Antares Articulator User manual
1
Contents
Introducing Articulator 3
What is Articulator? 3
Control Signal and Audio Signal 4
Quick Start 5
Route Audio to Articulator 5
Set the Voice Type 5
Adjust the Input Level 5
Add Some Noise 5
Modify the Formants 5
Adjust the Amplitude Modulation 6
Add Some EQ 6
Dial in the Output Mix 6
Controls 7
Input Controls 7
Audio Signal Input Meter 7
Control Signal Input Meter 7
Audio Level 8
Compressor 8
Noise Level 8
Stereo Noise 8
Formant Extraction Controls 9
Voice Type 9
Tracking 9
Formant Modulation Controls 10
Throat Length 10
Throat Width 10
Amplitude Modulation Controls 11
Envelope Amount 11
EQ Controls 11
Frequency 11
Q 12
Gain 12
Contents 3
Introducing Articulator
What is Articulator?
Articulator is a digital version of the classic talkbox, perfect for talking guitars, singing
synths, and a wide range of special effects.
If you’ve ever seen a guitarist with a plastic tube in their mouth and a guitar that sounds
like it’s talking, you have a basic idea of what a talkbox is. A physical talkbox works by
applying a filter (the human mouth) to an audio signal (usually a guitar or synth).
Articulator models this process by extracting the formant and amplitude information
from a vocal track and applying it to another audio track or to its built-in noise generator
in real time.
Articulator also features a built-in EQ, a formant modulation section, which lets you
sculpt your vocal sound using our throat modeling technology, and an amplitude
modulation control, which lets you dial in exactly how much of the effect you want on
your track.
Contents 4
Control Signal and Audio Signal
Articulator uses two different audio sources to create the talkbox effect: a Control
Signal and an Audio Signal.
The Control Signal is usually a voice. Articulator extracts its formant and amplitude
envelopes and applies them to the Audio Signal to create a talkbox effect.
The Audio Signal is usually an instrument, such as a synth or guitar, which will be
modulated by the Control Signal. Audio Signals with broad frequency spectrums and
rich harmonic overtones work best for creating the talkbox effect.
You can also broaden the spectrum of the Audio Signal with Articulator’s built-in noise
generator. Or modulate the noise without any external Audio Signal for a whispering
effect.
Contents 5
Quick Start
Follow these steps to get started with Articulator
Route Audio to Articulator
Place Articulator on a track that contains your Audio Signal (usually an instrument, like a
guitar or a synth).
Then route the Control Signal (usually a voice) to Articulator’s sidechain input. The
steps for routing sidechain input to a plug-in depend on what DAW you’re using. See this
article or your DAW’s documentation for more details.
Set the Voice Type
To optimize the formant extraction process, choose the setting from the Voice Type
menu that best describes the audio you’re using for the Control Signal.
Adjust the Input Level
Use the Audio Level control to set the input gain of the Audio Signal. Try turning on the
Compressor to even out the levels of the Audio Signal before applying the Control
Signal’s dynamics to it.
Add Some Noise
Try adding some broadband noise to your Audio Signal with the Noise Level control, and
turn on Stereo Noise, for a stereo effect.
Adding a small amount of noise can enhance the talkbox effect by broadening the
spectrum of the Audio Signal. Add more noise for a breathy or raspy sound, or modulate
the noise without any other Audio Signal, for a full-on whisper.
Modify the Formants
Try modifying the formants that are extracted from the Control Signal by adjusting the
Throat Length and Throat Width controls.
Contents 6
Adjust the Amplitude Modulation
Experiment with the Envelope Amount control to change the amount of amplitude
modulation applied to the Audio Signal by the Control Signal.
Add Some EQ
Use the EQ Controls to shape the sound of the Audio Signal and noise component.
Dial in the Output Mix
Keep an eye on the Output Level Meters and Clip Indicators and adjust the Audio Signal
Gain as needed.
Try turning up the Control Signal Gain to mix in some unprocessed vocals alongside the
talkbox effect. Use the Pan Sliders to position the Audio and Control Signals in the
stereo field.
Contents 7
Controls
Input Controls
The Input Controls let you monitor the input levels of the
Control and Audio signals, compress and adjust the level of
the Audio Signal, and optionally add broadband noise to the
signal.
The Audio Signal is usually an instrument, such as a synth
or guitar, which is modulated by the Control Signal.
The Control Signal is usually a voice, which modulates the
Audio Signal to create a talkbox effect.
Noise can be added to the Audio Signal to improve the intelligibility of the formants, or
to create a whispery or breathy effect. You can even modulate the noise without any
other Audio Signal for a full-on whisper.
Audio Signal Input Meter
The Audio Signal Input Meter shows the level of the Audio Signal
before any processing by Articulator. The Audio Signal input
comes from the track that Articulator is instantiated on.
Control Signal Input Meter
The Control Signal Input Meter shows the level of the Control
Signal (routed from Articulator’s sidechain input) before any
processing by Articulator.
Contents 8
Sidechain Input LED
The Sidechain Input LED shows when a sidechain connection has been
made to Articulator. The LED is enabled when audio is sent to Articulator
via sidechain input.
Audio Level
This Audio Level control sets the level of the Audio Signal at the input
stage, before any processing by Articulator.
Compressor
This Compressor button lets you apply a compressor with fixed parameters to
the Audio Signal.
This is useful for evening out the dynamics of the Audio Signal, so that the Control
Signal’s dynamics can be applied to it.
Noise Level
The Noise Level control lets you set the level of the internal noise
generator.
Adding a small amount of noise can often enhance the talkbox effect,
and make it easier to hear the phonemes and words that are extracted from the Control
Signal and applied to the Audio Signal.
It does this by broadening the spectrum of the Audio Signal, so that the formant filters
will have a more audible effect.
You can also add even more noise for a breathy or raspy sound, or use the noise
generator on its own without any other Audio Signal, for a full-on whisper.
Contents 9
Stereo Noise
The Stereo Noise button lets you decouple the noise from the left and right
channels to create a stereo breathiness effect.
Note: Stereo Noise is only available when Articulator is placed on a stereo track.
Formant Extraction Controls
The Formant Extraction Controls let you optimize the
formant extraction process for the specific audio that
you’re using as your Control Signal.
Voice Type
The Voice Type menu lets you select the type of voice that you’re
using for the Control Signal. Options include Soprano, Alto/Tenor,
Baritone/Bass, and Instrument.
Tracking
In order to accurately analyze the Control Signal and extract formant
information, Articulator requires a periodically repeating waveform.
The Tracking control determines how much variation is allowed in the
incoming waveform for Articulator to still consider it periodic.
If you’re working with a well-isolated solo signal you can typically leave the Tracking
control at its default value.
If your audio is noisy or not well-isolated, or if it’s a particularly breathy voice, you may
need to set it to a higher value. If you’re encountering artifacts such as clicking or
popping, try setting it to a lower value.
Contents 10
Formant Modulation Controls
The Formant Modulation Controls let you modify the
formants extracted from the Control Signal by adjusting the
shape of a digital model of the human throat.
The modified formants are then applied to the Audio Signal.
Throat Length
The Throat Length control lets you lengthen or shorten the throat model
to adjust the formant frequencies extracted from the Control Signal.
Settings greater than 1.00 will lengthen the throat, resulting in lower
formant frequencies. Settings less than 1.00 will shorten the throat, resulting in higher
formant frequencies.
Throat Width
The Throat Width control lets you widen or narrow the throat model to
adjust the formant frequencies extracted from the Control Signal.
Settings greater than 1.00 will widen the throat, resulting in lower
formant frequencies. Settings less than 1.00 will narrow the throat, resulting in higher
formant frequencies.
Contents 11
Amplitude Modulation Controls
Envelope Amount
The Envelope Amount control sets the amount of amplitude
modulation applied to the Audio Signal by the Control Signal.
When Envelope Amount is set to 0, the Control Signal’s amplitude
envelope has no effect on the Audio Signal. In that case, the
dynamics of the Audio Signal are preserved and only the formants
from the Control Signal are applied to the Audio Signal.
When Envelope Amount is set to 100 the full effect of the Control Signal’s amplitude
envelope is applied to the Audio Signal.
EQ Controls
The EQ Controls let you apply a one-band parametric EQ to
the Audio Signal, and to the output of the internal noise
generator if that’s being used
Frequency
The Frequency control selects the center frequency of the band to be
boosted or cut. The range is from 100 to 4000 Hz.
Contents 12
Q
The Q control lets you adjust the width of the frequency band to be boosted or
cut. Low Q values result in a wide bandwidth, and high values result in a
narrow bandwidth.
Gain
The Gain control lets you set the amount of boost or cut that will be applied
to the selected frequency band.
EQ Bypass
The Bypass button lets you bypass the EQ controls.
This is useful if you don’t want to apply any EQ to the Audio Signal,
or if you’d like to quickly compare the results of your EQ settings to the signal without
any EQ.
Contents 13
Output Controls
The Output Controls let you monitor and adjust the output levels and
pan positions of both the processed Audio Signal and the Control Signal.
Output Gain Controls
The Audio Signal gain control lets you adjust the gain of the Audio Signal at
the output stage, after processing and modulation by the Control Signal.
The Control Signal gain control lets you mix in some of the original Control
Signal into the output.
For a more traditional talkbox effect, leave this control set to -inf. Or turn it
up if you’d like to mix in the original unprocessed vocal along with the modulated Audio
Signal.
Output Level Meters
The Audio Signal and Control Signal each have a Level Meter that displays the
level of the signal at the output stage.
Contents 14
Clip Indicators
The Audio Signal and Control Signal each have a Clip Indicator that lights up
when that signal has exceeded the maximum threshold.
If either the Audio or Control Signal Clip Indicators lights up, turn down the gain for that
signal to avoid clipping.
Pan Sliders
The Audio Signal and Control Signal each have a Pan Slider so you can
set the stereo position of each signal independently.
Note: the Pan Sliders are only available when Articulator is placed on a stereo or
mono-to-stereo track.
Bypass
The Bypass button lets you bypass Articulator and pass your audio
through unprocessed.
Use it to quickly compare the processed and unprocessed audio, or automate it in your
DAW to bring in the talkbox effect at certain times in your track.
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