Yeah, yeah – here’s that “talking piano” video that’s been bouncing around the Internet for a week.

I didn’t feature it here, because I thought Conlon Nancarrow was doing a lot more interesting things, and more musical things, with player piano sequencing back in the 1940s.

And, if you’re going to make a talking instrument, in my book – it’s either got to make music, or it’s got to say “Exterminate!”

But others are obviously seeing potential in this. Or that je ne sais quoi that makes an Internet meme.

Anyway, this video captures a”speaking piano” reciting the Proclamation of the European Environmental Criminal Court at World Venice Forum 2009.

Composer Peter Ablinger basically pixelated sound, at a resolution appropriate to the range of the piano, and used the pixelations as “notes” to sequence and reproduce a lo-fi version of the original sound.

UPDATE: Astera on hackaday wrote a rough translation:

Pretty amazing, how all of a sudden the words of the Declaration become understandable to a European Environmental Criminal Court. Wien Modern was one out of ten cultural institutions asked for an artistic contribution to the event in Palazzo Ducale in Venice. The ambitious goal was to make this message audible with musical means, without falling back to a simple setting.

Berno Polzer: I think, its partially understandable, partially not. And it plays well with the limits of our construction abilities. That is, we hear sounds that obviously arent normal Music, but neither they are language, and one could say that sometimes, a bridging happens. Personally, I think you can understand individual words even without knowing the text, and the Eureka moment happens when you see the text, and suddenly, the language is there.

Yet another bridge: Miro Markus, an elementary school student from Berlin, narrated the text for the performance: Youth as a hope for the older generation.

The Austrian composer Peter Ablinger transferred the frequency spectrum of the childs voice to his computer controlled mechanical piano.

Peter Ablinger: I break down this phonography, meaning a recording of something the voice, in this case -, in individual pixels, one can say. And if I have the possibility of a rendering in a fairly high resolution (and that I only get with a mechanical piano), then I in fact restore some kind of continuity. Therefore, with a little practice, or help or subtitling, we actually can hear a human voice in a piano sound.

Antares Audio Technologies has introduced Harmony EFX, a tool for generating up to five part vocal harmonies from a single vocal line.

Harmony EFX is a streamlined version of Antares’ Harmony Engine Evo Vocal Modeling Harmony Generator.

Key Harmony EFX features:

• Ev Voice Processing Technology for fast, accurate pitch detection; smooth, artifact-free pitch shifting; and seamless, natural-sounding (if you want it to be) throat modeling
• Four high-quality, formant-corrected harmony voices with independent pan settings
• Antares Throat Modeling technology that lets you process each harmony voice through a physical model of the human vocal tract
• A variety of innovative Harmony Control modes, from fully automatic to individual control of every note:
• Fixed or Scale Intervals: Simply set the key and harmony voice intervals and let Harmony EFX do the rest
• Chord Degrees or Chord Name: Define your harmony chord-by-chord, complete with inversions and variable vocal ranges
• Chord by MIDI: Define your harmony in real time via a MIDI controller or pre-recorded MIDI track
• MIDI Omni: Directly “play” the four harmony voices as if they were voices of a synth or sampler
• MIDI Channel: Use four separate MIDI channels for absolute control over each note of your vocal arrangement
• Spread and Register controls that allow you to quickly and intuitively set the pitch range and harmony style of your vocal arrangement
• Humanize functions that provide selectable amounts of variation to each harmony voice for realistic, natural sounding results
• A Harmony Preset matrix that lets you create up to 12 complete harmony settings and instantaneously recall them in real time or via automation

Harmony EFX will be available for RTAS (Mac and PC), VST (Mac and PC), and Audio Units in mid-October. As an introductory special, from its release in mid October through the end of November, Harmony EFX can be purchased for $49.00.

Note: Harmony EFX authorization requires a spawn of hell iLok USB smart key (sold separately) and the ability to access ilok.com (from any computer).

Klon takes your voice and adds up to 16 different copies of your voice, in realtime. This lays the ground for an impressive amount of applications like:

• Choir generator
• Harmonizer
• Voice doubler
• Change voice’s gender
• Pitch corrector
• Extreme voice manipulation

KLON is available for purchase for the introductory offer of 99 EUR until October 31st, 2009 (regular price 169 EUR). It is free with every purchase of Take Five FX (incl. Bark, Matrix, Reflect, TDesign and VTape) before October 31st, 2009.

You can preview a demo of VirSyn Klon below:

The 16 pitch shifters inside KLON are divided into 4 groups making it easy to build up large choral parts from a simple, single vocal line. The four separate, switchable groups have their own dedicated set of controls. These controls include an x-y pad for fast, easy control of pitch and panorama. Each group can be altered in real time while music is playing or can be by-passed, edited and switched back on when required. The pitch for each group can be shifted by up to +/- two octaves with adjustable formant control retaining voice quality even at extreme settings. All of those controls are available for host automation for unsurpassed dynamic voice manipulations.

KLON includes a flexible and adaptive pitch correction to any given scale or external MIDI notes and chords. Think of playing a chord to immediately harmonizing your vocal input.

The realtime manipulation possibilities together with the low latency operation makes KLON the ideal live plugin for vocals.

Kenaxis has released version 3.1 of Kenaxis, for Mac and Windows -  the namesake product in its line of real-time audio performance software. The update adds OSC (Open Sound Control) compatibility and an FFT Phase Vocoder.

KenaxisOSC enables Kenaxis to communicate with a variety of hardware and software interfaces including consumer devices as familiar as the iPod touch, the iPhone and Wii remotes. Combining OSC with the powerful audio-design tools of Kenaxis opens a whole new range of possibilities for musicians and artists working in live audio performance.

In addition, while Kenaxis 3.1 is loaded with its trademark Granular Synthesis tools, the new FFT Phase Vocoder offers an alternative technique for sonic time stretching and freezing. The Phase Vocoder will appeal to musicians who desire more organic, analog-sounding textures in their performances and compositions, says Kenaxis Creative.

Key Features:

• Intuitive Performance Interface: 6 loop players, mixer and master mixer. Clear, compact display of all parameters allows the musician to monitor and manipulate every aspect of the performance.
• Powerful Tools: pitch modulation, delay, granular synthesis, convolution, analog synthesis, 12 band parametric EQs, automated envelopes and filters, random file players and VST support – allows for sonic possibilities not possible with hardware components, at a fraction of the cost.
• Adjustable Crossfades and Insert Silence features: allows for maximum real-time loop manipulation – eliminate clicks, create drones or sparse textures.
• Multiple Audio Sources: Drag and drop sound files, synthesize sounds or capture live sound on the fly.
• OSC and MIDI compatible: Faster and with higher resolution than MIDI, OSC (Open Sound Control) allows the musician to ‘play’ Kenaxis with the iPod, iPod Touch, Wii controller, Lemur and other OSC devices and software.
• FFT Phase Vocoder: An organic and “more analog-sounding” time-stretching alternative. Pinpoint sounds in the spectrum analysis tool to stretch, freeze and manipulate.

Kenaxis is available for Windows and Mac OS X, and is priced at $135. Kenaxis Bundle costs $185 (includes Kenaxis, Kenaxis Surround and Kenaxis Visualizer). Site License pricing is available.

This is a vintage audio demo of the rare Synton Syntovox Vocoders.

via VoiceEncoder:

Copyright Synton Electronic of Holland, Inc.

All Rights Reserved.For listening pleasure only.

Features:

• HardTune effect with user-selectable key or instrument-sensing
• Vocoder carrier can be driven by internal voice-controlled synth or instrument input (such as guitar)
• Transducer effects, such as megaphones, distortion and radio voices
• All effects can run simultaneously
• Includes Tone feature for adaptive live engineer sound processing
• Presets that can be edited and stored
• Instrument Thru allows normal instrument amplification and vocoding

TC-Helicon’s VoiceTone Synth will retail for US $395.

Details below.

HardTune: The jagged, stair-stepped vocal sound of key-based hard tuning is everywhere in contemporary R&B, Hip Hop and Electronica. This feature has eluded the majority of performing musicians until VoiceTone Synth came along. Now musicians can produce this effect live by simply recalling a preset and hitting the ‘On’ button. Easy key input methods include auto-instrument sensing or pushbuttons with a clear display of the current key. Other features of the HardTune effect include dry voice mixing, octave shift and character modification.

Vocoder: The vocoder in VoiceTone Synth is called ‘Massive-Band’ for a reason. It effectively scales resolution from ultra-clearly-enunciated Robot voices to the sound of the classic, analog low-band-count vocoders. The benefit is that, while typical vocoders require a lot of pre-processing, like distortion and EQ to hear the effect properly, with the VoiceTone Synth vocoder effect players can input signals such as clean acoustic guitar and vocode perfectly for sounds that until now have been impossible to achieve.

Voice-controlled Synth: The vocoder also features a voice-controlled synth mode – considered by many as the Holy Grail for vocoding. Prior to VoiceTone Synth, vocoding required a voice (the exciter), and an instrument input (the carrier) to make cool vocoded sounds. Of course VoiceTone Synth supports the dual input method, but for artists who don’t have another instrument or don’t play one, VoiceTone Synth can generate a synth part directly from the vocal and vocode that. The result? Generated vocoder parts with one input: the voice.

Torley sings like a girl….and that’s just getting started, as he demos the rather amazing East West Quantum Leap (EWQL) Symphonic Choirs + Voices of Passion.

Here’s a demo that looks at Symphonic Choirs’ WorldBuilder:

Click here to view the embedded video.

via Torley

This is a proof of concept video for Cantarino, a software speech synthesiser for Arduino.

It is still a work in progress, but a tech demo that runs on Arduino is now available.

BOSS has introduced a twin-pedal stompbox for performing vocalists, the VE-20 Vocal Performer.

Features:

• Specialized effects for vocalists, including Harmony, Double-Track, Dynamics, Reverb, Delay, and more
• Create the total of 3-part harmonies and layers
• Realtime pitch-correction tools
• Special FX, including Distortion, Radio and Strobe
• Phrase Looper with 38 seconds (mono) of recording time
• Phantom power for condenser microphones
• Runs on six AA-batteries or AC adaptor (PSA)
• Easy operation, road-tough BOSS construction

Description:

The VE-20 is designed for all types of vocal expression, including traditional singing, narration, and beat boxing. With the click of a footswitch, lush vocal doubling and harmonies, real-time pitch correction, delay, reverb, limiting, and special effects — such as Distortion, Robot, Chromatic, Radio, and Strobe — can be added. Layers and loops can also be created in real time with the onboard Phrase Looper.

With stereo XLR outputs, ¼” and XLR inputs, and a simple user interface, the VE-20 is perfect for serious live-performance or recording.

“More and more bands are incorporating vocal effects into their live and studio performances,” says Paul Youngblood, President of BOSS. “We’re pleased to bring high quality BOSS effects to vocal performers everywhere.”

The VE-20 will be available in November 2009.

This is an in-depth look at East West Symphonic Choir – an app that lets you create convincing choral virtual vocals.

About East West Symphonic Choir

Imagine typing words into your computer, in any language, and hearing a world class Symphonic Choir sing those words in any key(s) you play “live” on your keyboard controller! Well imagine no more, that’s exactly what this revolutionary “award-winning” virtual instrument does. In addition, this is the first 24-bit Choir virtual instrument to include three simultaneous stereo mic setups (close, stage and hall), so users can mix any combination of mic positions to control ambience. The Choirs were recorded in the same concert hall, by the same team as the EastWest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra and blend perfectly with EWQLSO.

To achieve the feel of a live concert hall performance, each instrument and section was recorded with three mic positions: close, stage (conductor‘s position) and hall. By selecting different mic positions, users can mix these sounds together to create any kind of natural ambience their project requires. This eliminates the need for artificial reverb.

The Symphonic Choirs Expansion (Voices of the Apocalypse content) was recorded separately, at 24-bit resolution with a single mic position.

WordBuilder is the word building software for both MAC and PC that enables Symphonic Choirs and Symphonic Choirs Expansion users to type in words for the Choirs to sing. This revolutionary software also includes a pop-down menu that includes popular pre-built phrases that you can load instantly. This is a real time saver for those on a tight deadline. The phrases have been optimized for each Choir. The phrases menu is customizable so you can add your own phrases to WordBuilder for quick and easy access. This is the most powerful vocals solution available.

videos via Stagehandspace

According to Zero-G:

• Sonika is a sweet virtual voice at your fingertips…
• Sonika is a new cyberspace starlet who will hit those high notes every time with perfect accuracy.
• Sonika can sing any word from the English language (and other languages too with a little work).
• Sonika is also very well suited if you want to be adventurous and experimental, since her voice can be easily modified and shaped in many ways.
• SONIKA will spread any sustained vowel (or voiced consonant) across as many notes as you like, with perfect legato. You can select from several different natural vibrato types and drag and drop your chosen type to any note or notes, and control the time-position and amount of the vibrato.

Vocaloid Sonika also can sound pretty creepy, possibly unintentionally, as you’ll hear in this audio demo:

Vocaloid Sonika retails for $199.95 USD (169 Euros / £114.95 GBP).

Let me know what you think of virtual young girl pop singer Sonika!

Should she keep her day job?

ICCMR’s singing robots, Tom, Dick and Harry, were programmed at the University of Plymouth to sing Happy Birthday to celebrate the centenary of the London Science Museum. The robots were on display at the Science Museum’s Dana Centre on 10 June 2009.

This is what ICCMR has to say about their singing robots:

ICCMR is a pioneer in adopting a computational neo-Darwinian approach to study and make music. We are developing Evolutionary Computation and Artificial Life techniques to model the evolution of music in surrogate societies of artificial agents and robotic simulations. These systems are programmed with the cognitive and physical abilities deemed necessary to evolve music, rather than with preconceived music rules, knowledge and procedures.

We developed a computational model that simulates the role of imitation in the development of music. This model has recently been implemented as a robotic simulation, which made an impact in the scientific community, resulting in press coverage by New Scientist.

We are currently developing a more sophisticated model inspired by Wundt’s theory of cognition to simulate the role of complexity in the evolution of music. We are also investigating the role of emotions in sound-based communication systems.

Moon Tide by vocaloid2

This song is “sung” by Vocaloid Hatsune Miku.

Vocaloid is a voice synthesizer, developed by Yamaha, that attempts to recreate the sounds of the human voice. “Hatsune Miku” is Vocaloid programed for Japanese pronunciation.

In this example, Hatsune Miku sings a Moon Tide. Propellerhead Reason is used for the sound of the accompaniment part, and Logic controls the performance data.

via btpro:

This video playlist features an introduction to Antares AutoTune, along with AutoTune demos and tutorials.

Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin’s Listening Post is an art installation that culls text fragments in real time from thousands of unrestricted Internet chat rooms, bulletin boards and other public forums. The texts are read (or sung) by a voice synthesizer, and simultaneously displayed across a suspended grid of more than two hundred small electronic screens.

Listening Post cycles through a series of six movements, each a different arrangement of visual, aural, and musical elements, each with it’s own data processing logic.

Artists description: Dissociating the communication from its conventional on-screen presence, Listening Post is a visual and sonic response to the content, magnitude, and immediacy of virtual communication.

via MediaArtTube

Stempel is a free vocoder effect for Windows.

Here’s a preview of what you can do with it:

If you’re on Windows, give it a try and leave a comment with your thoughts!

Description:

Stempel operates in the frequency domain to print the magnitude of an input into the other, giving the vocoder effect, but with a smoother sound and a higher analysis definition than with classic time domain vocoders effects. Additonally, the effect features a two states morph-able spectral equalizer, a linear frequency shifter on each input channel , and two additional time domain effects ( a saturator and a chorus ).

Stempel is licenced for free. The distributed zip archive includes a detailed pdf manual and some fxp presets.

Download here.

MusikMesse 2009: This is a demo video/overview of the Akai Miniak, via SOS.

Musikmesse: TC-Helicon today announced VoiceTone Synth, described as radical vocal processing in a pedal.

VoiceTone Synth brings together a collection of extreme exotic and contemporary sonic effects, including jagged HardTune effects (Auto-Tune), classic Vocoder effects, a voice-controlled synthesizer and vocal distortion and megaphone effects.

VoiceTone Synth Features:

• HardTune effect with user-selectable key or instrument-sensing
• Vocoder carrier can be driven by internal voice-controlled synth or instrument input (such as guitar)
• Transducer effects, such as megaphones, distortion and radio voices
• All effects can run simultaneously
• Includes Tone feature for adaptive live engineer sound processing
• Presets that can be edited and stored
• Instrument Thru allows normal instrument amplification and vocoding

Details below.

If you’ve used the TC-Helicon VoiceTone Synth, leave a comment with your thoughts!

HardTune

The jagged, stair-stepped vocal sound of key-based hard tuning is everywhere in contemporary R&B, Hip Hop and Electronica. This feature has eluded the majority of performing musicians until VoiceTone Synth came along. Now musicians can produce this effect live by simply recalling a preset and hitting the ‘On’ button. Easy key input methods include auto-instrument sensing or pushbuttons with a clear display of the current key. Other features of the HardTune effect include dry voice mixing, octave shift and character modification.

Vocoder

The vocoder in VoiceTone Synth is called ‘Massive-Band’ for a reason. It effectively scales resolution from ultra-clearly-enunciated Robot voices to the sound of the classic, analog low-band-count vocoders we all know and love. The benefit is that, while typical vocoders require a lot of pre-processing like distortion and EQ to hear the effect properly, with the VoiceTone Synth vocoder effect you can input signals such as clean acoustic guitar and vocode perfectly for sounds that until now have been impossible to achieve.

Voice-controlled Synth

The Vocoder also features a voice-controlled synth mode – considered by many as the Holy Grail for vocoding. Prior to VoiceTone Synth, vocoding required your voice (the exciter), and an instrument input (the carrier) to make cool vocoded sounds. Of course VoiceTone Synth supports the dual input method, but for artists who don’t have another instrument or don’t play one, VoiceTone Synth can generate a synth part directly from your vocal and vocode that. The result? Generated vocoder parts with one input: your voice.

In this strange synth jam, the Flame Talking MIDI Synth meets the Radikal Spectralis synthesizer.

The Flame Talking MIDI Synth is a small-sized MIDI-controlled sound module based on the analogue Speakjet chip, produced by the U.S. company Magnevation LLC.

Originally designed for basic artificially generated speech output in American English tongue, it was then refined and further developed as an 8-bit sound module with speech-like sounds and synthetic robot voices as well as beeps, alarms, noise and retro-style sci-fi sounds.

Due to the structure of the Speakjet (with its complex sound synthesizer, preset sounds and serial interface) it offers an impressive range of possibilities. It contains 72 speech elements (allophones), 43 sound effects, and 12 DTM touch tones. The idea was to create sounds, patterns and sequences in the 8-bit style of the 80s or other retro sounds for making music instead of just simulating speech. Most allophones can be tuned and used tonally.

The Flame MIDI Talking Synth contains two Speakjet chips to produce a richer and more complex tonal variety as well as generating a pseudo stereo effect.

via lasercicalone:

My flame midi talking synth meets the Spectralis step sequencer for 9 minutes of lazy sounds directly from my Genelec 8020

These barcode tattoos (temporary) are completely awesome, even if they area sign of the apocolypse.

Can you imagine using these in an electronic music performance?

via scottblake:

Some believe bar code tattoos to be a sign of the apocalypse speculated about in the Christian Bible, which states people will “receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark of the beast”.

I personally do not agree with the mythological connection, but imagined what the sinister mark might look like.

I use Code 128 style encryption to make temporary bar codes tattoos that can be scanned.