Boz ProVocative (Download)

Easy to use yielding great results quickly, ProVocative is a micro pitch-shift plug-in that’s light on CPU resources, heavy on sound quality, and features high- and low-pass filters for frequency-specific pitch shifting, along with track widening and independent wet/dry mix controls.

Micro pitch-shifting has been around for decades and in that time, regardless of format (i.e. hardware or software) it’s functionality has remained largely the same. While some may invoke the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra, who says you can’t go ahead and make it better? Well, nobody at Boz Digital, which is why ProVocative was created. Quick and easy to dial in, its high- and low-pass filters, width control, and wet/dry knobs let you add thickness or bring out the air in vocals without sounding robotic; subtly or aggressively widen guitars, synth pads, or drums; and mix wet and dry signal to taste. It’s light on the CPU and heavy on sound quality.

ProVocative—Cracking the Code

ProVocative is an inspired new version of the legendary micro pitch-shifter of days gone by (A hint to its identity lies within a joke we’ve heard at least, Hmm, 3000 times: Child, you so ugly, Even the tide wouldn’t take you out). While the hardware became ubiquitous in high-end and mid-level studios the world over, it was quite complicated to use. As a result, two go-to presets emerged; 231, which became to go-to for vocal thickening, and 521, which combined micro pitch-shifting with slap delay, the standard for depth and widening. All but the most adventurous tweakers kept that ‘big bucks box’ dedicated to those effects (because who has time to read manuals and futz around while the clock is ticking). In the studio, you want great results and you need them quickly, which is what ProVocative is all about.

Mixer Section

With other pitch-shifting plug-ins, the ability to run the effect in parallel with the dry signal for a more controlled, natural sound, ProVocative generously gives you individual Wet and Dry knobs so you can use it as an insert effect and dial in the amount of effect you want in one convenient location. However, if you prefer the functionality of a blend knob, you can engage the Link button, which gangs the Wet and Dry knobs together to act like a wet/dry mix control.

Filter Section

ProVocative’s most unique addition to traditional pitch-shifting is its high- and low-pass filter section, which enables you to select the frequency range it applies micro-shifting to via slider. You can bypass or enable these filters by clicking on the HPF or LPF symbols. These filters will only EQ the wet sound, leaving the dry sound unaffected. The main benefit of the filter section is that it enables to thicken or widen a specific frequency range while retaining an overall more natural sound—unless you want to go full robotic.

Width

As its name suggests, width controls widening of the pitch-shifted tracks. When set to positive 100%, the pitch-shifted track is panned to the right, while negative 100% pans the track to the left. When set to 0%, both tracks are panned to the center.

Pitch

The pitch control ranges from 1 to 20 cents. Once set, ProVocative makes two pitch-shifted tracks, one up and one down by the selected amount.

Delay

To create depth, this knob controls the delay between dry and pitch-shifted tracks. It ranges from 20ms to 150ms. Note: Some slight modulationis applied to the delay time in addition to the delay time set. This helps to give a more natural sound.

Like all Boz plug-ins, ProVocative comes with its own presets, shareable across formats, computers, and operating systems, along with an A/B bank that lets you compare settings without losing your settings.