higher the 
value, the larger the maximum amount of 
allowable variation.
DUO Evo’s timing variation is completely 
independent of pitch variation. To get a good 
idea of the effect of timing variation, use the level controls to listen only to the doubled 
voice. set Vibrato to 0 and Pitch Variation to 
10. Set Timing Variation to maximum and 
process a rhythmic vocal performance. Pretty 
weird.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 10.
L
e Ve LS 
Original Level
Sets the level of the original voice.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/
Option (Pro Tools) click the control 
to reset it to its default value of 0.
Original Pan Position
Sets the original voice’s location in 
the stereo spectrum. This control 
only functions in Stereo or Mono-
> Stereo modes.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/
Option (Pro Tools) click the control 
to reset it to its default value of 
-100 (far left).
Double Level
Sets the level of the doubled 
voice.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/
Option (Pro Tools) click the control 
to reset it to its default value of 0.
Double Pan Position
Sets the doubled voice’s location 
in the stereo spectrum. This 
control only functions in Stereo or 
Mono-> Stereo modes.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/
Option (Pro Tools) click the control 
to reset it to its default value of 
100 (far right).  
						

							22
Usage Tips
• DUO Evo is available in mono and stereo 
versions and, depending on the capabilities 
of your host program, a mono -> stereo 
version (which in most cases is the 
preferred routing). In the case of the stereo 
version, DUO Evo processes only the left 
channel. DUO Evo is dramatically more 
effective with the original and doubled 
parts panned apart, so if at all possible, 
try always to use it with stereo output.
• For best performance, DUO Evo requires a 
clean, pitched monophonic signal. If DUO 
Evo can not reliably detect the pitch of the 
input, either because of a noisy or effected 
signal or because the input is not a single 
monophonic voice, it will apply Vocal Timbre 
and Timing variations only.
• Experiment with various Pitch and Timing 
settings. Different combinations can result 
in distinctly different stylistic effects. 
• DUO Evo’s Vibrato function can be used 
by itself to modify the vibrato depth on a 
recorded track. If you have a track with too 
deep a vibrato (or too shallow, although 
that’s a much rarer problem), assign DUO 
Evo to the track and set the mixer so that 
only the doubled track is heard. Set Vocal 
Timbre to 0 and Pitch and Timing to their 
minimum values. While listening to the 
track, adjust the Vibrato slider to reduce 
or expand the vibrato depth as desired. 
Notice that while you are modifying the 
vibrato depth, the expressive contour of 
the singer’s original vibrato is retained.  
						

							23
7: CHOIR Evo  
VO cAL  MULTIPLIE r
CHOIR Evo is a unique processor that turns 
a single monophonic 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. When multiple instances of 
CHOIR Evo are assigned to individual harmony 
parts, the result is an amazingly realistic large 
vocal ensemble.
controls
Ch OIR  SIze
This control allows you to select the number of 
individual voices that will be generated from 
the original voice. Choices are 4, 8, 16, and 32 
voices.
VARIATIO n
Vibrato Variation
The Vibrato control allows you to select the 
range of variation in vibrato depth applied to 
the generated voices. Each voice is individually 
assigned a vibrato variation relative to the 
original voice. The higher the value of this 
control, the greater the possible vibrato 
variation.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 30.
Pitch Variation
The Pitch Variation control lets you select 
the range of the random variation in pitch 
applied to each generated voice. Each voice is 
individually assigned a pitch variation relative 
to the original voice. The higher the value of 
this control, the larger the maximum amount 
of allowable variation.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 30.  
						

							24
Timing Variation
The Timing Variation control lets you select 
the range of the random variation in timing 
applied to each generated voice. Each voice is 
individually assigned a timing variation relative 
to the original voice. The higher the value of 
this control, the larger the maximum amount 
of allowable variation.
ST eRe O S PRe AD
This control selects the extent to which the 
generated voices are spread across the stereo 
spectrum. At a setting of 0, all of the voices 
appear in the center of the stereo soundstage. 
As the value is increased, the voices spread 
out from the center until, at the maximum 
value, they appear across the entire stereo 
soundstage. Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 100.
This control only functions in Stereo or Mono-
> Stereo modes.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 100.