KOOROW
Some of the most interesting FX in a track start as nothing more than a few raw sounds recorded with a microphone. In this lesson KOOROW takes the vocal sounds he recorded in his studio and turns them into a strange, rhythmic FX for a psytrance project. The chain: clean-up EQ, compression, a glitch effect, u-he’s granular pitch shifter, delay, reverb and LFO Tool.
The video is in Persian. This article walks through every step in English.
This is sound design, not vocal mixing
This is not how you would process a vocal for rock, pop or rap. A real vocal mix needs a singer and a completely different process. The “vocals” here are not singing. They are source sounds, recorded to be edited and turned into FX. Think of them as your oscillators.
The series
In the previous video KOOROW recorded violin and vocal sounds in his studio. The plan: turn the violin into a string pad and atmosphere, which is the next video, and turn the vocals into unusual FX, which is this one. At the start he switches every effect off so you can hear the raw recordings, including a short phrase he chose because it gets really interesting once the effects are on.
Step 1: Clean it with EQ
The first insert is FabFilter Pro-Q:
- Low cut up to 300 Hz. This voice has almost nothing down there, so there is no reason to stop at 70 to 90 Hz.
- A small cut around the fundamental. The recording had some hum from the microphone, the recording and the room.
- A small boost elsewhere. Toggle the EQ and you hear the sound get flatter and cleaner.
Step 2: Control the peaks
The raw recording has a lot of peaks. KOOROW compresses it with the UAD LA-2A, a compressor he loves, so the loud parts come down while the quiet parts barely move. A limiter later in the chain takes care of the peaks that remain. The whole sound needs compression, not only the peaks.
Step 3: Glitch it
From here it gets interesting. On a glitch effect he sets the probability of the very small grid divisions to zero, opens 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 a little, raises the repeat probability, and puts the dry/wet around 60 to 70%. The vocal starts stuttering and repeating in rhythm.
Step 4: u-he’s granular pitch shifter
Next is the granular pitch effect from u-he’s Uhbik bundle. It splits your sound into tiny grains and moves their pitch up and down. If you do not know what a grain is, his Serum 2 granular video explains it. These lessons are designed to build on each other.
- Two of its parameters are automated, so it moves the whole time. The more it moves, the cooler it gets.
- The offset is raised, and automated as well.
- The dry/wet is set fairly high.
- The grain size is raised.
Switch it off and on and the difference is huge. KOOROW calls it outstanding for making FX.
Step 5: Delay, reverb, rhythm and clean-up
| Effect | Settings in the video |
|---|---|
| Delay | Feedback 40, dry/wet around 57 |
| Reverb | Decay 2 seconds, mix 20, everything else untouched |
| LFO Tool | Ducks the FX with the kick so it moves with the groove |
| EQ | Removes any bass that the previous plugins created |
| Pan | Automated for extra movement |
Use it in the arrangement
Once your audio is processed, listen for its best moment. If you find a really cool spot, use exactly that piece in many places in your arrangement. One strong phrase can become a signature FX across the whole track.
Why record your own sounds
KOOROW loves recording sounds from everywhere, bringing them into the studio and processing them with the tools available. Raw recordings like these, a microphone and the right audio effects are enough to create FX that nobody else has. And don’t underestimate u-he’s granular plugin. There is a lot you can do with it.
Make FX that sound like you
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