images via this auction"This is the Fairlight Voicetraker. It is intended to track the pitch and expressiveness of your voice and turn it into a synthesizer. The Voicetracker has the ability to not only let your voice (guitar, drum machine, etc.) manipulate its internal synth (which is very analog and gritty) but also send MIDI and Voltage Control signals to other synths. It is the fastest of its kind, incredibly accurate, and a mind blowing way to control your synths. Better than a vocoder, its signaling allows ANY synth or DRUM MACHINE to be controlled by audio input alone.
Vocoders seem trivial when you can trigger multiple synths with the pitch of any sound input. Make anything sound musical!
Top Row:
Range:
Pitch Range (Select Full, Low, Mid, Hi, Whistle, or Pitch Detail) {basically selects the range of the sound the VT will respond to... I will usually select Pitch Detail},
Presets (A-D)
2nd Row:
Response Time {Never saw any reason not to select Fast!},
Display {You can hook this thing up to a monitor and track your voice. It was originally intended to help singers watch and work on their pitch control. This determines how fast it will track on the display. I always set it to slow in case it drained response time anywhere else... I have no evidence that it did}
3rd Row: {Again, has to do with display}
Freeze, Scroll, Pitch, Zoom, Displays (Ampl, Timbre, Cents)
4th Row: {Display again}
Metronome, Trace (Gate, Continue), Tune, Axis (Vertical, Horizontal}, Format (Keyboard, Frequency, Grid)
5th Row:
Halt {Stops tracking}, Options (Ampl, Timbre) {Gives the option of Tracking Volume and Timbre of your voice}, Octave {Shifts up or down octaves}, Semitones {Tracks semitones if desired, which is very desired}, Internal Synth {On or off}, Presets ABC
Bottom Row:
0-9 {I think these are to input digits, but I am not entirely sure}
Basically, Put the Pitch Detail on, Set the Response to Fast, Make sure Halt is off, Put on Ampl, Timbre, Semitones, and Internal Synth, and your voice is now a synthesizer.MIDI:
In
Out
Thru
Serial Port
Aux 1
Aux 2
Output level knob is on this side
Back:
Video Out
Sensitivity (Lo/Hi) {Keep on Hi}
Line/Mic
Audio In
Audio Thru (Which means you can "tap" a signal and not lose an output... how come we don't have this option more often?!}
Analog Synth Contol {I think this is for Voltage Control, which I never needed... but i think this makes the machine capable of controlling a MOOG or even a MOOGERFOOGER... what is a PURITY signal? I mean, I just have to know...If you know, please respond)
Purity
Bright
Level
Gate
Pitch
Footswitch 1 & 2
VCA In
VCA out
Headphone jack
Serial # 10228 {I think there were only 300 made, but I am not sure...if you know, please respond}
Used to retail for $2495.00"
I don't know if they all were this way but the two Voicetrackers I've seen in person had this weird collar you put around your neck that picks up your voice. Laurie Andersen uses (used) one and she also had the collar set up.
ReplyDeleteMy voicetracker does not have this collar; however, the audio input has a switch to accept line or mic inputs (or guitar). There are quite a number of differences between the firmware versions on each VT-5. Mine has the chord mode that was only available on later versions. I use mine to control a variety of digital and analog synths. The CV signals definitely need a little slewing to smooth out the glitches. However, when it is fine tuned, the results are quite impressive. It really is an amazing box. One thing that is also very cool is that you can run any polyphonic or rhythmic signal into it to get random midi and voltage glitches...wild stuff.
ReplyDeletei'm very curious as to what something like this sounds like. Any mp3s out there?
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to have stumbled across your blog. I was given a Voicetracker years ago, but do not have a manual. I have contacted Fairlight, but without any luck. Might you have a manual??
ReplyDelete