If you've listened to pop music in the past 40 years, you've probably heard more than a few songs with a robotic sound. That's thanks to the vocoder, a device invented by Bell Labs, the research ...

The vocoder—code name Special Customer, the Green Hornet, Project X-61753, X-Ray, and SIGSALY—started distorting human speech in earnest during World War II, in response to the excellence of German ...

From Stevie Wonder and Queen to Vangelis and Dua Lipa, we bring you a short musical history of this influential vocoder When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission ...

Dave Tompkins, featured in FADER 66, knows a lot about vocoders. His recently-released book, How To Wreck A Nice Beach, explores the history and evolution of the vocoder from a vocal encryption gizmo ...

When I was in grade school, the only reason I took band class was to avoid spending two hours in study hall every week. My motivations would have been completely different, however, were I raised in ...