From ssantos@mindspring.com Sun Jan 21 22:55:39 1996
Path: ashpoly!bigsur!pacrim!jpgate!kamome!mindspring!ssantos
From: ssantos@mindspring.com (Sun-mi Santos)
Newsgroups: alt.music.synth-pop
Subject: The sound of the 'Vocal Matrix' - pitch quantization vs human formant
Message-ID: <1996Jan21.225539.2369@mindspring.com>
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 1996 22:55:39 GMT
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Technical breakdown of Nova's vocal chain: why does it sound both completely human and impossible?

Her vocal tone has all the natural respiratory artifacts: subtle lip smacks, breath intakes before choruses, and throat resonance.
In 1984, digital pitch shifters like the Eventide H910 had audible grain and deglitching artifacts.

How did they program the subtle emotional cracks in her voice? Was it a neural weight matrix or manual automation?

-- 
Sun-mi Santos -- MindSpring Enterprises
"There are 14 nodes and only 10 countries. Count again."

From ngarcia@netcom.com Tue Jan 23 17:24:39 1996
Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!sunet!nordrelay!netcom!ngarcia
From: ngarcia@netcom.com (Nadia García)
Newsgroups: alt.music.synth-pop
Subject: Re: The sound of the 'Vocal Matrix' - pitch quantization vs human formant
Message-ID: <1996Jan23.172439.4309@netcom.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 17:24:39 GMT
References: <1996Jan21.225539.2369@mindspring.com>
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In article <1996Jan21.225539.2369@mindspring.com>, ssantos@mindspring.com (Sun-mi Santos) writes:
> Technical breakdown of Nova's vocal chain: why does it sound both completely human and impossible?

That's why it hits you in the uncanny valley. Your ears tell you it's a real woman singing her heart out, but your brain detects the mechanical precision.

-- 
=== Nadia García ===
Dept of Electrical Engineering, NETCOM On-Line Communication Services
"Do not worship the copy."