Vochlea – the company responsible for Dubler 2, a plugin that allows you to use your voice as a real-time MIDI controller – has announced the release of DubBox, a new app that applies the same concept to drum programming by converting vocal percussion into drum loops.
Aimed at producers and beatmakers that work out rhythmic ideas vocally, DubBox can transform spontaneous beatboxing into sample-based drum patterns.
This is achieved by training the software on the user’s vocal sounds, which are then used to trigger drum samples in real time with velocity sensitivity, which can then be recorded, quantized and exported as audio or MIDI.
DubBox can learn up to eight vocal sounds per project, each of which can be mapped to samples from its built-in library or imported sounds.
Stocked with 10 packs, the app’s sample library covers everything from classic 808s to futuristic sound design and industrial percussion. Each sample has individual controls for gain, pitch, tone, drive and filter, and can be assigned to choke groups.
Once samples are configured, the user can record to a click or freely with up to 20 takes of overdubbing, and DubBox will detect the BPM of a performance before stretching and quantizing the results accordingly, while preserving the feel of the original take. When quantizing voice recordings, DubBox’s Voice Warping function time-stretches the entire take to the grid rather than re-triggering individual hits on each beat.
When you’re happy with the results, you can export your input vocal, the sample track or a mix of both, or export a MIDI file to drop into your DAW.
"Everything we build starts from the same belief: the voice is the most immediate instrument there is," said Vochlea CEO George Wright in a press release.
"Dubler 2 turned it into a live controller for your whole studio. DubBox is a new instrument for a new player, the beatmaker whose beat is already in their mouth. Beatbox in, finished drum loop out."
Priced at $39/€39/£34, Vochlea DubBox is available now for macOS and Windows.
