MANUAL

I AM CHOIR MANUAL

The manual walks through the three screens of I AM CHOIR: import, choir generation and post-FX, then export and license activation.

Opening the plugin

I AM CHOIR works as a VST3, AU and AAX plugin. Open it on an audio or instrument track in your DAW. The plugin does not need to sit on your vocal track; it works as a standalone module on any track.

Screen 1: Import

Import a dry vocal recording. Drag and drop an audio file into the plugin, or click the “Select A File” button and choose it. Click the “Convert” button to load it into I AM CHOIR. Under “Recent Files” you will find a list of previously processed vocals. Some DAWs allow you to drag audio directly from the timeline into the plugin, as Logic Pro does.

Screen 2: Choir generation

This is where you craft your choir sound.

Choose a choir. Gospel Choir is best for melodic inputs, thickening or widening chorus sections, or standalone intro and outro parts. Male and female vocalists combined, the widest range of all the models, and it biases towards a powerful delivery. Kids Choir is best for melodic inputs, high range melodies, adding top-end brightness and widening the stereo field. Higher range than the Gospel Choir and a less powerful delivery. Gang Vocal is best for shouted parts and gang vocals. All male vocalists. C24 is the cleanest sound for this model and U67 is louder and crunchier. Melodic inputs will have less consistent results.

Choose a microphone. U67: large condenser, clear and well balanced, tightest room, the best starting point for all models. C24/C12: large condenser, slightly brighter and roomier than the U67. Schoeps: small condenser, darkest curve and roomiest, use when the U67 or C24 are too conspicuous. Telefunken: large condenser, darker than the U67, roomy.

Octaves and harmonies. I AM CHOIR outputs sound best stacked. We recommend always generating the Octave Up and Octave Down at minimum. Harmonies are subjective, but a Fifth is a safe layer that will always be in key.

Stereo and mono. Importing a stereo file with unique takes in each channel: Stereo processes each channel in mono and returns it in its original position, giving you a stereo file back. Mono processes only the left channel. Importing a mono file: Stereo creates a stereo choir. Mono processes the file as it is.

Click “Generate” to render the choir.

Screen 3: Post-FX and export

Refine the choir outputs before exporting. Lo-Cut is a high-pass filter starting at 50 Hz; more Lo-Cut raises the cutoff frequency. Brightness is a high shelf centered around 3 kHz with a Q of roughly 1. Reverb has a fixed 1.5 second decay; the knob controls wetness from fully dry to reverb only.

Solo any choir or harmony with the “S” button, or disable it by clicking the layer. The volume of each output can be set on the right. To export, drag the file icon next to each choir output into your DAW, or click the icon to save the output to a chosen folder. “Export All” exports every active output at once.

License activation

I AM CHOIR uses iLok for licensing. You need an iLok account and the iLok License Manager app. A physical iLok dongle is not required: licenses can live on your computer or in iLok Cloud. During checkout you enter your iLok User ID, and the license is deposited into your account. Open iLok License Manager, sign in, and activate the license to your computer or iLok Cloud. Open the plugin in your DAW; it will find the activated license automatically.

Processing time

Rendering depends on your computer. Apple Silicon Macs and recent Windows PCs are fast; older machines take longer. Your DAW stays usable while it renders.

Need help with a specific problem? Search the support hub.