The Crow Hill Company have announced the launch of a new virtual instrument developed in collaboration with Dot Allison, a singer, songwriter and composer who has worked with the likes of Massive Attack, Scott Walker, Hannah Peel, Paul Weller, The London Contemporary Orchestra and many more.
The aptly named Dot Allison Dulcet Voice captures the singer’s unique style, treating vocals as an instrument in their own right and combining a range of recorded articulations with a collection of sound-design tools and effects. There are 10 core sounds that include five vowel types (Ah, Ih, Ee, Oh, Oh) alongside a selection of vocal synths, while a Gestures system makes it possible to introduce inflections and nuances that help to create more ‘human-sounding’ results.
As for processing, the instrument is equipped with an algorithmic reverb capable of blending between two individually modelled spaces, and a tempo-sync’able delay section. There’s also a pair of more unusual processors titled Shimmer and Velvet. The former offers a granular pitch-shifting effect with control over parameters such as grain size, timbre and stereo spread, and the latter combines EQ, compression and small amounts of frequency shifting. All four effects feature a dedicated macro control in the instrument’s GUI, with a ‘plus’ icon revealing a more in-depth set of parameters for those who want to dig deeper into their underlying processes.
Compatibility
Dot Allison Dulcet Voice is supported on PCs running Windows 10 and above, and Macs running macOS 11 or higher. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Dot Allison Dulcet Voice is available now, and is currently (29 May 2024) being offered for an introductory price of £59, reduced from its full cost of £79. Prices include VAT.
