Baby Audio have announced the launch of their first plug-in dedicated to vocal processing. Described by the company as an over-the-top pitch corrector, Humanoid takes a new approach to tuning and phase vocoding, transforming performances into heavily processed, synthetic-sounding voices.
The plug-in is build around an FFT-based pitch engine that has been designed to take the familiar hard-tuning effect to the extreme, and is utilised alongside a selection of transformative resynthesis features to offer an even more aggressive and synthetic sound than standard pitch-correction processors. The company are keen to point out that Humanoid relies entirely on sophisticated DSP, and does not use any AI-based processes.
Incoming vocals are morphed into synth-style waveforms, creating a mixture of human and machine-like qualities, with users able to choose between a selection of 64 factory wavetables, or import their own. A range of shaping tools make it possible to adjust the overall sound, and Baby Audio say that at its most extreme, Humanoid will essentially turn a voice into a synthesizer — less heavy-handed settings will add a “subtle electronic shine” to a vocal part.
As with many popular vocal-tuning processors, the plug-in is capable of mapping incoming parts to a musical scale, and can also be controlled manually, or even played via MIDI in the same was as a vocoder. What sets it apart from the alternatives is its ability to manipulate pitch without introducing artifacts, something which the company say makes it perfect for creating entire choirs of robotic vocals from a simple input.
There’s also a collection of onboard creative effects that include stereo widening, vibrato and a tempo-sync’able stuttering effect, along with a comprehensive filter kitted out with high- and low-pass sections as well as a sweepable mid band. A collection of factory presets are provided, offering a wide range of instant sounds and starting points.
Compatibility
Humanoid is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or above, and Macs running macOS 10.11 and above. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Humanoid is available now, and is currently (26 June 2024) being offered at an introductory price of $79, reduced from its full cost of $129.
