Korg DVP-1 Vocoder (1986)
Digital Voice Processor

 

Early digital rackmount voice processor: harmonizer, pitch-shifter and vocoder with internal wave-carriers.

 

RACKMOUNT 2 unit height.
Main panel features a segment display, 6 knobs, 20 buttons and 2 switch tabs.

Rear panel terminal connectors:
- Midi interface
- 2 pedal switch inputs for portamento and freeze function
- main mix out (low / high impedance)
- direct signal out.

Front panel terminal connectors:
- headphones out
- Cannon XLR signal input (impedance switch -50 / -10 / + 4dB)
- led peak-meter for signal input.

 

VOICE main 8 bits D7811 (part of 7810 CPU) family manages up to 5 voices polyphony.
A/D at 12 bits and D/A at 16 bits, frequency response range: 20 Hz to 20 KHz.
The DSP features a double set of Texas Instruments TMS320 IC, also worth mentioning the BA9221 converter IC same found on sampler Akai S900 or classic FM synthesizer Yamaha DX-7.

 

EDIT INTERFACE DVP-1 Edit is a bit tedious with single parameter enter (scaled values) but easy to use: just plug the MIC, sing or make a speech entering notes from a Midi keyboard.
The engine works in 3 main modes:
- vocoder
- harmonizer
- pitch shifter.

MODE 1 VOCODER the classic seventies effect revisited during the eighties taking advantage of Midi implementing some advanced (for the time) intelligibility functions like:
- formant shift: changes the vowel colors (info picture)
- breath bypass: threshold sets amount of processed/bypassed consonants
- pitch threshold: enhances threshold frequency between consonant and vowel intelligibility, especially useful for sibilant hiss like letter "S".
The DVP-1 vocoder uses only 8 internal ROM-stored waveforms (all choir-like) as carrier instead of traditional input, this is very frustrating compared to old-school or actual vocoders.

female A	female A 2	male A	male A 2
male A 3	female LA	female LU	male WO

MODE 2 PITCH SHIFTER this mode changes the incoming pitch in a +/- 12 semitones range from chipmunks to evil trolls.

MODE 3 HARMONIZER up to 5 notes can be generates for harmonized choruses.
Each note can be set to a specific +/-12 semitones interval or directly defined using the CHORD MEMORY (just input a broken chord then a single note for real-time transpose)

ENVELOPE up to 2 EGs:
- EG pitch 4-segments ADSR with possible polarity inversion
- EG amplitude features a 2-segments AD.
Special FREEZE mode holds a brief cycled section (assignable also to pedalswitch) that can be also played by Midi like a synthesizer sound.

LFO single delayed modulators and 2 destinations with variable intensity:
- LFO pitch
- LFO amplitude.
The modulator can be assigned to standard Midi pitchbender.

PERFORMANCE some handy functions:
- unison: stacks all the voices together for a fatter sound
- portamento: with variable time
- noise gate circuit : prevents noises or feedbacks (relative threshold can be set)
- split zone: vocoder or harmonizer can limited to a specific masterkeyboard range
- detune: each 5 voice can be detuned (coarse / fine) .

 

EFFECT there is a digital chorus onboard but it reduces polyphony from 5 to 4 voices.

MEMORY
- 64 patch memories.
Memory system works with a soldered 3V CR-2032, battery replacement needs soldering skills.

 

EDITOR not much around but classic (and boring):
- Soundquest (pc / mac, commercial).

 

 

 

RELATED FAMILY:

	MEX-8000 expansion memory for DVP1. Same used by synthesizer DW-8000
	VC-10 DVP1 ancestor part of the MS families like icon MS20 analog synth VIDEO
	EX8000 not directly related, but they do features a very very similar case.

 

 

VST PLUGIN there is no official VST plugin, however some spring reverb emulators:

	name	price	demo
	-TAL vocoder -VOCOVEE -ROBOTRONIC	FREE VST
	-VOCODEX -SONIVOX -MORPHODER	COMMERCIAL VST

 

DVP1 AUDIO DEMO

vocoding television experimental test freeze function freeze and pitch shifter formant synth voice glitched arpeggio formants

VIDEO CLIP SELECTION demo1 demo2 demo3

 

 

MANUAL

SERVICE MANUAL / SCHEMATICS (thanks to Alfred Migs)

DOWNLOAD FACTORY PATCH SET

-More demo, something more music -EPROM dump?

original Brochure

original Brochure