The Kyma Language for Sound Design, Version 4.5

VocoderChannelBank
Filters Category
For most situations, you should use a Vocoder rather than the VocoderChannelBank, because the
Vocoderis a higher-level Sound with higher-level parameters and controls. Use a VocoderChannelBank
only in those situations requiring independent control over the center frequency, amplitude, and
bandwidth of each filter in both the analysis and the resynthesis filter banks.
The VocoderChannelBank works by feeding the sidechain input through a bank of bandpass filters (the
analysis filters), extracting an amplitude envelope from the output of each of those filters, applying the
extracted amplitude envelopes to a second bank of filters (the synthesis filters), and feeding the input
through that bank of filters.
To see an example of how the VocoderChannelBank can be used, drag a Vocoder into a Sound file
window and expand it; it expands into cascaded VocoderChannelBanks.
CascadeInput
The cascaded input is added to whatever output is produced by this VocoderChannelBank. Use it to
cascade several VocoderChannelBanks when you need more filter banks than can fit on a single
expansion card (usually around 11).
Input
This is the Sound that is actually heard through the filter bank. The output of the VocoderChannelBank is
the sound of the Input but filtered through formants of the SideChain.
The kinds of Inputs that work best are those that are broadband and continuous enough to excite all of
the filters in the bank at all times.
SideChain
This is the Sound that controls the amplitude envelopes on each of the filters in the filter bank. The
formants of the SideChain will be imposed on the basic sound characteristics of the Input.
The kinds of SideChains that work best are those with strong formants that change noticeably over time
(e.g. human speech, tablas, mouth harps).
InputParameters
This should be a Sound from the spectral sources category (most typically the
SyntheticSpectrumFromArray). Use the spectral source Sound to specify the center frequencies,
amplitudes, and bandwidths for all the filters in the synthesis bank.
To use the same settings on both the analysis filters and the synthesis filters (as it is in the classic
channel vocoder), hold down the option key and drag this Sound into the SideChainParameters field.
SideChainParameters
This should be one of the Sounds from the spectral sources category (most typically the
SyntheticSpectrumFromArray). Use the spectral source Sound to specify the center frequencies,
amplitudes, and bandwidths for all the filters in the analysis bank.
To use the same settings on both the analysis filters and the synthesis filters (as it is in the classic
channel vocoder), hold down the option key and drag this Sound into the InputParameters field.
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