XILS 201 Vocoder

While the previous vocoder plug-ins from XILS-Lab emulate the vintage Roland VP-330 and EMS 500, the XILS 201 Vocoder is a virtual replica of the legendary Sennheiser VSM 201 from 1978. Like its hardware idol, this plug-in features two filter banks with 20 frequency bands each, which can be used to process an input signal such as the voice or drums, or the carrier signal. As a carrier signal, you can either loop in an external signal or use the integrated synthesizer with an oscillator and a noise generator.

Furthermore, the software version has been given some additional features, such as the pitch tracking function, thanks to which the oscillator can follow the pitch of the voice. Another special feature is the multiband envelope follower, which adjusts the gain of the signal depending on the harmonic content. This gives you impressive results, particularly with rhythmic and percussive material. The plug-in‘s vintage-inspired user interface is appealing, but adjusting the frequencies of the filter bands turns out to be a bit awkward.

Verdict

The XILS 201 Vocoder impresses with its distinctive vintage sound, amazingly good speech intelligibility and extensive setting options. It is an excellent choice when classic vocoder effects à la Kraftwerk and Daft Punk are required. However, the plug-in is also perfectly suited to create robot voices like from Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica. Furthermore, you can also use it as a filter bank and the high-quality effects like Reverb, Delay, Chorus and Phaser are also very successful.

Developer: XILS-Lab

Web: www.xils-lab.com Price: 149 Euro

Format: VST, AU, AAX