Antares AVOX 4 user manual

							35
Clicking the Stereo Noise button will toggle it 
between mono and stereo noise. The button 
will turn blue to indicate the selection of 
stereo noise. 
NOTE: Stereo noise is only 
available from stereo or mono-
>stereo versions of ARTICULATOR 
Evo. If you have instantiated a mono 
version, this button will be disabled.
fOR mAnT  eXTRACTIO n SeCTIO n
The controls in this section allow you to 
optimize the formant extraction process for 
your specific Control Signal.
Vo i c e  Ty p e
Use this control 
to select the 
range of the 
track you will 
be processing. Choices include soprano voice, 
alto/tenor voice, baritone/bass voice and 
instrument (a general setting for anything that 
isn’t actually a vocal).
Matching the appropriate algorithm to 
the input results in more accurate formant 
extraction.
To select voice type, click on the Voice Type 
pop-up and then select the desired range from 
the pop-up list.
N OTE: Choosing the wrong Voice 
Type (or just forgetting to set it 
at all) can result in compromised 
performance. Pay attention.
Tracking
In order to 
accurately analyze 
the Control Signal, 
ARTICULATOR 
Evo requires 
a periodically 
repeating 
waveform, 
characteristic of a voice or solo instrument. 
The Tracking control determines how much 
variation is allowed in the incoming waveform 
for ARTICUL ATOR Evo to still consider it 
periodic. If you are working with a well-isolated solo 
Control Signal (e.g., tracking in a studio or from 
a multitrack master) you can typically set the 
Tracking control to 25 and forget it.
If, on the other hand, your Control Signal is 
noisy or not well-isolated, or you are dealing 
with a particularly breathy or guttural voice, 
it may be necessary to allow more signal 
variation (higher Tracking numbers). However, 
under these circumstances tracking is not 
guaranteed and a too “relaxed” setting may 
negatively affect the accuracy of the formant 
extraction.
To adjust Tracking, click on the knob and move 
the cursor up to turn the knob clockwise, or 
down to turn it counterclockwise. Remember, 
higher numbers allow more variation, while 
lower numbers require less.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 25.
fOR
mAnT  mODu LATIOn SeCTIO n
Another way of looking at the Control Signal’s 
formant information is to think of it as a real 
time model of the vocal tract of the person 
singing or speaking. The controls in this section 
allow you to modify the extracted formant 
information by modifying the geometry of 
that modeled throat.
Throat Length
This control lets 
you increase or 
decrease the 
length of the 
modeled throat 
that is applied to 
the Audio Signal.
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.  
						

							36
The effect of this control is so dependent 
on the combination of each specific Control 
Signal and Audio Signal that the only guideline 
for working with it is to just check out its 
entire range and discover what works best for 
your particular needs.
To adjust Throat Length, click on the 
knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise. The numeric display will 
indicate the percentage of change.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 1.00.Throat Width 
As you might 
imagine, this 
control is similar the 
the Throat Length 
control described 
above, but 
instead modifies 
the width of 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.
Again, your best bet in working with Throat 
Width just to try a variety of settings to 
hear what works best for your project.
To adjust Throat Width, click on the 
knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise. The numeric display 
will indicate the percentage of change.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option 
(Pro Tools) clicking on the knob will 
reset it to its default value of 1.00.Am PLIT uDe eXTRACTIO n SeCTIO n
The controls in this section don’t exist. 
In the schematic signal flow, this section 
represents the process of extracting 
the Control Signal’s amplitude envelope 
(which is a fancy way of saying “the way 
its loudness changes over time”). 
ARTICUL ATOR Evo does this all by itself 
with no need for any input from you. 
AmPLIT uDe mODu LATIOn SeCTIO n
Here’s where you decide how much effect the 
Control Signal’s amplitude envelope will have 
on the Audio Signal.
Envelope Amount
This control sets 
the amount 
of amplitude 
modulation 
(i.e., change in 
loudness) applied 
to the Audio Signal 
by the Control 
Signal’s amplitude 
envelope.
When this control 
is set at 0, the Control Signal’s amplitude 
envelope has no effect on the Audio Signal. 
In this case, the loudness dynamics of the 
Audio Signal are preserved and only the 
formant information from the Control Signal is 
imposed on the Audio Signal.
When this control is set at 100 (maximum), the 
the full effect of the Control Signal’s amplitude 
envelope is applied to the Audio Signal. 
And as you might imagine, intermediate 
settings of this control apply intermediate 
amounts of amplitude modulation.
N OTE: In order for the Control 
Signal’s amplitude envelope to have 
maximum effect on the Audio Signal, 
the Audio Signal should be a sustained sound 
(like the Noise Generator or a synth pad) or at 
least one in which audio is constantly present. 
If there are periods of silence in the Audio 
Signal, its output during those periods will 
be silence, regardless of the Control Signal’s 
envelope. If the Audio Signal is constant, but   
						

							37
has a varying dynamic range, you might, 
depending on your goal, consider engaging the 
Compressor in the Input Mixer to even it out.
TIP : The easiest way to 
understand the effect of this 
control is to do the following:
  1.  Do whatever your DAW requires to set 
up ARTICUL ATOR Evo with a speaking or 
singing voice as the Control Signal.
  2.  In the Input Mixer, set Audio Level to -inf 
and Noise Level to a comfortable level.
  3.  Set the Formant Extraction controls as 
appropriate for your Control Signal.
  4.  In the Output Mixer, set Control Signal 
Level to -inf and Audio Signal level to a 
comfortable level.
  5.  While playing the Control Track, vary the 
Envelope Amount control from 0 to 100 
and listen to the result.
To adjust the Envelope Amount, click on 
the knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise.  
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 100 (maximum amount).
eQ SeCTIO n
The EQ Section provides one band of 
traditional parametric EQ for fine-tuning the 
Audio Signal (as well as the Noise Generator 
output, if used). 
Frequency
This control selects the 
frequency of the EQ (i.e., the 
frequency that will either be 
increased or decreased via 
the Gain control). The range is 
from 100Hz to 4000Hz. 
To adjust Frequency, click 
on the knob and move the cursor up to 
turn the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise.  
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 1500Hz. Q
The Q control allows you to set 
the slope (and, consequently, 
the bandwidth) of the EQ’s peak 
or dip. Its range is 0.10 to 3.10. 
High Qs result steep slopes (and 
narrow bandwidth), while lower 
Qs result in more gentle slopes 
(and wider bandwidth). (The 
easiest way to understand this is to watch the 
green EQ plot while adjusting the Q and Gain 
controls. All will become clear.)
To adjust Q, click on the knob and move the 
cursor up to turn the knob clockwise, or down 
to turn it counterclockwise. 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 0.71.
Gain
The Gain control lets you set the 
amount of boost or cut that will 
be applied to the Audio Signal 
at the selected Frequency. 
The range is from -12.0dB to 
+12.0dB.
To adjust Gain, click on 
the knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise. 
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 0.0.
Bypass
The Bypass button 
allows you to bypass 
the effect of the EQ section. When the button 
is red, EQ is bypassed. Click the button to 
toggle its state.  
						

							38
Display
The EQ Section Display provides a real-time 
graphic representation of the Control Signal 
(red plot), the Audio Signal (blue plot) and the 
EQ cur ve (green plot). 
OuTPuT mIX eR Se CTIO n
Here’s where you can set the output levels and 
pans of both the processed Audio Signal and 
the Control Signal.
Audio Signal 
Level
This control 
applies gain or 
attenuation to 
the processed 
Audio Signal plus 
Noise (if any). 
The range is 
from -inf (i.e., off) to +12 dBs of gain.
The associated meter indicates the level of the 
processed Audio Signal along with a clipping 
indicator. Between the effects of the modeling 
process and the EQ, it is possible to generate 
quite a bit of additional gain. If necessary, adjust 
the output level so that clipping is avoided.
To adjust Audio Signal Level, click on the knob 
and move the cursor up to turn the knob 
clockwise, or down to turn it counterclockwise. 
The numeric display will indicate the amount of 
attenuation or gain in dBs.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 0 dB. Audio Signal 
Pan
This slider allows 
you to set the 
Audio Signal’s 
location in the 
stereo spectrum. 
N
OTE: Audio Signal Pan only 
functions in Stereo or Mono -> 
Stereo versions of ARTICULATOR 
Evo. If you have instantiated a Mono 
version, the slider will be disabled.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option 
(Pro Tools) click the control to reset it to 
its default value of 0 (absolute center).
Control Signal Level
This control applies gain or attenuation to the 
Control Signal. The range is from -inf (i.e., off)  to +12 dBs of 
gain.
The associated 
meter indicates 
the level of 
the Control 
Signal along 
with a clipping 
indicator. If 
necessary, adjust the output level so that 
clipping is avoided.
To adjust Control Signal Level, click on 
the knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise. The numeric display will 
indicate the amount of attenuation or gain in 
dBs.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of -inf (off)
Control Signal 
Pan
This slider allows 
you to set the 
Control Signal’s 
location in the 
stereo spectrum.   
						

							39
NOTE: Control Signal Pan only 
functions in Stereo or Mono -> 
Stereo versions of ARTICULATOR 
Evo. If you have instantiated a Mono 
version, the slider will be disabled.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) click the control to reset it to its default 
value of 0 (absolute center).
Usage Tips
Although we’ve already mentioned this 
a few times, it bears repeating that to 
obtain the most interesting results from 
ARTICUL ATOR Evo, it’s most important to 
select appropriate Control and Audio Signals.
Control Signals
•  First and foremost, the Control Signal 
should be dynamic, both in formant 
information and volume (as would 
be case with speaking or singing).
• Since the actual pitch of the output is 
provided by the Audio Signal, if you 
are singing the lyrics to a song, it’s not 
necessary to sing the actual notes of 
the melody for the Control Signal. It’s 
only necessary to enunciate the words 
clearly and distinctly, with whatever 
expressive gestures are appropriate for 
the track. Even a monotone will work.
• Don’t limit yourself just to words. All 
manner of vocalizations and vocal 
effects can be used to provide a dynamic 
Control Signal. Try vocal beat box 
sounds or the kinds of vocal wah wahs 
that simulate a resonant synth filter. 
• Interesting effects can result from using 
the amplitude envelope of an intricately 
rhythmic Control Signal like congas, 
tablas, or even an entire drum track.  Audio Signals
• 
The most important characteristic of a good 
Audio Signal is that it has rich harmonic 
content. The formant information from 
the Control Signal essentially accentuates 
certain frequencies while attenuating 
others. But you can only hear this effect if 
the Audio Signal actually contains harmonic 
information at those frequencies. 
  Using a  sine wave, for instance, which 
contains only a fundamental frequency 
with no harmonics, would provide 
almost no raw material for the Control 
Signal to act on. Most solo instruments 
(e.g., trumpet, flute, violin, etc.), as well 
as solo voice, are not much better. 
  Again, better candidates are rich synth pads, 
distortion-rich guitar sounds, thick chords 
(from any combination of instruments), and 
even whole mixes. 
• An exception to the point above is that if 
you are only interested in using the Control 
Signal to provide amplitude modulation, the 
harmonic content of the Audio Signal will 
not be an issue.
• If you do want the Control Signal to provide 
the rhythmic articulation, the Envelope 
Amount control should be set at 100 and the 
Audio Signal should be sustained in nature.
• If the Audio Signal itself is rhythmic and 
you want to preserve that rhythm, set the 
Envelope Amount control to 0, in which 
case the Control Signal will affect only the 
harmonic articulation.  
						

							40
11: M U TATO R  Ev o  
E XT rEME  VOI cE dESIGNE r
MUTATOR Evo provides a combination of tools for creating unusual, weird, or downright 
wacky voices. With high-quality pitch shifting, throat modeling,  a pitch-tracking ring 
modulator for “mutation,” and a mind-bending Alienization function, MUTATOR Evo is 
the perfect tool for unique vocal effects and post-production sound design.  
						

							41
controls
VOC AL  
R AnG e
Use this 
control to 
select the 
range of the 
track you 
will be processing. Choices include soprano 
voice, alto/tenor voice, baritone/bass 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 pitch shifting and 
modeling.
To select 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.
V OIC e De SIGn Se CTIO n
The following three controls allow you to 
create the basic vocal characteristics of your 
voice.
Shift Pitch
As its name 
suggests, this 
control is used 
to shift the 
pitch of the 
input voice 
either up or 
down. 
M U TATO R  
Evo’s pitch shifting automatically includes 
formant correction (i.e., it preserves the 
resonant characteristics of the original voice), 
however you can further modify the vocal 
characteristics using the Throat Length and 
Throat Width controls described below.
The range of the control is four octaves — two 
octaves up and two octaves down. The control 
is calibrated in 48 discrete steps of a semitone 
each. Since an octave is equal to twelve semitones, 
the values of this control are equivalent to the 
following musical inter vals:
 
1 = minor 2nd 
  2 = major 2nd 
  3 = minor 3rd 
  4  = major 3rd 
  5 = perfect 4th 
  6  = aug 4th/dim 5th 
  7 = perfect 5th 
  8  = aug 5th/min 6th 
  9   = major 6th 
  10   = minor 7th 
  11   = major 7th 
  12  = octave 
  13  = minor 9th 
  14  = major 9th 
  15  = minor 10th 
  16  = major 10th 
  17  = perfect 11th 
  18  = aug 11th 
  19  = perfect 12th 
  20  = minor 13th 
  21  = major 13th 
  22  = minor 14th (rarely used) 
  23  = major 14th (rarely used) 
  24  = 2 octaves 
To adjust pitch shift, click on the knob and 
move the cursor up to turn the knob clockwise, 
or down to turn it counterclockwise. The 
numeric display will indicate the number of 
semitones shifted.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 0.
Throat Length 
This control uses the vocal tract modeling 
technology from THROAT to modify the vocal 
characteristics of the input voice by actually   
						

							42
Throat Width 
As you might imagine, this control is similar 
the the Throat Length control described 
above, but instead modifies the width of 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.
NOTE: As with the Throat Length 
control above, if you are going 
for “realism,” limit yourself to 
modifications of about +/- 20%. For special 
effects, anything goes.
To adjust Throat Width, click on the 
knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise. The numeric display will 
indicate the percentage   
of change.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 1.00.
m uTATe Se CTIOn
Having created your basic vocal characteristic 
with the Voice Design controls, the Mutate 
section let’s you turn that voice into a variety 
of, how shall we put it, alternative entities (i.e., 
weird creatures).
varying the length of the voice’s model vocal 
tract. It can be used in combination with the 
Shift Pitch control to modify gender and/or 
vocal quality.
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.
In addition to simply changing vocal timbre, 
increasing throat length is useful when the 
original input is female and you are shifting it 
down and want it to sound male. Conversely, 
decreasing throat length is useful when the 
original input is male and you want to shift it 
up to sound female or childlike.
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 20% in either 
direction. If you are looking for a “realistic” 
vocal characteristic, start with modest 
settings of this control. More extreme settings 
can produce dramatic results, but probably 
not what anyone would call “realistic.”
To adjust Throat Length, click on the 
knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise. The numeric display will 
indicate the percentage of change.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 1.00.  
						

							43
Mutation
The Mutation 
control allows 
you to select 
among 24 
different 
varieties of 
mutation, as 
well as being able to select “0,” which, not 
surprisingly, will result in no mutation effect.
Although the sound of each mutation 
setting depends to a great extent on 
the characteristics of the specific voice 
being processed, as a general rule, odd-
numbered settings will typically result in 
more enharmonic overtones being added to 
the voice (i.e., weird growly or grunginess) 
than even-numbered settings. When first 
experimenting, try starting with “8” and then 
work out from there.
Beyond that, there are really no rules for 
predicting how a particular setting will affect 
a particular voice. Trial and error is the method 
of the day.
N OTE: For the technically curious, 
what’s going on here is a unique 
variation of the technique called 
ring modulation, a staple of early analog 
synthesizers. What makes MUTATOR Evo’s 
mutation process special is that MUTATOR 
Evo is constantly detecting the pitch of the 
input voice and shifting the relative pitch 
of the modulating signal to match, thereby 
preserving the basic mutation quality 
regardless of pitch changes in the input. A 
setting of “8” sets the modulation signal to 
the same frequency as the input voice. “4” sets 
it an octave lower and “16” an octave higher. 
Intermediate settings result in more complex 
ratios and more complex harmonic structures.
To select a Mutation variety, click on the 
knob and move the cursor up to turn 
the knob clockwise, or down to turn it 
counterclockwise. The numeric display will 
indicate the mutation number.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 0 (no mutation). Mutant Mix 
This control allows you to set a mix between 
the original unprocessed voice and the voice 
after being processed by the Mutation control. 
This mix is then sent on to the Alienize section.
When this control is set to the extreme 
“Original” end of its range, only the original 
unprocessed voice will be sent. At the extreme 
“Mutated” end, only the processed voice will 
be sent. In the middle of the range, a selectable 
mix of the two will be sent.
To set the Mutant Mix, click on the knob and 
move the cursor up to turn the knob clockwise, 
or down to turn it counterclockwise. The 
numeric display will indicate the percentage of 
the Mutated signal in the mix.
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 100 (all mutated signal).
A
LI en Ize SeCTIO n
The Alienize section lets you give your speech 
the quality of an alien language by chopping 
it up into small segments and playing each 
segment in reverse. (The effect is kind of hard 
to describe in words, so just try it. You’ll see.)
Alienize
The Alienize switch lets you 
activate and deactivate the 
Alienization process. Click 
anywhere on the switch to toggle 
its state between On and Off. It 
turns blue when Alienization is On and gray 
when it is Off.  
						

							44
Dialect
This control sets the length of the speech 
segments that are reversed. You can choose 
one of two Dialect modes, Internal or Tempo 
Sync. 
INTE rNAL  MOd E When using Internal 
Mode (i.e., when the Temp Sync button is not 
engaged), the Dialect control sets the length (in 
time) of the speech segments that are reversed. 
Low numbers result in short segments, 
while progressively higher numbers result in 
progressively longer segments. At very low 
numbers, the segments are so small that you 
can still easily understand the original spoken 
or sung words. At higher numbers intelligibility 
becomes progressively worse, until at very high 
numbers, each segment can include one or 
more entire words.
T EMPO Sy Nc M OdE  To engage Tempo Sync 
Mode, click the Tempo Sync button so that it 
turns blue. 
In Tempo Sync Mode, the length of the speech 
segments are synced to beats or fractional 
beats relative to your host’s tempo. With the 
host’s transport running, the Receiving Clock 
“LED” will light to indicate that MUTATOR Evo is 
in fact receiving the clock signal from your host. 
In Tempo Sync Mode, the Dialect control lets 
you select what division or multiplier of the 
beat will define the length and position of each 
speech segment. The choices are:
  4/4  (4 beats)
  3/4  (3 beats)
  2/4  (2 beats)
  1/4.  (dotted quarter note)
  1/4   (quarter note)
  1/4T  (quarter note triplet)
  1/8.  (dotted 8th note)
  1/8  (8th note)
  1/8T  (8th note triplet)  
1/16.  (dotted 16th note)
  1/16  (16th note)
  1/16T  (16th note triplet)
  1/32.  (dotted 32nd note)
  1/32  ( 32nd note)
  1/32T  (32nd note triplet)
NOTE: It should be noted that 
Alienize is a real-time function, 
i.e., it doesn’t simply analyze and 
reverse sections of a pre-recorded track. You 
could, in fact, connect a microphone and have 
MUTATOR Evo Alienize your voice as you speak 
or sing. Try it. It’s fun. 
A NOTHE r NOTE : Because the Alienize 
function needs to store up a small 
bit of your speech before it can 
start Alienizing it, there will be a short delay 
between the beginning of the audio and when 
the alienized voice begins to sound (the exact 
delay depends on the selected Dialect setting). 
Conversely, depending on exactly when your 
audio ends, the alienized voice may continue 
for a very brief time after you stop while the 
last alienized segment is completed. (Think of it 
as Alien Timeshift.)
To set the Dialect, click on the knob and move 
the cursor up to turn the knob clockwise, or 
down to turn it counterclockwise. The numeric 
display will indicate the segment length (in 
arbitrary units or beat divisions depending on 
Dialect mode).
Command (Mac)/Control (PC)/Option (Pro 
Tools) clicking on the knob will reset it to its 
default value of 10.
In Pu T/Ou TPuT Se CTIO n
Here’s where you can adjust the output 
level, bypass the entire plug-in, and get a 
visual representation of the before and after 
versions of your audio.