Vocoder: A Century-Old Technology That Revolutionized Music

The vocoder’s development began over a century ago, when Homer Dudley, an engineer at Bell Labs, sought a simpler way to send phone calls across copper telephone lines. He built technology that could capture and synthesize the human voice, laying the groundwork for its future applications. As Dudley’s invention progressed, it took on a life of its own, playing a pivotal role in World War II by enabling secure communications across the ocean. Following the war, the vocoder began to influence music, particularly among avant-garde artists who experimented with its unique sound. The first notable users of the vocoder were musicians such as Kraftwerk’s Karl Bartos and Brian Eno, who incorporated it into their work to create distinctive sounds that added an air of mystery to their compositions. The technology’s ability to mimic human speech added a new dimension to music production, allowing artists to push boundaries and explore uncharted territories. Today, the vocoder remains a popular tool among electronic musicians, with software plugins and hardware units widely available for purchase. Its versatility has led to its adoption in various genres of music, from pop to hip-hop and beyond. The legacy of the vocoder continues to shape the sound of modern music, as artists continue to experiment with its capabilities and explore new sonic possibilities. The Verge