7 great vocoder plug-ins
![I. Am. A. Robot.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/23efe45bb9a7ca02a37c1d030b53fba1-320-80.jpg)
I. Am. A. Robot.
Vocoders have been popping up in music production since the early 1970s, and every now and then they make a comeback (hands up, Daft Punk fans).
But for every over-indulgent, funktastic outing (Herbie Hancock’s late 70s offerings are a particular guilty pleasure of the crew), there are hundreds of users out there sneaking snatches of vocoded vocals (and more) into their tracks. Like Auto-Tune, the effect has become a mainstay of music production.
But before we go hunting, what are we actually talking about here? In essence, a vocoder is a device that uses multiband filtering to take the ‘response’ of one sound (the modulator) and give it the character of another (the carrier).
The modulator is typically a voice or percussive instrument and, although the carrier signal can be anything you like, a synthesiser gives the classic vocoded ‘talking synth’ or robot voice sound. Plug-ins tend to have built-in sound generation (ie, a basic synth) but often can process external carriers too.
All of the vocoders in our round-up are dual-platform, except Vocodex (PC-only) and OrangeVocoder (Mac-only). Let’s find out a little bit more about them.
NEXT: SoniVox Vocalizer
![SoniVox Vocalizer](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cceaf8a94f2f57558b7fee319aadd59a-320-80.jpg)
SoniVox Vocalizer
Delivers both traditional vocoder effects and more creative sounds in an easily playable format.
Find out more about SoniVox Vocalizer
![Eiosis ELS Vocoder](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/404c39fe317d045be85e28fe05260d28-320-80.jpg)
Eiosis ELS Vocoder
Based on the EMS 5000, this is a feature-rich vocoder with multiple analogue-influenced filter bank configurations. It can also handle two stereo sidechains.
Read Eiosis ELS Vocoder review
![VirSyn Matrix](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9bdb6150661bcfa41b270c403f3b4c2c-320-80.jpg)
VirSyn Matrix
Includes very fast envelope followers for accurate resynthesis and an optional VSM filter module based on Sennheiser’s classic 201 Vocoder.
Read VirSyn Matrix review
![Sonic Charge Bitspeek](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f37284c7e49cfc1d5350c90ecaf40821-320-80.jpg)
Sonic Charge Bitspeek
A wildcard entry, this one isn’t a vocoder, strictly speaking. However, if it’s robot voices you’re after, Bitspeek simply has to be considered, hence its inclusion.
Read Sonic Charge Bitspeek review
![Sugar Bytes Robotronic](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8369aa8ad9d4af2243afaca403108efc-320-80.jpg)
Sugar Bytes Robotronic
Crams loads of features into a tiny frame, including formant shift, EQ, compressor, multieffects and even a sample player. A standalone version is included too.
Find out more about Sugar Bytes Robotronic
![Prosoniq OrangeVocoder](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a94b8bac9e0c6dd92bd9da3ff60e741d-320-80.jpg)
Prosoniq OrangeVocoder
A plug-in that’s been around forever, it seems - this is the 10th Anniversary edition. Easy to use, flexible and great-sounding, it delivers instant gratification.
Find out more about Prosoniq OrangeVocoder
![Image-Line Vocodex](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/94696562162c72bbec370b97ec3c229b-320-80.jpg)
Image-Line Vocodex
Offers many options including doubling, band unison and an output limiter. The real gem, though, is the option to use anything from 5 to 100 bands.