$129 ($79 introductory value), minimal.audio
For those who’ve hung out in digital music manufacturing circles, you’ve in all probability heard of US software program developer Minimal Audio and its vary of sound design-centric devices, results plugins, and pattern packs. Evoke joins the Minimal vary as a flagship vocal processor, providing producers a platform to govern vocals in a large number of the way.
Though versatile vocal processors have been as soon as comparatively scarce, the business has stepped up its sport right here with a view to cater to the results-laden sound of recent vocal manufacturing. Contemplating current options like iZotope Vocal Synth and Waves OVox, the Minimal Audio crew actually had its work lower out.
At its core, Evoke is a vocal resynthesis software with timbral and tonal shaping capabilities, whereas additionally providing formant and pitch shifting, harmonising and highly effective modulation and results sections. It appears like a mammoth job to cram all this into one plugin, but Minimal Audio has streamlined options to type Evoke’s cohesive, simple interface.
The rapid energy of Evoke lies in the way in which it permits you to strategy actually advanced vocal manipulation, with out being bombarded with overly technical processes. Though you’ll be able to entry unimaginable vocal sounds with out ever diving into superior modulation options, placing in your sound designer’s hat doesn’t really feel like a drag when you find yourself feeling a bit braver.
How do I get evocative with Minimal Audio Evoke?
On opening Evoke for the primary time, a useful walkthrough guides you thru the assorted sections of the plugin. What’s extra, you’ll be able to activate Tooltip mode with the query mark icon within the high bar, providing you with particular particulars of every management you hover your mouse cursor over.
The first Resynth interface is split into varied zones, together with the principle Resynthesis View, the place you do most of your sound shaping, the expandable Modulation Bar, and the Keyboard Panel, the place you choose the musical scale, pitch vary, and notes you’re working with. In accordance with Minimal Audio, the Keyboard Panel is the very best place to start out Evoke’s workflow since you need to make sure you’re in the suitable musical key earlier than you dive into the resynthesis controls.
With my key locked in, I begin exploring the vary of Evoke’s sounds by biking a vocal area in my DAW and flipping by way of presets. The preset browser is designed with loads of consideration to element, which makes a giant distinction to the consumer expertise whenever you’re nonetheless getting your bearings.
In addition to exploring the assorted classes of presets and highlighting favourites, you may as well use tags to hone in on the kind of sounds you’re looking for. The principle element of every sound comes from the 15 totally different Resynth Character modes, that are divided into three classes, together with 4 Pure, seven Artificial, and 4 Texture algorithms.
When you discover a fundamental sound character you want, it’s extremely simple to start out sculpting the sound with the principle Form management to change the harmonic construction, and the Shade management, which provides brightness and will increase the quantity of unison voices relying on which Resynth Character is chosen. The pitch and formant controls are extra readily understood, as these are discovered on most vocal tuning plugins. In the meantime, the Decision management produces comparable outcomes to a bit discount impact.
Whenever you begin working with the Spectrum Filter throughout the Resynthesis Response graphic, issues get thrilling; that is the place you form the filter that resynthesizes the vocal sign. It’s extraordinarily versatile, as a result of you’ll be able to select some fundamental filter shapes, or draw your personal manually, after which make changes utilizing the Shift, Tilt, and Scale controls. What’s extra, you’ll be able to bypass the Spectrum part fully, together with every of the 4 Harmonizer voices.
Getting artistic with Minimal Audio Evoke
The Modulation system permits you to add motion to sounds by introducing time-based resynthesis parts that may have an effect on nearly any parameter inside Evoke’s Resynth controls, or the consequences rack. A easy right-click on any management enables you to rapidly assign it to considered one of six mod sources or two macro controls, and you’ll entry the Mod Matrix view for an entire overview of the sign chain. For every modulation supply, you’ll be able to select between an LFO, a fully-featured Curve Sequencer, or an envelope follower, and when you’ve assigned a parameter to a supply, you’ll see a tiny mod depth management seem subsequent to your vacation spot.
As you choose (or hover over) every of the six mod sources, they flip from purple to yellow, together with the parameter being modulated. This helps you keep up to the mark, even when coping with outrageously advanced modulation routings. The Curve Sequencer, with its array of instruments for mapping curves throughout the modulation grid, is especially spectacular as a result of it permits you to work exactly, constructing sounds that interlock rhythmically with the opposite parts in your track.
Whereas modulation prospects are nearly limitless, I discover the flexibility to modulate the totally different Harmonizer Voices particularly attention-grabbing, as you’ll be able to create choral swells with sustained notes inside your vocal elements, rapidly and successfully. The consequences part, too, is simply as inspiring, with the flexibility to stack as much as 12 cases of the eight results processors, together with Refrain, Compressor, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Filter, Reverb, and Shifter. Constructing advanced results chains is super-easy, as you merely click on the impact sort so as to add it to the chain, in the meantime every module has manufacturing unit presets to get you began. Additionally, every impact parameter might be modulated or assigned to the macros, so you are able to do detailed results layering and automate it with a single knob.
Including to its versatility, Evoke has 4 international processing modes: the fundamental pitch monitoring resynthesis mode; MIDI monitoring mode (using exterior MIDI for setting the dimensions for retuning; MIDI Instrument mode (which bypasses inner retuning and harmonisation); and the exterior mode for processing sidechain alerts. Mixed with all of the processing options, these 4 modes prolong the scope of Evoke’s capabilities past working with vocals alone, and it turns into a strong modulation and results gadget. Additionally, the 2 smooth limiter modes provide mild (marked purple) and extra aggressive (orange) traits, for that final touch.
Is Minimal Audio Evoke a severe competitor?
No matter Evoke’s sonic prowess and variety, its interface design is considered one of its cornerstones. Even when delving into new ideas, it feels so seamless and acquainted, nearly like I’m utilizing Serum at occasions. Whereas there are another competing choices obtainable, they don’t present Evoke’s well-rounded artistic expertise as an instrument.
iZotope Vocal Synth isn’t a bad-sounding various, however for a steep $200, its interface is quite childish compared to Evoke. In the meantime, Waves OVox is an reasonably priced possibility at solely $40, nevertheless it isn’t in the identical league as Evoke from a sound creation perspective. There are actually wonderful opponents on the higher finish of the market, like Antares Concord Engine and Zynaptiq Orange Vocoder, however these are way more area of interest of their software.
Evoke is an thrilling, artistic instrument for music producers in nearly any style that makes use of vocals, and even vocal samples. What’s extra, sound designers will love how simple it’s to govern voices for movement photos and video video games.
Key options
- Vocal resynthesis plugin
- AU / VST3 / AAX plugin for Home windows (10 or above) and macOS (10.11 or later)
- 350+ presets
- 4-voice harmonisation
- MIDI and sidechain modes
- Pitch correction & hard-tune
- 6-channel modulation matrix
- Results rack
- 7-day trial with Minimal Audio All-Entry
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