images via
this auction"This is the Fairlight Voicetraker. It is intended to track the pitch and expressiveness of your voice and turn it into a synthesizer. The Voicetracker has the ability to not only let your voice (guitar, drum machine, etc.) manipulate its internal synth (which is very analog and gritty) but also send MIDI and Voltage Control signals to other synths. It is the fastest of its kind, incredibly accurate, and a mind blowing way to control your synths. Better than a vocoder, its signaling allows ANY synth or DRUM MACHINE to be controlled by audio input alone.
Vocoders seem trivial when you can trigger multiple synths with the pitch of any sound input. Make anything sound musical!
Top Row:
Range:
Pitch Range (Select Full, Low, Mid, Hi, Whistle, or Pitch Detail) {basically selects the range of the sound the VT will respond to... I will usually select Pitch Detail},
Presets (A-D)
2nd Row:
Response Time {Never saw any reason not to select Fast!},
Display {You can hook this thing up to a monitor and track your voice. It was originally intended to help singers watch and work on their pitch control. This determines how fast it will track on the display. I always set it to slow in case it drained response time anywhere else... I have no evidence that it did}
3rd Row: {Again, has to do with display}
Freeze, Scroll, Pitch, Zoom, Displays (Ampl, Timbre, Cents)
4th Row: {Display again}
Metronome, Trace (Gate, Continue), Tune, Axis (Vertical, Horizontal}, Format (Keyboard, Frequency, Grid)
5th Row:
Halt {Stops tracking}, Options (Ampl, Timbre) {Gives the option of Tracking Volume and Timbre of your voice}, Octave {Shifts up or down octaves}, Semitones {Tracks semitones if desired, which is very desired}, Internal Synth {On or off}, Presets ABC
Bottom Row:
0-9 {I think these are to input digits, but I am not entirely sure}
Basically, Put the Pitch Detail on, Set the Response to Fast, Make sure Halt is off, Put on Ampl, Timbre, Semitones, and Internal Synth, and your voice is now a synthesizer.
MIDI:
In
Out
Thru
Serial Port
Aux 1
Aux 2
Output level knob is on this side
Back:
Video Out
Sensitivity (Lo/Hi) {Keep on Hi}
Line/Mic
Audio In
Audio Thru (Which means you can "tap" a signal and not lose an output... how come we don't have this option more often?!}
Analog Synth Contol {I think this is for Voltage Control, which I never needed... but i think this makes the machine capable of controlling a MOOG or even a MOOGERFOOGER... what is a PURITY signal? I mean, I just have to know...If you know, please respond)
Purity
Bright
Level
Gate
Pitch
Footswitch 1 & 2
VCA In
VCA out
Headphone jack
Serial # 10228 {I think there were only 300 made, but I am not sure...if you know, please respond}
Used to retail for $2495.00"
Official product pages:
Alex: "I had a go on a demo one today - feels really solid, and does everything it says on the tin."
via Reed:
via this auction. Note the box design is similar to the Yamaha CX5M.
images via this auction
"I've had the Yamaha Tenori On for about five days now, so these are first thoughts. Summary version: It's awesome that this thing exists, that Toshio Iwai got a chance to make it. It's intuitive (in the pic on the right, Alex isn't just jabbing buttons, he's holding down a function key and selecting sounds). Does that mean you'll want to spend £599 buying one for yourself? Well, I can think of better ways to spend the money. Epic list of pros and cons after the jump." click here for the full review.
images via this auction
Basically, Put the Pitch Detail on, Set the Response to Fast, Make sure Halt is off, Put on Ampl, Timbre, Semitones, and Internal Synth, and your voice is now a synthesizer.
images via this auction. Note the mod and pitch wheel.
images via this auction
