Vocoder

A vocoder, short for voice encoder, is a way of modifying a voice. These days, it is mostly used for music, but it was originally invented in the 1930s to encrypt, or encode, spoken messages. In the late 1960s, people started making musical vocoders. The movie A Clockwork Orange was known for having a little bit of vocoding in its soundtrack. Bands like Electric Light Orchestra used the vocoder effect not much later. Vocoders got a lot of attention in the pop music scene in 2005, when British pop star Imogen Heap released her song "Hide And Seek", now part of her Speak For Yourself album. This song contained no instruments, just vocals and vocoders. There are now commercially available keyboards that contain vocoders, a notable one being the MicroKorg, made by Korg.