Vocal & Ensemble Keyboard
Reviews : Keyboard
Roland already have one of the best-loved
vocoding keyboard instruments to their name, in the shape of the vintage
VP330 Vocoder Plus. Is their 2007 take on the same concept destined for
similar classic status?
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Way back in January 1979, on my first professional
album-recording engagement and in an excited and adventurous frame of
mind, I hired one of EMS's revered Vocoder 3000 units for the sessions. A
Mellotron (with choir and custom vocal loop tape-frame installed) was
used as the carrier signal for the vocoder, while I sang, somewhat
nervously, into the microphone that was connected to the modulator
input. The Vocoder 3000 was an imposing and arcane device, yet with
concerted tweaking and experimentation some rather wonderful and
ethereal vocal textures came forth — definitely not of this earth, and
certainly not human in nature. We loved it. Frustratingly, I couldn't
afford one of my own.
Later that same year, Roland announced the release
of the VP330 Vocoder Plus, a four-octave, self-contained keyboard
instrument featuring an easy to use, built-in vocoder that required no
specialist knowledge to operate. Moreover, it also generated a highly
respectable string-synth sound (still admired by many to this day) and
featured a unique vocal ensemble sound, playable from the keyboard. Much
as I will always love Mellotrons, mine was becoming a bit of a
liability on stage, and the VP330 offered a possible replacement in such
circumstances. I could barely contain my excitement (bless...) and
simply had to have one — but little did I realise just how important an
addition the VP330 would become to my keyboard rig. Why? Not only did it
replace the Mellotron sounds on stage (and eventually in the studio
too) but it provided a unique voice of its own: not only for string and
choir sounds, but for the numerous creative applications vocoding had to
offer.
Let's wind forward to the present day and Roland's
new VP550, their first dedicated vocoding keyboard instrument since the
VP330. The VP550 revisits the VP330 concept, but with the benefit of
nearly three decades of technological development. Essentially, it is a
vocoder that employs virtual modelling techniques developed for the VC2
Vocal Designer card that forms part of Roland's V-Synth, V-Synth XT and
VariOS systems. Virtual modelling, according to Roland, is the key to
significantly more realistic vocal timbres and greater clarity of
diction than were previously possible. While the older VP330's vocal
stylings were great effects in themselves, they were nevertheless
synthetic in nature, even by 1979 standards — so it's particularly
interesting that Roland's main claim for the VP550 is that it can be
used as a viable alternative to real backing vocalists and choirs. To
complement these flagship vocoder functions, an enhanced sample-playback
engine provides additional string and vocal keyboard sounds. Further
performance controls include the pitch/modulation lever, D-Beam and
external control pedal (more of which later), and the total output is
lent extra depth and polish courtesy of three types of reverb (two
'Hall' varieties and one 'Studio').
The VP550 is fairly unassuming in appearance —
smart, yet sombre-looking, with a modestly populated control panel and a
four-octave keyboard. Simplicity and ease of use are Roland's aims with
the design, and the VP550 is indeed very straightforward to operate.
The instrument comprises three tone-generating sections named Vocal
Designer, Ensemble and Bass/Percussion, which can be used individually
or in combination with each other. Let's begin by examining each of the
three sections.
What's A Vocoder?
A vocoder continuously examines the frequency
content and amplitude of one audio signal and imposes those
characteristics upon a second audio signal. Vocoders rely on two sound
sources: a modulator (typically a voice) and a carrier (typically a
synth sound or waveform.) The modulator signal is split into a number of
discrete frequency bands (the more bands, the more detailed the final
sound). These frequency bands feed the same number of envelope
followers, whose output voltages in turn feed VCAs that control the
individual frequency amplitudes of a second, identical multi-band
filter. The carrier signal, which passes through this second multi-band
filter, mimics the amplitude and timbral changes of the first, hence the
synth appears to 'talk' in response to the vocal modulations.
Vocal Designer
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This is the real heart of the VP550, where any one
of six vocal models can be selected as the carrier for the vocoder (see
'What's A Vocoder?' box). The name of each model suggests a musical
genre to which it might best be suited, although these may be considered
simply as 'serving suggestions'.
The front panel of the VP550 is exceptionally
simple, with a control for pretty much every function and no need even
for an LCD screen.
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Classic:
A rich, full ensemble singing in unison, with male voices in the lower
range gradually 'morphing' to female in the upper range. Drenched in
Hall reverb, this is highly suited to classical choral music, but also
works well with less reverb in a rock/pop context.Male
& Female: As the name suggests, these are male and female voices
pitched an octave apart in a rich ensemble. At the lower end of the
keyboard only the male voices sound. The females gradually fade in as
you travel higher up, to produce an equal mix for the mid-range. The
males fade away for the upper range, leaving only the females. Male
voices are biased to the left of the stereo field, with females to the
right. This is an interesting choice, as many real-life classical choral
ensembles favour an even spread of males and females across the stage.Gospel:
A variation on the Classic model, featuring random internal pitch
variations giving the impression of some rather 'enthusiastic'
individuals within the ensemble. This model can sound very rich and
impressive for a cappella renditions, with additional character being provided by an upward pitch-scoop for each new note that is played.Pop:
A smaller vocal ensemble with very little vibrato compared to the first
three models, also featuring an upward pitch-scoop that is rather more
subtle than with the Gospel model. Perhaps the least convincing model
when singing lyrics, this is nevertheless well suited to
contemporary-sounding non-lyrical vocal backdrops and chordal textures.
(See the 'VP550 Vocalising Tips & Techniques' box.)Vocoder
1: A thin, wiry-sounding robotic voice model with no pretensions to
realism! Just the thing for chillin' wid da funky, lo-fi urban massiv,
innit. Or perhaps for just pretending you're a Cylon.Vocoder
2: This is a fuller bandwidth version of Vocoder 1, which is highly
reminiscent of the un-Ensembled vocoder sound of the original VP330.
VP550 Vocalising Tips & Techniques
In attempting to coax realistic vocal performances
from the VP550, a number of factors should be borne in mind. Firstly,
choose a suitable microphone for the situation: a good-quality headset
mic (with a foam windshield) is fairly essential for live use, as you'll
probably be moving around and won't want to be anchored to the spot by a
static mic. It also ensures a reasonably consistent vocal level, which
in turn makes the VP550 feel more under control. In the studio, a static
mic offers the advantage that you can use a nylon mesh pop-shield with
it. This is most effective for reducing noises caused by breathing
across the mic, plosives and other undesirable oral artifacts, to which
the VP550 can be fairly sensitive.
The VP550 has two mic inputs: a balanced XLR and an
unbalanced standard jack (which also doubles as the external
synth/audio input). No phantom power is supplied by the VP550, and if
you're using the jack socket to input an external synth, you're obliged
to use the XLR socket as the mic input, so you'll need either a separate
phantom-power supply for condenser mics, or to use a self-powered or
dynamic mic. It goes without saying that unless you're going for an
intentionally trashy effect you should avoid using a cheap and cheerful
cassette-recorder mic. The VP550 can only sound as good as the source
signal, so pick a quality mic that suits your voice.
The VP550's vocal models each respond quite
differently depending on your style of vocal delivery. Now, I'm not the
best singer in the world — indeed it's probably safe to say that I
number amongst the very worst — but during the time I spent with the
VP550 I learned some useful approaches for each model that I shall now
pass on, for what they're worth! Of the first four 'realistic' models,
'Classic' is perhaps the most forgiving of poor technique, responding
well to a wide dynamic range, and sounding at its very best when you
sing 'oohs', 'aahs' and other non-verbal sounds, especially while
playing in the low to mid pitch range and singing softly. Vocalising
phrases such as 'Domine', 'Kyrie Eleison' and 'Agnus Dei' can produce
truly epic-sounding results worthy of the soundtrack to The Da Vinci Code.
Loud singing can occasionally evoke odd, phasey timbres that sound
synthetic and unnatural. I subsequently found that singing at quiet to
moderate volume sounded more lifelike, especially when expanding the
back of the throat to make a deep, 'plummy' tone, particularly when
singing words. Also, keep your tone as smooth as possible, as any
raspiness or croakiness is magnified and can spoil the illusion.
Much the same approach can be taken with the 'Male
& Female' model, but I found that the most realistic effects are
produced when playing smaller chord clusters and avoiding the very high
registers, where the females begin to sound a little hysterical and the
males are straining rather painfully! The 'Gospel' model is the most
complex of the six, and responds well to lyrical content across a wide
dynamic range. The upward pitch-scoop at the start of each note means
that particular care must be taken when co-ordinating your keyboard
playing with vocal performance. When you sing in sync with or ahead of
the keystrokes, the scoop will be audible, but if you play the keyboard
slightly ahead of your singing, the scoop can be intentionally avoided.
Of course, if you're playing legato and singing all the while, the
scoops will be heard for every new note played.
The 'Pop' model requires the most restrained
approach, and is really at its best when lyrics are avoided. It's ideal
for tight, modern-sounding backing 'ooh' and 'aah' pads, but I found it
less believable with lyrics because of a distinctly robotic character I
found hard to overcome.
As regards Vocoder 1 and Vocoder 2, there is little
advice I can give, as realism is hardly a consideration. Madcap
silliness is going to result no matter what you do, and in this regard
they're totally serendipitous and all the more fun for that. In the case
of all six models, the intelligibility of lyrics is astonishingly good. Consonants and sibilants are clear as a bell — in fact, sometimes I
wished I could turn them down a bit! You'd really have to mumble your
words in order not to be understood, which is a major step forward from
the VP330.
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Ensemble Section
More than simply a selection of add-on sounds, the
sample-based Ensemble section comprises six tones offering some
interesting performance features. With the exception of Strings 2, each
tone is made up of two or more timbral layers, typically soft and loud
variations. Three methods of controlling the timbre of these sounds are
provided, these being key velocity, foot controller and Voice
Expression, though not all the sounds utilise all three. Voice
Expression can be switched on from the front panel and is really a
variant on the breath-control concept — except rather than the force of
your blowing down a tube being used as a controller, it's the volume of
your voice that provides the controller data.
Strings
1: This is a moderately restrained, medium-sized ensemble with a light
vibrato. An extremely expressive tone, Strings 1 employs some clever
performance tricks. Key velocity progressively 'morphs' through soft to
loud sample layers, although it never quite reaches the intensity of an
orchestra at full tilt. As such, it lends itself more to slow, legato
passages with a pastoral flavour. Attack and release times are
controlled not only by velocity, but also by the speed (frequency) at
which notes are played, enabling fast, yet softly played legato runs to
be articulated clearly. Clever stuff! When you're playing legato in the
upper violins' range, a portamento effect typical of the way string
players slide between notes is added — again, controlled by the speed of
your playing. Real expressive control comes through use of a
continuous-type footpedal. Pedal movements work in conjunction with
velocity, allowing (with a little practice) internal lines within a
polyphonic part to seemingly have a life of their own. The foot
controller also has an ingenious lag-time feature that has the effect of
'cushioning' overly fast pedal movements, producing more
natural-sounding phrasing. I've not encountered a string preset of this
kind on any other instrument, and it has to be experienced to really
grasp how expressive it can be. Voice Expression works similarly to the
foot controller, and all three methods of control can be used at once.Strings
2: A synthesized string tone, apparently derived from the JP8000. This
is also controllable using velocity, footpedal and Voice Expression, but
instead of moving through different sample layers, these modulate a
low-pass filter, controlling volume and brightness. Velocity affects the
attack time, but the other esoteric functions of Strings 1 are not
implemented here. Being thicker in texture than Strings 1, this sound is
most effective for chordal parts.Jazz
Scat: You might know this one — it's the infamous velocity-switched
'Doo-Bap-Doww' jazz vocal ensemble found on a number of other Roland
products. Its three sample layers are controlled only by velocity, and
it does exactly that — it goes 'Doo', 'Bap' and 'Doww'.Mixed
Choir: When played without the footpedal or Voice Expression, this is a
gentle-sounding unison choir singing 'oh', that brightens slightly with
higher key velocities. Apply the pedal and/or Voice Expression, and you
can morph from 'oh' through to a gloriously full-throated 'aah'. The
'aah' element is also progressively filtered with a low-pass filter
towards the quieter end of the controller range.Boys
Choir: Soft through to loud 'aahs' employing the same dynamic behaviour
as Mixed Choir, featuring a horde of angelic mop-heads, no doubt driven
to the sampling session in their mums' 4x4s. Perhaps a little too
perfect in the tuning department, this might have benefited from the
same sort of random modulations as the Gospel model.Humming:
A mellow humming choir when played in its basic form, this transforms
into the same throaty 'aah' as the Mixed Choir when the pedal or Voice
Expression are used. Move the pedal quickly and they go 'Mmwaah' —
indispensable for Hollywood celebrity gatherings.
Features In Brief
| 49-note keyboard, velocity sensitive.128-voice maximum polyphony.Vocal Designer section with six models.Ensemble section with six models.Bass & Percussion section with four models.Ambience Processor (Hall 1, Hall 2, Studio, Depth control).D-Beam controller, pitch-bend/mod lever.Sound Check function (records keyboard output for 10 seconds and replays it).Headphone
output; quarter-inch stereo outputs; XLR mic input; quarter-inch input
(switchable mic/line, for use as mic input or external audio source
input); MIDI In and Out; Hold pedal input; Expression pedal input.Approx 865 x 346 x 99mm (35 x 14 x 4 inches).Weighs 8.5kg (18lbs 12oz).
Bass Section
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When activated, the lowest 17 notes of the keyboard
are dedicated to the Bass section. The four tone presets are derived in
part from the Jazz Scat sounds: Bass 1, a short 'Dum'; Bass 2, a
sustained 'Doo'; Bass 3, velocity-switched 'Doo-Bap-Doww; and 4,
Percussion. Not your normal percussion, but vocal beatbox-style
percussion sounds such as 'Derr' 'Tch' 'Tsss' 'Ugh' and even 'Doh'
(Homer? Is that you?), plus others that are not so easy to articulate in
print. Superficially entertaining as these are, they offer no threat to
accomplished beatboxers (I don't think Shlomo should have any cause for
concern). If there's any real problem with the Bass/Percussion, it's
that it's far too quiet relative to the other sections, even at the
highest of its four selectable volume levels.
In The Studio
The sequencing DAW is a great environment in which
to create highly polished VP550 vocalisations. The VP550 is tri-timbral
over MIDI: the Vocal Designer, Ensemble and Bass sections transmit and
receive data on three fixed channels (1, 2 and 3 respectively). This
allows keyboard parts for each section to be recorded individually on
their own MIDI tracks and played back simultaneously. Note, however,
that the VP550 has no MIDI Local Off setting, so if you're using both
MIDI In and Out connections, be sure to turn MIDI Thru off in your
sequencer, otherwise you'll end up with duplicated notes on your MIDI
tracks. MIDI also provides the very useful facility to record your Vocal
Designer keyboard performance and audio vocal 'driver' in separate
passes, providing the opportunity to fine-tune each of these elements.
Recording the vocal first seems to be an effective method, after which
the recorded vocal part is routed to the outside world, and into the
VP550's mic input, instead of a live microphone. This drives the Vocal
Designer, and you can then concentrate on getting the keyboard parts
right, recording them into the sequencer and editing note values to
synchronise exactly with the vocal. Any unwanted vocal artifacts, such
as lip smacks, swallowing and unwanted breaths, can be removed from the
vocal part using your DAW's audio editing tools, leaving a pristine
vocal track with which to drive the VP550.
Many people find it useful to compress a vocal
before sending it to a vocoder, and indeed that does help considerably
in maintaining a consistent vocal level. However, the VP550 offers six
selectable sensitivity levels for the Vocal Designer, allowing greater
or lesser dynamic variations in the vocoded output. The end result is
similar to using a compressor, but without the need for additional
outboard processing. The manual also suggests contriving backing vocals
by using the lead vocal performance as the 'keystone' for driving the
Vocal Designer. I tried this on a track featuring a fine lead vocal, but
found it rather disappointing. There's something about having the
backing vocals so totally 'hard-sync'd' to the lead that sounds, well —
wrong. Not only that, but every timbral nuance of the lead vocal is
mimicked precisely by the VP550, which only serves to cloud the issue
and sounds very artificial. There's no doubt that infinitely better
results come from writing a well-constructed backing vocal arrangement
that utilises counterpoint and independent phrasing, and driving it with
a custom vocal track that features the appropriate dynamics!
The VP330: A Brief Recap
The VP330 comprised three tone sections: Vocoder,
Human Voice and Strings. Although the waveform generator used for the
String tone was 'hard-wired' as the basis for the Human Voice and as the
carrier for the Vocoder section, any external input could optionally be
used as the carrier signal for the Vocoder. The Human Voice tone
offered two variations: Male voice in the 8' register, and Female voice
in the 4' register. Vocoder, Male voice, Female voice and Strings could
be deployed in various combinations to the upper and lower keyboard
halves. The Male and Female voice tones were achieved using
fixed-frequency formant filters applied to the basic waveform.
In their naked form, the Human Voice and Vocoder
sounds were flat, nasal and rather unflattering. However, the VP330's
trump card was its classic Ensemble effect, which 'multiplied' the sound
to simulate a large choir spread across a wide stereo soundfield. Used
judiciously, fairly convincing choral textures could be created with the
Vocoder, especially if you restricted yourself to singing non-lyrical
sounds such as 'ooh' and 'ahh'.
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Further Functions
In addition to the six vocal models, any external
audio signal can receive the vocoding treatment. Pressing the Vocoder 1
and Vocoder 2 buttons simultaneously, and sliding the Mix To Mic switch
on the rear panel to the 'off' position, causes the jack mic socket to
become an external line input. Input gain for this external signal can
be adjusted for optimal level using the small trim-pot on the rear
panel. The XLR connection now becomes the microphone input,
necessitating the use of a dynamic (or other non-phantom powered)
microphone. The model used to perform the vocoding appears to be the
Vocoder 2 type, which is very similar to the classic VP330 style of
vocoder sound. As you'd expect, the tonal character of the external
audio has a fundamental influence on the character of the vocoded sound,
with harmonically rich tones offering the most flexibility and the best
lyrical clarity.
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Elsewhere, the D-Beam infra-red controller globally
affects pitch (over a one-octave downward range), expression (downward
volume) or low-pass filter, but does not operate on the Bass section.
The range of the keyboard can be extended by one octave up or down (but,
again, not for the Bass section), while the Vocal Designer has a
dedicated button to raise its pitch by one octave relative to the
Ensemble section. This is very effective for creating huge-sounding
textures when layering the Vocal Designer with the Ensemble section. To
this end, four user-definable presets are provided for instantly
recalling your favourite combinations, although these recall only the
sound combos themselves, not the microphone or Ensemble level-slider
positions or reverb amount. The combined pitch-bend/modulation lever
likewise affects only the Vocal Designer and Ensemble sections.
Pitch-bend is fixed at a two-semitone range, while modulation adds
global vibrato at a fixed LFO speed and is probably more usefully
applied to the two Vocoder models rather than the four 'realistic' ones.
Conclusion
Roland's bold claim that "no longer will you need to
call multiple vocalists to your live performances or recording
sessions" is understandably bound to raise an eyebrow or two — and in
that regard they could be seen as overselling the VP550. But before we
accede to angry Luddites carrying burning torches, just remember how the
Mellotron was greeted back in the 1960s, with all the accompanying talk
of orchestras being put out of work — yet we now look back at the
paranoia and short-sightedness of that attitude with wry amusement. In
the same way, I'm sure that anyone who can afford a full choir or
backing singers will continue to do so, while those who cannot may
welcome the VP550 as a means of adding luscious vocal textures that they
could not otherwise easily realise.
Does it sound as good as the real thing? It can
sound astonishingly lifelike in the right context and with a following
wind. However, the VP550 is perhaps more dependent on the individual
performer for successful results than almost any other keyboard I can
think of. Let's just say that for every person that 'gets it' and
develops an approach that really works for them, there will be someone
else for whom it amounts to little more than a swarm of mutant killer
bees. But when it works well it does sound quite beautiful — and I can
think of no better way of signing off than to recommend visiting www.rolandus.com
and watching the video of Roland demonstrator Don Lewis performing
'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' on the VP550. Yes, practice really does pay
off.
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