Cantor Digitalis + Soundplane = Freaky Vocal Synthesis

This video, via Mark Harris, captures a short demo of Cantor Digitailis – an open source real time singing synthesizer – controlled with a Madrona Labs Soundplane

Cantor Digitalis is an open-source real-time singing synthesizer, that gives you control over many aspects of a virtual vocal performance, including pitch, vocal effort, vowels etc.

The controls are pitch (X), larynx position (Y), vocal effort (pressure) on the right section of the soundplane, and the vowel space in X/Y on the left side.

“It really is fun playing with this, given the expressiveness and sensitivity the Soundplane provides,” notes Harris. It’s hard to play well, but easy to get some fun sounds out of, and the voices can be eerily realistic, when you get it right.”

Cantor Digitalis is one of the 20 finalists in this year’s Guthman Musical Instrument Competition.

5 thoughts on “Cantor Digitalis + Soundplane = Freaky Vocal Synthesis

  1. It’s a wonderful, wonderful achievement, but it sorely needs a software MIDI solution. I appreciate that the Wacom stylus can yield great expressiveness, but the reality is that a stylus in the hand can only accomplish so much, where, for instance, a DAW’s automation could be made to switch vowels, laryngeal position, pitch, volume, timbre, and velocity with far greater accuracy than two hands on a tablet. I’ve seen the joystick setup also, but this too is restricted in its ability to effect detailed and REPRODUCIBLE performances.

    You’ll notice that almost all performances suffer from a slight “pitchiness”; purists might call this organic and beautiful, but composers call this problematic and unreliable as an instrument.

    Any programmers out there care to take a stab at this? I’d gladly be your beta tester and I’ll buy you a beer…or seven.

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