Vocoders are devices that allow singers to manipulate their vocals electronically.  Vocoders are used by a wide variety of artists, including Daft Punk and Kanye West.  Vocoders are included with many synthesizers.

Talkboxes are small devices that accompany synthesizers and guitars and affect the sound outputted.  Talkboxes work in a similar fashion to vocoders, but are dependent on another instrument. 

Vocoders are very complicated pieces of hardware with many features and specifications.  Some of the specifications and features of the vocoder you might encounter are:

Oscillators and Waveforms

The more oscillators and waveforms a vocoder has, the more complex sounds it is able to produce.  Keep in mind this also makes the device more complicated.  Oscillators and the waveforms they produce affect the timbre of the vocoder/synthesizer.

8-Band, 11-Band, 16-Band? 

Generally, the more bands a vocoder has the better.  It just refers to the amount of effects you can have.

Arpeggiator

If your vocoder includes a keyboard it will generally have an arppegiator.  Arpeggiators automatically create arpegios based on the player's input.  The better the synth/vocoder, the more options you will have when producing arpeggios.

Modulation and Effects

A good vocoder will include effects such as flangers, phasers, and reverb.

Ready to buy your own vocoder? Now that you have a basic understanding of these vocoder features, you are ready to start looking! Try searching online for the following vocoder and talkbox models.

Vocoder and Talkbox Models

• Korg MicroKorg
• Korg MicroKorg XL
• Korg RADIAS R Rackmount Synthesizer / Vocoder Module
• Rocktron Banshee Talk Box
• Dunlop Heil Talk Box
• Korg R3 Synthesizer / Vocoder Keyboard
• Electro-Harmonix Voice Box Harmony Machine and Vocoder
• ELS Vocoder