SINCE 1828
vocoder
noun
vo·cod·er
| \ ˈvō-ˈkō-dər
\
\
Definition of vocoder
: an electronic mechanism that reduces speech signals to slowly varying signals transmittable over communication systems of limited frequency bandwidth
Examples of vocoder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Think high-energy dance tunes with Cher's signature vocals ... and just a hint of vocoder. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Cher Is Releasing an ABBA Cover Album and It Sounds Amazing," 9 Aug. 2018 Zedd mans the keys and the vocoder while Grey handle guitar and drums. — Kat Bein, Billboard, "Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey Meet Ellen in 'The Middle': Watch," 22 May 2018 Cudo and Violent Bear will fill you with indie rock vibes and Rubeo will perform his brand of electro-pop, with keys and a vocoder. — Chris Haghirian, kansascity, "This week's must-see shows: Anna Wise, Cudo, Lucero, K.D. Lang & Wyclef Jean | The Kansas City Star," 5 Mar. 2018 Lead singer Shun Ikegai used a vocoder to fold his voice into the electro layers of sound, creating a spacey, deep, and sometimes menacing atmosphere. — Rob Schwartz, Billboard, "Fuji Rock Fest Celebrates 21st Edition With Gorillaz, Aphex Twin, Bjork...and Rain," 1 Aug. 2017 Drawing upon the vocoder’s association with the otherworldly, Stevens spends much of the record running his voice through machines. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "A Musical Voyage Through the Solar System, Darkly," 8 June 2017 Not sure where Alex's Daft Punk-like vocoder vocals fit in, but those were pretty OK too. — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, "The 10 Best Moments of the 2017 Billboard Music Awards," 21 May 2017 Alaska in Winter is Brandon Bethancourt, who does downbeat pop tunes with lots and lots and lots of vocoder. — Jake Swearingen, WIRED, "Show Review: Beriut, w/ Colleen + Alaska in Winter, 10/8/07," 9 Oct. 2007 The Robert Glasper Experiment has something to do with the shift in perception around this sound: Vocoders are a regular feature of its shows, usually thanks to the saxophonist Casey Benjamin. — Nate Chinen, New York Times, "Herbie Hancock Is the Emissary of an Art Form NOV. 27, 2013," 12 Aug. 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vocoder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on vocoder
What made you want to look up vocoder? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What did you just call me?! A Quiz
-
- If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share vocoder
Resources for vocoder