Whisperer~ 1.0 review

Simply put, The Whisperer~ is a vocoder.

License: Shareware OS: Mac OS X File size: 0K Developer: LowNorth Buy Now Price: $39.00 Updated: 13 Jun 2006

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Simply put, The Whisperer~ is a vocoder. But it's a rather extraordinary vocoder: one which allows unprecedented control over all kinds of parameters and in which anything can be used as a resynthesis source. A wide range of effects is possible with The Whisperer~ - from the traditional "Mr. Roboto" trick to intricate envelope tracking effects, from subtle aural enhancements to extreme soundscape textures which evolve over long periods of time.

For quick start instructions and tutorials, refer to the clipping files "Quick Start Instructions" and "Tutorial " in the Docs and Tutorials folder. While using The Whisperer~, you can click on (almost) any text set in the handwriting font to open up a help window for that topic. Make sure to read the System Requirements before launching The Whisperer~ for the first time.

Here are some key features of "Whisperer":
control over panning, delay, feedback, filter width, center frequency and amplitude in each of the 16 resynthesis channels
unlimited choices of resynthesis source: noise, pulse train, user-defined sample or even the input source itself
a functional yet funky user interface where all the important controls are quickly accessible
all parameter changes can be controlled via MIDI, random walks or control-rate oscillators
any controller can be linked to any knob or slider of the control surface - even to multiple knobs or sliders
preset banks and controller setups can be saved to disk
extensive help file system built into the application itself (no need to open a browser app to get help)
a set of tutorials showing the wide range of possibilities available
record the audio output to a soundfile (aiff, sd2, NeXT, wave, and raw audio formats supported)
process a soundfile or incoming audio, both in real-time
support for any ASIO compatible sound card and the Macintosh Sound Manager
output can be routed to other audio applications via VST, DirectConnect, and ReWire.

Limitations:
The program is fully functional, except that the Record to File feature and the VST, DirectConnect and ReWire drivers are disabled.

Requirements:
PowerPC G3/350 or faster
At least 22MB of free physical memory (Virtual Memory is not supported)
a 1024X768 screen is recommended, but you could get by with 800X600 in a pinch.