14 DAY TRIAL // MorphVOX can definitely be a very fun tool. Not only for children but also for adults, should they be into amusing chatting with their friends. There's nothing too fancy for MorphVox, au contraire, looks like most things are quite easy to run. Even relatively complex effects such as compressor or chorus are made very simple-to-use in this small application. And when I say simple, I mean that even kids can tweak the various settings of this program so they get what they are looking for.
Of course, one can not expect too much of a moving sound experience out of MorphVOX. I must admit that I set my expectations too high when I first launched the tool. After a small disappointment grin, I started to really check what this software can do... and realized this CAN be fun.
Inside the MorphVOX
The initial setup is quite easy, maybe because this is such a commonly-met task. You just need a microphone and some speakers, all attached to you PC. As you speak, MorphVOX shows you the levels on a meter and adjusts everything according to some predefined values. You can always set new variables but must see that the sound is clear.
The main DSP effect is the pitch shifter, as I noticed that it's involved in almost any effect one might choose from the default settings. All controllers are pretty easy and the real-time processed signal is immediately heard in the headphones/speakers. Basically, the MorphVOX has some predefined settings according to which the human voice is processed. Some of them are Child, Hell Demon, I Robot, Man, Woman or the very-interesting DOG TRANSLATOR. I found it a bit hard to get used to what this translator would translate and how, since it looked to work rather randomly. Anyway, I guess there aren't that many people who would chat in "doggish".
MorphVox also has some built-in Standard Sound Effects, as Alarm Clock, Beep Beep, Belch, Boo and so on, meant to add a bit of colour to the ordinary messenger chatting, even if we'd speak about messenger AND voice chatting.
The GUI
The graphic interface is very simple and easy to use, since this program in its entirety is meant to be used by adults and children alike. Each effect has its own icon, tagged with its name. One can easily tweak each effect according to a small number of variables, depending on the complexity of the effect.
A 10-band EQ will help you get the proper sound, adding bass from 30 Hz up to adding shimmering highs at 18KHz, letting you attain the needed timbre. The settings panel is very intuitive and easy, so there's really no problem in getting both your hardware and software working in just minutes. The menus are well displayed and the information they contain is quite sufficient for the common user. Even though I first desired more options, I soon admitted that the MorphVOX has just enough tweaking possibilities; after all? I work also in sound production and this isn't the right case for me to ask for a professional sound-solution.
Overall, the buttons' design could have been a bit better; even though they are bright green over matte black, seems like they are a little hard to grip with the mouse, especially when you want to quickly adjust some setting in a conversation. But then again, MorphVOX has been made for and also about the fact that people would spend some time tweaking its settings BEFORE chatting, so that they get some self-made presets they'd like?it's all a matter of easily selecting and loading.
Mostly I enjoyed the MorphVOX because of the idea behind its production. Like the audibles in actual messenging softwares, the voice-morphing adds a new dimension to Instant Messenging, at the same time offering more options since it's speech-related. All the above are of course working for online gaming?the only exception is that one might easily get banned for disturbing the other players is abusing the morpher.
The Good
When chatting with friends, fun becomes an instant currency the MorphVox will deliver in seconds and in good amount. Whether it's about silly voices you've just created, dog howls, Moo's & Boo's?MorphVox will do it, as long as you spend some time setting up your effects. As I've tried to see this software through the eyes of a child as well, I guess that MorphVOX can easily become one's favourite amongst e-gadgets.
The Bad
The first not-so-good thing I've noticed is the total absence of shortcuts. For a paid software I also guess that the FX could have been worked out with a bit more attentiveness. Producing morphed sound in seconds is really easy, but tweaking the settings so one can obtain decent and long-time useable morphing is not.
The Truth
MorphVOX can add a new dimension to one's chatting and gaming, but you'd have to be a die-hard fan of this morphing-thing to pay almost 30 USD for it. For sure, people that worked on it deserve to get paid, but I am totally convinced that some similar thing can be done for free, if not improved too.
Here are some snapshots of this application in action.
