Arts >> Music >> Recording Music

How to Make a DJ Voice in a Song

The "DJ voice" is a sound sample found on most Yamaha keyboards, including the Yamaha PSR. The sample was brought to prominence when the English "New Rave" band Klaxons used it on their debut single "From Atlantis to Interzone." The Klaxons sound was characterized by the use of unsophisticated samples they'd take from inexpensive musical instruments. If you don't have a Yamaha keyboard and want to emulate the quirky sound of the original sample, you can do so by recording and then modifying your own voice.

Things You'll Need

  • Microphone
  • XLR cable
  • Audio interface
  • Computer
  • Digital audio workstation
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Connect the female end of an XLR cable to the bottom of a microphone. Connect the male end of the cable to the "XLR Input" jack on the front of your audio interface.

    • 2

      Connect the audio interface to your computer, via either FireWire cable or USB cable, depending on make and model. The audio interface converts the audio input from the microphone into data, so the digital audio workstation can interpret and process the sounds.

    • 3

      Double-click the desktop icon for your preferred digital audio workstation, such as Cubase or Mixcraft.

    • 4

      Open the "File" menu, click "Open" and select the relevant song session. from the drop-down menu.

    • 5

      Create a new audio track in the song session. The method for doing so varies slightly according to which program you use, but you typically execute this command via the "File" menu. Your program may have a shortcut tab. For example, in Logic, click the "+" to open a new track.

    • 6

      Name the new track "DJ voice." Click the "S" icon to solo it, so all other audio is muted.

    • 7

      Audition the microphone. Speak into it at a loud volume. If the volume units meter on the digital audio workstation channel strip flashes red, this means the signal is too strong and is causing distortion. To mitigate this, reduce the "Gain" dial on the front of the audio interface. Aim for the loudest possible volume before distortion.

    • 8

      Hit "Record" and say into the microphone the word "DJ." Put emphasis on the first syllable, so you say "DEEE jay." This is how the original sample is phrased.

    • 9
      Recreate the DJ voice sound by manipulating the tone of the recording.

      Click on the "Effects" tab and select compression. This effect is typically used for smoothing out volume peaks in recorded audio. However, if you "abuse" the thresholds, you can approximate the sound of the original "DJ voice" sample, which was very compressed.

    • 10

      Adjust the "Threshold" dial to around 50 percent. This means that any sound louder than the average volume of the recording is reduced.

    • 11

      Adjust the "Ratio" dial and select "2:1." This sets the compressor so any sound louder than the average volume is reduced to half its original volume. By over-compressing the vocal recording, you emulate the distinctively artificial and "computerized" sound of the original DJ voice.

    • 12

      Turn off the "S" button so you can hear the recording in the song. If it is too quiet, boost the channel strip mixer dial.

    • 13

      Right-click the audio file in the channel strip and select "Copy." Use the paste function to move the recording to your preferred place in a song file.

Recording Music

Related Categories