I have to tell you at the outset that this Voice Changer plug‑in is probably going to appeal more to those creating podcasts or low‑budget movies than to music producers. Even so, I have managed to find a few applications in the field of ambient music where treated, almost subliminal background voices can be used to add a level of interest. Available only via subscription (I’m told that this is to enable Accusonus to offer frequent updates and new features), this plug‑in supports the common Windows and Mac plug‑in formats including AAX.
Accusonus have certainly gone out of their way to make Voice Changer as easy to use as possible by providing what are essentially three processing sections. Each one can be loaded with a preset process and then the intensity of that process can be adjusted using a single rotary control. Unused sections may also be bypassed, and there’s provision for adjusting the output level using a horizontal slider. An On/Off button brings the effect in and out without affecting the plug‑in latency.
Leftmost is the Character section, which is where the main voice transformation takes place. The sub categories are Human, Robots and Supernatural, with a number of options in each category. For example, in Humans you can choose from things like Baby, Epic Move Trailer, Whispering and so on. Supernatural offers various aliens, ghosts and robots, which range from deep and threatening to high‑pitched and cute with the robot voice fixed at one pitch vocoder/style. Turning the Character Processing control clockwise adds more of the chosen character to the sound, not simply by adjusting a wet/dry mix but by changing such parameters as pitch.
From here the voice goes into the Effect section, which determines what kind of device is reproducing the voice, though it can also be switched to a vocal doubler that conjures up a very usable ADT effect. The reproduction devices in this section include the expected telephone, megaphone and small radio plus a very convincing airport announcement, a CB radio and a talking toy.
The controls are so simple that you can create your own treatments very quickly, from goblins and dragons to PA announcements and voiceovers.
Finally, we have a section that emulates a specific environment with sub‑sections for Indoor, Nature and Public Spaces. Again, each contains useful options. Your treated voice can be placed into places ranging from train stations, airports and car parks, through churches and stadiums to canyons, caves and crypts. In all cases, setting a control to zero passes the signal through that section with no further changes.
Voice Changer comes with a useful selection of presets that encompass fictional creatures as well as more conventional voice types, but really the controls are so simple that you can create your own treatments very quickly, from goblins and dragons to PA announcements and voiceovers, and in a choice of acoustic environments.
As I said at the outset, the musical applications for this plug‑in may be limited to specific genres, but for an application where you need to create a specific vocal effect with the absolute minimum of complexity, Voice Changer has to be applauded. The sound quality is consistently good across the different voice types and there really is a wide range of production effects on offer, so for creating podcasts, radio plays or low‑budget movies, Voice Changer is a really effective plug‑in.