mic help

carrie · Joined: Oct 07, 2006 Posts: 2 Location: watford

Can any-one tell me what mic makes that 'eeeeeeeeaaooooooooooo' voice distortion as heard on Bon Jovi's 'Livin' on a Prayer' and used more recently by the Flaming Lips. You seem to encase your mouth around it and speak/sing into it...? Cheers, Carrie

Uncle Krunkus · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:39 am Post subject:

I think what you're talking about is a Vocoder. Any microphone can be plugged into one. It's an effect unit which takes the spectrum analysis of one sound and uses it to control a multiband EQ for another.

jksuperstar · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 2:44 pm Post subject:

More exactly, I think he used a Heil Talk Box
http://www.jimdunlop.com/forums.html?page=products/pip&id=287&pmh=products/p_and_e_detail

And maybe piped that through a wah-wah pedal, that was timed with the vowel changes.

That talk box actully (I think) blows air up the tube, and depending on how you change the resistance (open/close your mouth), it effects the sound. Something like that. See also Peter Frampton's famous album "Peter Frampton Comes Alive!" from the 70's for a classic use of this effect.

carrie · Joined: Oct 07, 2006 Posts: 2 Location: watford

Hey thanks for your replies. JKSuperstar you are indeed...a superstar... thanks for the link and the Frampton reccomendation, am only familiar with his Humble Pie days so I'm looking forward to hearing it. Cheers, Carrie

jksuperstar · Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 1:08 pm Post subject:

You are talking about the guitar part that richie sambora plays, right? I assumed this, but havent enough Flaming lips around to making sure I assumed the right thing.

As uncle K said though, you could recreate something like this with a vocoder, but I don't think it would have the same feel. But this option would be a lot more flexible, and give you stereo sound, if needed. The heil box is more like a stomp box for guitars.