User Guide
9
th
Edition 8.11.2
Thanks for downloading Voloco!
About Voloco
Voloco is a voice-processing app that combines automatic tuning, harmony, and vocoding. Pick
a track from your music collection or Voloco’s free beat library to sing or rap over, and Voloco will
guess the key of the track and tune your voice to that key.
• Apply automatic tuning or harmony to your recording
• Over 50 vocal eects
• Sing or rap over hundreds of free beats
• Change eects and seings after recording
• Get featured and grow your fanbase
Intended Audience
This manual is designed to give intermediate and advanced users more insight into all of Voloco’s
features and to give a full description of all presets, eects, and processing tools, as well as give
an overview of some of the music theory behind Voloco’s scales, keys, eects and more.
About This Manual
The 9th Edition was wrien, edited and designed by Kaye Loggins with support from Resonant
Cavity, the team behind Voloco. This manual uses the Humaaans illustration library by Pablo
Stanley.
2
Voloco User Guide
3
Voloco User Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS
. Setup & Considerations.......................................................................................................................
Recording Environment.............................................................................................................................
Microphones & Headphones....................................................................................................................
Bluetooth - Pros & Cons............................................................................................................................
Voloco Workflow.........................................................................................................................................
. Home.......................................................................................................................................................
Tracks...........................................................................................................................................................
Beats............................................................................................................................................................
Profiles.........................................................................................................................................................
Notifications.............................................................................................................................................
. Geing Started...................................................................................................................................
. Quick Record.......................................................................................................................................
Performance.............................................................................................................................................
Edit.............................................................................................................................................................
. Creating a Project...............................................................................................................................
Performance.............................................................................................................................................
Live Vocals View........................................................................................................................................
FX................................................................................................................................................................
EQ...............................................................................................................................................................
Compressor...............................................................................................................................................
Reverb........................................................................................................................................................
Echo............................................................................................................................................................
About Keys & Scales................................................................................................................................
Custom Eects........................................................................................................................................
Keys & Scales............................................................................................................................................
Lyrics Pad..................................................................................................................................................
Pitch Correction vs. Vocoder..................................................................................................................
. Editing..................................................................................................................................................
Crop............................................................................................................................................................
Editing Segments.....................................................................................................................................
Mix...............................................................................................................................................................
Time Shift..................................................................................................................................................
. Review..................................................................................................................................................
. Publish..................................................................................................................................................
. Recordings..........................................................................................................................................
. Importing...........................................................................................................................................
Use As a Beat............................................................................................................................................
Edit Vocals.................................................................................................................................................
. Seings.............................................................................................................................................
1. SETUP & CONSIDERATIONS
Recording Environment
When recording audio, it’s best to work in the quietest room possible to prevent any back-
ground noise or reflection. Your environment also maers – a bathroom may be more private,
but a tiled wall can create a boomy, reflective sound. The duller the walls and area around
you, the clearer sound you can achieve. This is the idea behind professional recording
booths.
Microphones & Headphones
Voloco is designed to work with your iOS or Android device’s built-in mics and speakers. The
app can also accommodate a wide variety of headphones & external microphones, from the
headset & mic that came with your smartphone to professional-grade microphones. Make
sure any external microphone is compatible with your smartphone & connected before open-
ing Voloco. If you have a professional stand-alone mic, you will need an audio interface com-
patible with your device to connect the mic on one end and your device on the other. There
are a range of audio interfaces available for purchase that are compatible with both iOS and
Android devices.
For the best audio quality, use at least a headset & mic, such as the headphones that came
with your smartphone. Using headphones allows you to hear the backing track or beat and
your vocal monitor (your voice through Voloco’s eects) live while recording, without that
sound geing picked up on your recording (called feedback – feedback is what to avoid)!
When you don’t have headphones plugged in, Voloco will not output monitor audio while
recording.
When using a headset with built-in mic, it’s recommended to hold the microphone near your
mouth level rather than leing it dangle below your head. This microphone position allows
a beer recording quality to capture the sibilance of your voice, or the higher frequency
sounds such as the “S” and “T” sounds your mouth naturally makes when singing or speaking.
However, don’t hold the mic too close – placing it directly in front of your mouth can result in
blown-out, distorted audio. Roughly 6 inches 15 cm) from your mouth is a good balance.
4
Voloco User Guide
Bluetooth - Pros & Cons
Many people use Bluetooth headphones for the convenience of a wireless connection. Most
Bluetooth headsets also have a built-in microphone for taking phone calls or recording audio.
Some Voloco users like to use Bluetooth headsets
while recording tracks, but this comes with a tradeo:
because Bluetooth is transmiing lots of information
wirelessly, there can be a delay (or latency) between
the backing track and your recorded vocals, as well as
latency when listening to vocal monitoring, because
of the time it takes to transmit audio + the time it
takes Voloco to process your audio. When possible,
use wired headphones/microphones with Voloco
to reduce latency for the most accurate recording,
keeping your vocals on top of the beat. However, if
you do use Bluetooth headsets, Voloco will record
audio from your device’s built-in microphone,
not the microphone in a Bluetooth headset. This
is to eliminate latency and prevent out-of-time
recording, and it produces a higher-quality audio
recording. Recommendation: turn o Vocal
Monitoring when using wireless headphones, as
hearing your own vocals on a delay can be jarring
and aect your vocal take. After recording, the Time
Shift feature adjusts for audio delay over a backing
track. To use Time Shift, tap the Time Shift buon
on an audio clip in the Edit View to adjust latency or
adjust Default Time Shift in Seings – more info on
page 30.
Voloco Workflow
Voloco uses a series of Views to prepare, record, edit, and review your track. The Views appear
in the following order:
5
Voloco User Guide
Discover /
Beats
Performance
Edit
Review/
Publish
2. HOME
Your Home page is the first page that appears when you launch Voloco. Here you can browse
Beats & Tracks to pick a new backing Beat for your next Track, or listen to new creations from
the community.
Beats
Select premade and curated beats to use
as the basis for your next track.
Tracks
Listen to fully-produced Tracks made by
fellow Voloco users.
6
Voloco User Guide
Tracks Page
Each track is shown with larger artwork and artist name. You can view play count, likes, & see
more from the artist. If a Voloco Beat was featured, you can tap to create your own Track using
that Beat.
Hot/Featured/Following/New
Tap each column to see Tracks sorted by their popularity on Voloco (Hot), Tracks selected
by our curation team (Featured), tracks from Artists you follow (Following), or a feed of new
tracks uploaded to the app (New). You can get Featured simply by uploading your best Tracks
to your Profile! (for more on User Profiles, see page 9.)
7
Voloco User Guide
Controls: Like the Track,
Share, Read and add
Comments, Skip forward
15 seconds, or tap “...” for
more info.
Navigation: Switch
between Hot, Featured,
Following, and New Beats
and Tracks.
Tap on the Artist name
to view their Profile,
or tap Follow to Follow
immediately.
Swipe up or down to
navigate to the next Track
or Beat.
Beats Page
View list of beats with Artwork, Artist, Play Count, Duration, and Genre. A star appears if the
Track has been Featured by Voloco. Tap a Beat to preview it. In the full-screen player, tapping
Buy License will send you to an external link (provided by the artist) where you can purchase
a license to use this beat commercially (Not all Beats are available for commercial use, but all
are available to Record in Voloco). Tap Record to load the track into the Create View & select
your eect to start recording. You can see how many Tracks have been created with this Beat
on the Record buon. Tap on the Artist name to see the Artist’s profile including Tracks,
Beats, and social media links (You can also import your own custom backing track by tapping
the musical note icon in Performance View).
8
Voloco User Guide
Profiles
Voloco Artist Profiles let you share your Tracks and Beats with other Voloco users around the
world. You can Follow your favorite creators and see their new Tracks and Beats in your Home
feed.
9
Voloco User Guide
Follow: Tap to Follow the
artist and see their new
Tracks or Beats in your
Home feed.
Tracks/Beats: Tap Record
to create a new Track with
this Artist’s Beat. Tap the
columns to switch between
Tracks and Beats.
Socials: Tap to follow the
Artist on other platforms.
10
Voloco User Guide
Notifications
Your Notification Feed shows you when other users Favorite your Tracks and Beats, Follow you,
or if your Track or Beat gets Featured by the Voloco team. You can also see new Tracks & Beats
from other creators you Follow. Get to Notifications by tapping the bell icon on the boom of
the screen in your Home feed.
11
Voloco User Guide
3. GETTING STARTED
To start creating with Voloco, Tap the Pink & Blue + Icon after launching Voloco. For more info
on importing an existing track or video to isolate a Beat or vocal track, see Importing (Page
34.
Import: Import an audio
file and use Voloco’s audio
processing to isolate a Beat or
vocal track. For more info, see
Page 34.
Quick Record: A fast & easy
way to get started with one
audio track. The “Classic”
Voloco. See page 12.
New Project: Start a full
multi-track project. The
full Voloco experience.
Add tracks, manipulate
segments, change track
eects, and more. See
page 14.
Video: Record a front- or
rear-facing video using
Voloco’s audio eects.
12
Voloco User Guide
4. QUICK RECORD
Quick Record is a fast & easy way to get started in Voloco with one Vocal track and one Beat -
the “Classic” Voloco experience. For multi-track recording, start a New Project (see page 14 .
When you enter Quick Record, you’ll be in Performance View. Performance View is your toolkit
- the place where you’ll set your eects and actually record audio for your Tracks. Tap the +
Icon after launching Voloco to enter Performance View and select Quick Record.
Controls/Lyrics: Toggle between audio Eect
controls and the Lyrics Pad. Lyrics will appear on-
screen once entered.
Vocal Monitor: Toggle whether
you hear your audio input when
recording. This will not mute audio
input before hiing Record.
Note: when using Bluetooth
headphones, Voloco will output
vocal monitor to headphones,
but will use your smartphone’s
microphone to reduce latency.
When you use wired headphones,
the headset’s microphone will be
used if available.
Add Beat: Select your Backing
Track - choose from Voloco
Beats, a track from your iTunes
Library (iOS Only), or browse the
Files app for audio.
Record: Tap to start recording audio/video. Tap again to stop
recording.
Note: when using Bluetooth headphones, Voloco will use your
smartphone’s microphone to reduce latency. With wired head-
phones, the headset’s microphone will be used if available.
Waveform: Shows a live waveform
preview of your audio input.
Key: Select the Key and Scale of
your track. Key selects the tonal
center (tonic) of your track from
the 12-note scale, and Scale
selects which notes Voloco will
select within this key. Voloco will
take audio input and move it to
the closest note in your selected
Key & Scale in real-time. For more
info, see page 22.
Mix: Control the recording
and monitoring levels of audio.
Compressor/EQ/Echo/
Reverb: Important in any
vocal mix. Compression,
Echo, EQ and Reverb help
to sculpt and fill out your
sound. Tap each icon to
select a preset.
FX Select the Eect Voloco uses
to process your audio input.
13
Voloco User Guide
When you tap the Record buon again to end your recording, the Edit view appears. All Eect
controls function the same as Performance view, and you can make changes to your FX, Com-
pressor, EQ, Reverb, or Key/Scale after recording in addition to the following options:
Continue: Tap to enter
Review view to Download
or Publish your Track (see
page 31
Record More: Tap to
convert your Quick Record
session into a full Project ot
add more vocal layers. (see
page 14
Mix: Control the recording
and monitoring levels of audio.
Crop: Tap to Crop the
beginning or end of your
Track (see page 28
5. CREATING A PROJECT
New Project gives you the full Voloco experience. This is your toolkit the place to set Eects
and record audio. To access New Project, tap the + Icon and select New Project. For more
info on importing an existing track or video to isolate a Beat or vocal track, see Importing
(Page 34.
14
Voloco User Guide
View Controls: Toggle between
Edit View & the Lyrics Pad.
Back: Return to the Discover
View. Tap to save changes to
your track.
Vocal Monitor: Toggle whether
you hear your own audio input
when recording. You will still hear
your voice until you tap Record.
Note: when using Bluetooth
headphones, Voloco will output
vocal monitor to headphones,
but will use your smartphone’s
microphone to reduce latency.
When you use wired headphones,
the headset’s microphone will be
used if available.
Add Beat: Select your Backing
Track - choose from Voloco
Beats, a track from your iTunes
Library (iOS Only), or browse the
Files app for audio.
Record: Tap to start recording audio/video. Tap again to stop
recording.
Note: when using Bluetooth headphones, Voloco will output
vocal monitor to headphones, but will use your smartphone’s
microphone to reduce latency. With wired headphones, the
headset’s microphone will be used if available.
Key: Select the Key and Scale
of your track. Key selects the
tonal center (tonic) of your
track from the 12-note scale,
and Scale selects which notes
Voloco will select within this
key. Voloco will take audio input
and move it to the closest note
in your selected Key & Scale
in real-time. For more info, see
page 22.
Edit Controls: Undo, Redo, Edit
Segments, Crop your Track, or
change your Mix. See page 26.
Vocal Controls: Tap to enter
Live Vocals view and edit your FX,
Compressor, Echo, EQ, Reverb, or
use QuickSwitch. See page 15.
Layers: Tap to select a
Vocal channel to enable for
recording. Tap the cassee
or Beat icon to access FX &
Volume, or to Mute or Remove
an audio layer.
Add Vocals: Tap to add an
additional vocal layer.
Live Vocals View
Tap on any of the Vocal Controls or swipe up on the Vocal Control panel to enter Live Vocals
view. Here, you can edit your Vocal sound before or during recording.
15
Voloco User Guide
Swipe down to exit Live Vocals
View.
Waveform: Shows a live
waveform preview of your
audio input.
Compressor/EQ/Echo/
Reverb: An important part
of any vocal mix. Access EQ,
Reverb, Echo & Compression
to help to sculpt and fill out
your sound. See page 20.
Mix: Tap to change the
volume of Live Vocals
monitoring for recording. For
full Mix controls, tap the Mix
buon in Edit View.
FX Select the Eect Voloco uses
to process your audio input.
Note that certain Eects will
auto-select a new Key and Scale
that is common to each musical
style, but it can be changed after
selecting your Eect. See page 17.
FX
Selects the Eect that Voloco uses to
process your audio input. Scroll along
the boom of the screen to select your
Eect group, then tap on an Eect preset
to load that sound. Note that certain
Eects will auto-select a new Key and
Scale that is common to each musical
style, but it can be changed after se-
lecting your Eect. For eects with Pitch
correction strength or Arpeggiator speed
seings, these controls will appear when
that Eect is selected.
There are 9 Groups of Eects:
Starter
Hard Tune: The classic, “digital” pitch
correction used by countless rappers
and singers alike. This preset uses a
hard, more electronic sound.
Natural Tune: Similar to Hard Tune, but
a less pronounced eect with a more
natural, rounded tone.
Super Vocoder: Instead of hard-tuning
your vocal input, a vocoder takes the for-
mant (character) of your voice and feeds
it into a synthesizer for a more “robotic”
eect.
Big Chorus: This duplicates your voice
into multiple notes in your selected Key and Scale, creating a large chorus eect common
in pop, RnB & electronica.
Clean: This eect doesn’t process pitch-correction or a vocoder, and simply uses audio
filtering technology to remove background noise.
16
Voloco User Guide
FX (cont.)
Modern Rap I
Like a Boss.
World Wide I/II/III A unison preset with two voices with slightly dierent pitch correc-
tion seings. Each voice has a unique and dynamic spectral panning eect to create an
impression of swirling stereo eects.
Triple Double: A three voice preset with two slightly dierent unison voices and a subtle
third voice pitched an octave down.
Bodyguards: Deep pitch & vocoder. Bodyguards uses a unison voice in the center of the
stereo field, and two voices on the left and right sides with a lower octave pitched down
and formant compression to create the eect of two bodyguards flanking your voice.
Big Fella: A higher pitched vocoder eect, Big Fella alters the formant shape of your voice
to change your perceived body size.
Shadow Bass: A lower octave sits below your voice with heavy pitch correction.
Light Distortion: Adds mild distortion to the voice with a lower-octave eect.
Modern Rap II
Congrats: A chordal sound with chorus eect, inspired by the vocals of Post Malone’s
“Congratulations.”
2% Helium: Electronic pitch-correction with formant eects reducing the perceived size
of the vocal tract, resulting in a higher tone.
Force Field: Hard pitch-correction & vocoder eects with a rough shine.
Super High: Formant thinning and one-octave pitch correction for sky-high vocals.
Cranked: Formant thinning with crunchy, blown-out distortion, great for backing vocals.
Baby Voice: A smoother high-pitched eect - infantilising.
Jazz
Lush jazz vocal harmonies.
Lullaby: Soft, night-time seventh chords evoking midcentury bebop ballad progressions.
Cocktail Hour: Harmonically dense suspended chords with added high voices.
Atomic Swing: Obtuse chords utilizing jazz’s modal interchange, launching into the
stratosphere.
Harmony Heaven: Sweet, rich harmony layers that create a unique progression up the
scale.
17
Voloco User Guide
FX (cont.)
PTain
Extreme pitch correction plus sexy seventh chords. Perfect for RnB and rap.
Looking Sharp: A basic rap/RnB pitch-correction sound that you know and love Get Low:
Rap/RnB pitch-correction at a lower octave for a deeper tone.
So Smooth: A classic Minor 7th chord for your smoothest tracks.
Star Duet: Pitch correction with a subtle two-tone chorus..
Talkbox
Classic and future electro-funk sounds.
Classic: A talkbox emulation sound inspired by Zapp & Roger.
Fat Saw: A buzzy two oscillator patch with a lower octave.
High Hamony: Stacked harmony with a classic pitch-bent tremolo eect typical in funk.
Metal Mouth: Power chord harmonies and crunch inspired by heavy metal.
Organ: Stacked octaves mimic the sound of an electric organ.
Sci Fi: Takes the talkbox sound to outer space with LFOs that modulate FM synthesis.
Spooky
Eerie, fearsome, and slightly threatening.
Behind You: Pitch corretion with eerie, delayed whispers right over your shoulder.
Alien Warlord: Pitch correction with vocoder for a deep, authoritiative and UFO
appropriate sound.
Ghost: Vocoder with a frail, after-death growl.
Angry Bells: A harmonization preset with harmonics detuned to resemble bell spectra.
Medium Demon: A frequency-modulated, LFO eect for experimentation. Only slightly
demonic.
LOL
lol is an initialism for laugh(ing) out loud and a popular element of internet slang.
Vibrato: Moves the pitch of the input up and down in a repeating paern.
Vibrato Chorus: Same as the above eect, but adds a doubling chorus sound.
Drunk Tune: A loose, pitch-corrected eect that moves in and out of in- and out-of-tune.
Chipmunk Chorus: A squeaky, high-formant-filtered lead with backing harmonies.
Vocal Fry: I mean, like, it’s kind of a growly kind of eect, you know? Yeah...
Sitar Hero
Inspired by Indian classical music.
A Drone Supreme: Chorus with a free-flowing melodic run.
Ascension: Melodic vocoder with a soft gated stuer.
Om: Run up and down the scale with a strong backing drone & delay.
Interstellar: Multiple tone centers along the scale create clusters of harmony.
18
Voloco User Guide
FX (cont.)
Bon Hiver
Lush harmonies in the style of Bon Iver’s song “Woods.”
Night Chorus: A full-bodied 7th chord eect in the style of the artist.
Crystal City: 7th Chords with the low end scooped out & mild frequency modulation. A
light, airy eect.
Grand Organ: Like a combination of Night Chorus & Crystal City, a deep 7th chord with
crisp, breathy high-end.
Glass Circles: High-end 7th chords with extra tonal dynamics and overtones.
Duft Pank
Funky vocoder sounds similar to a certain French electronic duo.
Danger Bot: A low-octave robotic vocoder.
Dirty Transmission: Upbeat vocoder with steady gated stuer & jumping octave eects.
Another Dimension: This vocoder introduces a funky lick of harmony on top of a gated
volume eect.
Echo Beams: Low-octave robotic vocoder with a pulsating phaser eect.
Wormhole
Vocoder presets from a dierent galaxy.
Demogorgon: A low-octave eect with heavy phaser.
Andromeda: This eect uses step-sequenced frequency modulation for a razor sharp
sound.
Lost Astronaut: Similar to Andromeda with a stronger, more pronounced frequency mod-
ulation.
Pulsar: Vocoder with a consistent pulsating, on-o gated stuer.
Subspace: Vocoder & high frequency overtones with a rhythmic, loose stuer.
Expanse: Intense, slow frequency modulation up and down the spectrum.
8 Bit Chip
Funky bleeps and bloops inspired by classic video games.
Super Bloop: Intense & driving melody with pitched vocoder.
Mega Maze: An arpeggiated melodic rhythm with syncopated delays.
Phasers on Stun: Bit-crushed rhythmic octave jumps.
Space Invasion: Heavy delay & reverb with step-sequenced modulation.
Beat the Boss: Extreme gated stuer with an 8 Bit sound.
19
Voloco User Guide
EQ
An important combination in any vocal mix, EQ,
Reverb, & Compression help to sculpt and fill out
your sound.
Equalizer
Equalizer (or EQ works by lowering or amplifying
certain frequencies of a sound, whether high,
low, or mid-range, to create a color or overall
tone.
Bypass: No reverb (the eect is “bypassed”).
Mid-range scoop: A widely-used eect that
lowers the mid-range of the sound, creating a
combination of crisp highs and deep lows.
Brightness: Adds a sheen to high-end sounds
including the sibilance of consonant sounds.
Low and high boost: Similar to mid-range scoop,
but works by turning up the low and mid-range
rather than cuing out the middle.
Vocal Clarity: Accentuates notable frequencies
in the vocal range to provide clear, up-front
vocals.
Telephone: Cuts out the low and high end,
leaving the middle for a canned, phone-like
sound.
20
Voloco User Guide
EQ (cont.)
Compressor
One of the most widely-used audio eects.
Compression works by reducing the amount of
dynamics (loud and quiet) in an audio signal, allowing it
to sound heavier, clearer and more powerful.
Bypass: No compression (the eect is “bypassed”).
Rap: All-around vocal compression to add definition to
rhythm.
Pop: Adds depth to the low-middle range with crisp high-end.
Moderate: A more subtle eect compatible with most vocals.
Parallel compression: Mixes the compressed audio signal with your original, non-
compressed audio signal for a lighter eect to add clarity and dynamic while still geing
the volume boost and punch of compression.
Blasted: Intense compression. Loud and clear, with less dynamics. Useful for heavy
tracks, but could be overbearing for a softer one.
Reverb
Reverb creates the sound of a space for the vocals to sit in, whether large or small.
Bypass: No reverb (the eect is “bypassed”).
Stereo width: Wide reverb eect best heard in
headphones.
The rest of the reverb eects evoke spaces
described by their names:
Large hall
Small club
Long and narrow
Cathedral
Medium room
21
Voloco User Guide
EQ (cont.)
Echo
Echo adds delay to your audio to evoke space or add a
rhythmic eect. Echo speeds are linked to your Track’s
master BPM.
Bypass: No Echo (the eect is “bypassed”).
Right to left : Stereo delay that bounces back and forth
from Right to Left.
8th note bounce: Fast 8th note delay to accentuate
fast vocal runs.
Resonant buzz: Also known as “Slapback” delay. Really fast!
Slinky: Moderaly fast delay with a long decay for spaceous sound.
Coin drop: Fast stereo delay with a louder presence in the mix.
About Keys & Scales
What are Keys?
Almost all pieces of Western music are in a particular key. When you hear someone say, “In the
Key of D,” that means the pitch D sounds like the “home” sound, or the most “stable” note in
the key. This stable, home note is sometimes called tonic. There are 12 notes in most Western
music:
Scales are a collection of notes in a certain key that evoke a certain sound or emotion. Gen-
erally speaking, most people hear major keys as “happy” or bright, and minor keys as “sad” or
dark. Scales are chosen by the way the dierent notes relate to one another, and you can have
the same kind of scale in a dierent key (For example, C minor and D minor both evoke the
same “sad” sound, but have dierent “home” notes or tonic notes).
Try to experiment with the dierent scales in Voloco to discover what kind of feeling each
scale evokes for your track. When using a backing track or beat, Voloco will automatically se-
lect the Key and Scale for your Beat, but you can change it manually if you wish.
22
Voloco User Guide
C# (or Db) D# (or Eb) F# (or Gb) G# (or Ab) A# (or Bb)
C D E F G A B C
23
Voloco User Guide
Custom Eects
With Voloco Premium, you can unlock the
option to go beyond presets and dial in each
parameter of your Reverb. Tap Custom in the
Reverb panel to edit the following parame-
ters:
Mix: Adjusts the ratio of Wet to Dry signal.
The higher the Mix, the louder Reverb will
sound.
Width: Adjusts the amount the Reverb tail
will bleed into the left and right sides of the
Stereo field.
Damp: Dampens the Reverb tail and adjusts
how long the Reverb will ring out after
recieving input.
Room Size: Adjusts the size of the artificial
“Room” the Reverb exists in. A larger Room
Size will add more reflections and density to
the sound.
Pre-Delay: Adjusts the amount of time
before the Reverb tail will begin sounding. A
longer Pre-Delay can assist to add clarity to
your mixdown & make your Dry signal stand
out more.
Keys & Scales
Tap the “Key” buon in Performance View to
view Keys and Scales.
Major: One of the most commonly used
scales in Western Music, a generically “hap-
py” and warm tone. Major third, major 7th.
Minor: Also one of the most commonly used
scales in Western Music, a generically “sad”
and cold, serious tone. Minor third, minor
6th, minor 7th.
Harmonic Minor: Same as Minor, but with a
Major 7th note. Harmonic minor is associat-
ed with a “spooky” mood in popular culture.
Whole Tone: Each note is equidistant, a
whole step above each other note. This
results in a classic “spooky” horror sound or
a “fantasy” sound.
Just Intonation: Just Intonation uses a
series of whole-number ratios to create a
scale, rather than dividing an octave into 12
equidistant notes. This is useful if the back-
ing track you’re using is tuned in Just Into-
nation (sometimes called Pure Intonation).
Major Pentatonic: One of the most com-
monly used scales globally in many dierent
kinds of music. A 5-note scale consisting of
a Tonic note, a major 2nd, a 5th, a major 6th,
and a major 3rd.
Minor Pentatonic: Similar to a Major pentatonic, with a minor 3rd. This is also a very commonly
used scale globally and is similar to the Blues scale, with a few less notes.
Blues: Similar to the Minor Pentatonic scale, but with a distinctive sharp 4th note in-between
the 4th and 5th in the scale that gives it the “bluesy” tone.
Chromatic: Every note in the 12-note system - this will correct your audio input to the closest
note, but won’t give the scale any specific color besides what you sing into it.
24
Voloco User Guide
Pitch Correction vs. Vocoder
Voloco’s Eects presets use one of two types of vocal processing eects to
create unique sounds: Pitch Correction and Vocoder eects.
Pitch Correction works by detecting the incoming pitch of recorded audio (in this case, your vo-
cals) then calculates the closest neighboring desired pitch within a specified key or scale. Pitch
correction technology was used sparingly in high-end studios until 1997, when pitch correction
technology became widely available due to improvements in mathematic signal processing with
computers. These eects will give a more modern sound common in contemporary hip-hop, RnB,
and pop.
The vocoder sound dates back much further, to the late 1920s, and consists of multiple channels
of information that the device is processing in real-time. Vocoders capture the vocal character-
istcs of the voice - in this case, the formant (tone), sibilance, and pitch. These characteristics are
then applied to the carrier signal (in Voloco vocoder presets, the carrier signal is a synthesizer
tone). This allows a musical tone, such as a synth, guitar, violin, or any instrument, to take on vocal
characteristics and “talk.” Vocoders were very popular in the 1970s and 1980s and can be heard
in countless funk, boogie, experimental, and krautrock recordings, as well as house, techno, and
trance later into the 1990s and beyond.
Experimenting with both of these types of eects is crucial to finding the perfect tone for your
track. Using the descriptions above can help you craft your sound.
Lyrics Pad
Tap the Lyrics selection at the left of the Controls
on the top of the screen to bring up Voloco’s lyrics
pad. Lyrics will be available while you are recording.
Your lyrics will be saved by Title, and the next time
you open the Lyrics Pad, a list of lyrics will appear.
Tap the + icon to create a new set of lyrics, or tap
“...” next to an existing song to Share or Delete
those lyrics.
25
Voloco User Guide
6. EDITING
Editing is where you can refine your mix, eects, Keys/Scales, EQ, manipulate Segments,
or crop your track. Tap the Edit View toggle at the top of the screen (the waveform icon
to the right) to enter Edit View.
Tapping any audio channel will select it for recording. The currently selected track will be
highlighted. If you Record over part of an existing clip, a new clip will overwrite the existing
one ahead of the playhead. Add a new Vocal layer to preserve both segments.
26
Voloco User Guide
Drag anywhere to scrub
through your Track.
Key: A shortcut to Track-wide
Key & Scale seings.
Layers: Tap to select a
Vocal channel to enable for
recording. Tap the cassee
or Beat icon to access FX &
Volume, or to Mute or Remove
an audio layer.
Mix: Tap to access the Mix
View (page 23
Audio Clip: A recorded portion
of audio. Tap to access FX &
Volume or to remove segment
(page 27.
Add Vocals: Tap to add an
additional vocal channel.
Back: Jumps
back to the
beginning of
the track.
Undo/Redo: Will Undo or
Redo the most recent change
to the Track, one step back.
Edit FX & Volume: Tap to
show individual FX & Volume
controls for Clips. See page 27.
Play: Plays
audio from
the current
position.
Next: Commits edits and
progresses to the Review
View.
Crop: Trim audio from
the beginning or end by
dragging the crop sliders to
the left or right on-screen,
then tap Crop again to
commit crop edits (See
page 28.
Vocal Monitor: Toggle whether
you hear your own audio input
when recording. You will still hear
your voice until you tap Record.
Note: when using Bluetooth
headphones, Voloco will output
vocal monitor to headphones,
but will use your smartphone’s
microphone to reduce latency.
When you use wired headphones,
the headset’s microphone will be
used if available.
Record: Tap to start
recording audio/video. Tap
again to stop recording.
Editing Segments
You can move and trim Segements or change the
Volume, Panning, Compressor, EQ, Reverb, and Eect
on each individual audio clip in Edit View, even within
one audio channel. First, tap on the Segment. You can
press and hold the Segment to drag the Segment
thru the Timeline or drag the Endpoints to Trim this
Segment.
Time Shift: Push this Segment’s time backwards or
forwards to adjust for audio latency from wireless
headphones or a delayed performance. See page 30.
Copy: Copy the current segment. Scrub through the
Timeline and tap on the Cursor, then tap Paste to
Paste the copied Segment.
Split: Splits the current segment at the current Cursor
location. Use this feature to move part of a Segment or
change Eects in the middle of a previous take.
Remove: Deletes this Segment without deleting the
Track.
Tapping FX & Volume will show this view. Tap on any
parameter to change.
Note: Key & Scale are track-wide eects.
Edit Key & Scale by tapping on the Key buon in
Performance or Edit Views.
Note: Clip Volume and Track Volume are
independent of each other. Track Volume
is applied after Clip volume in the mixdown.
Voloco User Guide
27
28
Crop
1. Tap the Crop buon in Edit View to access the menu.
2. Drag the Start and End sliders to pick the
beginning and end of your track.
3. Press the Crop buon again to commit edits. The section of the track that was
cropped out remains on-screen, but is greyed out and won’t be played or saved when you
finish your track.
Voloco User Guide
Mix
Control the recording and monitoring
levels of audio. You can see a colored
meter that shows input volume. The
meter will turn red if input volume is
peaking (above normal range).
Live: Your Vocal Monitor. Disabled
when no headphones are connected.
Note that when you adjust this level,
any new recorded audio segment will
be automatically set to that level (see
Editing Segments, page 27
Vocals: Control the volume of multiple
Vocal channels in your mix. Note that
this level is independent of the volume
of a Segment - the sum of the Segment
volume and this value will be what you
hear in your mix.
Backing Track Volume: Volume of
the backing track in monitoring and
recording.
Tap the icon of any audio channel to
Mute or access FX & Volume controls
(see Editing Segments, page 27.
Note: Clip volume (in Edit View) and
Track volume are independent of each
other. Track Volume is applied after Clip
Volume in the mixdown.
29
Voloco User Guide
Time Shift
When using certain types of microphones and headphones, especially Bluetooth devices,
audio can be recorded at a delay due to the latency caused by a wireless connection.
Although we recommend using Wired headphones with Voloco to avoid latency, Time
Shift allows you to correct for audio latency (delay) in the vocal track by moving the
backing track in time to match the vocal. The Default Time Shift seings (left) in the
Seings menu will be applied to all new recorded audio clips. Voloco defaults to -200
milliseconds for Bluetooth connections, -20 milliseconds for Wired Connections
on iOS, and -25 milliseconds for Wired Connections on Android. You can also adjust
individual segments in the Edit View after recording by tapping on the segment and
tapping Time Shift (right). If you aren’t noticing any audible delay in your recordings, there
is no need to adjust this seing.
30
Voloco User Guide
7. REVIEW
The Review View appears once you tap Continue after recording in Quick Record or tap the
pink arrow after recording in a Project.
When you enter Review, your audio will be flaened into a single audio track for exporting. If
you would like to export only your vocal layers without your Beat or backing track, mute your
Beat before exporting. This is useful if you plan on editing your vocals later in a DAW or other
audio software. You can repeat this method to export single tracks, or just your backing track.
31
Voloco User Guide
Edit Name: Tap on your track name
to edit. This name will be saved
in Recordings and any exported
filenames.
By default, Voloco will save the
beat name you used as the track
name. If you do not use a beat,
Voloco uses the Eect name as the
default name.
Save: Saves your track to Voloco’s
Recordings page. (You can share/
export tracks later from Recordings
as well.)
Publish: Tap to Publish your Track
to Voloco online to share with the
world & get Featured! (see page
32
Download: Tap to save Audio or
Video to your device. Then share
your track to any supported
apps or locations. (You can
share/export tracks later from
Recordings as well.)
Waveform & Slider: Listen back to
your track, view the waveform and
scrub through the audio.
Cursor/Time: The time on the
left shows the current time,
the right shows the overall
track length. Grab the cursor
with the blue circle to scrub
through your track.
8. PUBLISH
The Publish View appears once you tap Publish in the Review view. This allows you to publish
your Track to Voloco online to share with others, even if they don’t have the Voloco app in-
stalled.
32
Voloco User Guide
Select Artwork: Tap to
add artwork from your
Camera Roll. You will then
crop your artwork to a
square aspect ratio. Try to
use high-resolution, clear
artwork with no copyrighted
material.
Publish: Tap to Publish your
Track to Voloco online to
share with the world & get
Featured! You can copy a link
and share to friends or social
media.
Beat: If you used a Beat from
Voloco Beats, it will be visible to
listeners so that they can make
their own Track featuring this
Beat.
Track Name: Name your
Track as it will appear online.
Genre: Select the
closest Genre to your
Track’s musical style to
help listeners discover
your Track.
33
Voloco User Guide
9. RECORDINGS
Recordings
Recordings shows all tracks that have been saved after recording. Access Recordings
by tapping on the Recordings icon in the boom right hand corner of the screen when
launching Voloco. Tap on a track to play. You can Edit & Share your Tracks after recording
here.
Favorite Beats
Tap on Favorite Beats near the top of the Recordings View to see your favorited Beats by
other users (requires a Voloco Account).
Recover Project
If you exit Voloco without saving, Voloco will
rtecover the project and will alert you when you
next enter the app. You can save your recording
before exiting Voloco by tapping the Back buon
in Performance View. Tapping Discard changes
will permanently delete your Track.
More: Open your Track for
further editing, Share your
track to any supported apps
or locations using the iOS
Share Sheet or Android File
Sharing, plus Rename or
Delete your Track.
Track: Displays Track
Name, Date Recorded,
Length, and whether
track was recorded
as Audio or Video. By
default, Voloco will save
titles as the Voloco Beat
name, or, if no Beat is
used, the Eect name.
10. IMPORTING
Want to use a beat that isn’t available on Voloco Beats? Voloco oers built-in tools to import
any audio track and filters to isolate vocals and beats, even from flaened audio.
Start by tapping the + icon in Discover View, then
tap Import.
You can then select audio from a video on your
Camera Roll, iTunes (iOS only), or your Files. (Note:
DRM-protected music in iTunes is not available for
import. To hide DRM-protected music from your
list, you can turn on “Hide DRM Tracks in iTunes”
in Seings.)
Use as a Beat
Use these to record vocals over the selected
track.
As-Is: Only select this option for instrumental
tracks with no vocals.
Remove Vocals: Remove vocals and use
instrumental as a backing track.
Voloco will import the file, remove vocals,
then insert the result into Edit View. While
this tool is powerful, working with an original
instrumental track is always ideal, and you may
hear digital artifacts in the resulting Beat.
34
Voloco User Guide
35
Voloco User Guide
Edit Vocals
Use these to apply vocal eects to the
selected track.
As-Is: Only select this option for vocal tracks
with no instrumental.
Separate and Edit: Use this option to separate
the vocal track from the instrumentals. This
may take a while.
Voloco will import the file, separate the vocals,
then insert the result into Edit View, where you
can add Eects.You may hear digital artifacts in
the resulting vocal.
11. SETTINGS
The Seings page can be reached from the Discover View or My Tracks by tapping the gear
icon (or your Voloco Profile picture) in the top right hand corner of the screen.
Voloco Profile
A Voloco Profile allows you to showcase your
approved Beats and Tracks, as well as Favorite
other users’ Beats and Tracks.
Tap Sign In to Voloco to create a Profile or sign
into an existing Profile via Google, Facebook, or
Apple (iOS Only).
Once you’ve signed into a Profile, you can view
your Profile by tapping on your Profile Name in
Seings.
Here you can view your approved Beats and Tracks
as well as edit your Profile Picture, Username, and
Bio.
You can also sign in to view & edit your Profile at
hp://voloco.resonantcavity.com/ .
App Seings
Hide DRM tracks in iTunes (iOS Only):
Automatically hides tracks in your iTunes Library
that contain Digital Rights Management that
cannot be loaded into Voloco and used for
recording.
Export WAV files (Premium Only): Toggle
between lower-quality compressed audio or
lossless WAV audio. WAV audio takes up more
storage on your device, but is higher quality. Useful
if you plan on editing your vocals in a DAW or other editing app. (Tracks recorded with WAV will
show a “WAV” icon in My Tracks View).
Background audio processing (iOS Only): Allows Voloco to access Background App
Refresh. Useful for connecting Voloco with third-party audio apps such as Audiobus.
Prevent Feeback (Android Only): Uses audio filtering & latency protection to prevent
feedback noise while monitoring audio. Using headphones to record prevents feedback
overall.
36
Voloco User Guide
37
Voloco User Guide
Seings (cont.)
Beats
How to Submit Beats: Want to have your beat featured? Submit your beat at voloco.
resonantcavity.com.
Privacy
Show personalized ads: Toggle whether personalized ads are enabled throughout the
app.
Help
Video Tutorials: Links to a Voloco’s YouTube channel showing the basics of Voloco along
with advanced techniques.
Rate / Review: Rate or Review Voloco in the App Store.
Permissions (iOS Only): Links to the iOS Seings app & Voloco preference pane allowing
Voloco access to your Microphone, Camera, Siri & Search, Notifications, Background App
Refresh, and Cellular Data.
Note: Voloco needs access to your Microphone at a minimum
to record Audio, and Camera to record Video.
Frequently Asked Questions: Links to the Voloco FAQ page.
Social Media (Android Only): Links to Voloco Social Media accounts.
Contact Support: Pre-populates an email to Voloco support with your Voloco App
version, iOS/Android software version, and iOS/Android device model.
Voloco Premium
Manage Subscription: In iOS, takes you to the App Store Subscriptions page where you
can renew, manage, or cancel your Premium subscription.
Restore Purchases (iOS Only): Restore your Premium Subscription from the App Store if
you’ve deleted and reinstalled Voloco.
Account
Sign out: Sign out of your Voloco Account. You can sign back in by using your Google,
Facebook, or Apple (iOS Only) account.
Delete Account: Permanently deletes your account (Warning:If you complete account
deletion, your user data will be immediately erased and is not recoverable.) Tracks in
progress you’ve recorded in Voloco are saved on your device, not your Voloco account.
