Where to Find a Voice Changer?

[Blue Leader]

Greetings,

I'm on the hunt for a voice changer for a Jedi costume I'm working on but I'm not really sure where to look. I don't need anything really fancy and preferably for less than $100, and because it's an original character of mine I don't need the voice changer to sound like any particular character. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what I want the voice to sound like... The Jedi I'm making is of the species called Anomid, which in Star Wars lore (which I guess isn't canon anymore but that's a different topic) don't have vocal chords, and while they communicate using sign language amongst their own kind, when talking with other species they use a mask that translates throat vibrations into speech, so I imagine that a voice that sounds kind of robotic or metallic would be good-- something that sounds digitized in a way, I guess. Or something, I'm not entirely sure. But like I said, I'm not sure where to look for one...

I've seen a few stormtrooper voice changers but I'm not sure if they sound quite right for this outfit, though I suppose I could just go for one if worst comes to worst. The cheapy voice changes you can find in costume shops tend to be pretty crappy and don't do much of anything so I haven't had any luck with those. Does anyone know where I might be able to find a voice changer for less than $100?

 

[Darth Lars]

Maybe the simple "voice changer" in one of Hasbro's toy helmets would be right for you. From your description, I think the Megatron (Transformers) would be best, but maybe Vader would work also. These "voice changers" aren't very good voice changers, as they mostly just add a metallic ring to your real voice.
Proper voice changers are supposed to replace your voice, and used with an enclosed helmet so that your real voice isn't heard.
There are plenty of reviews and videos on Youtube if you want to hear samples.
Then there are lots of tricks to speak more robotic or foreign: talking slowly with more time between words, speak atonally, avoiding contractions ("don't" -> "do not"), etc.

Another option might be to use an actual vibrator to your throat. The device that Ned in South Park uses is a real device, that is just a vibrator. It is used by people who have had their vocal cords surgically removed. My dad underwent such a surgery (Laryngectomy, like South Park-Ned) and used such a vibrator for a while before he learned another way of speaking using burps.
It can sound really weird though, and it is hard to articulate some words. You would have to vibrate for each word.

The Megatron changer might be much easier to use, but I think the vibrator is more like the in-universe device you describe.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

I'm assuming you googled it already.

This one looked interesting...

AGPtek Mini 8 Multi Voice Changer Microphone Megaphone Loudspeaker for Teaching/ Tour guiding/ Sales promotion/Speech - Rakuten.com Shopping

I guess mainly because it did not seem like the cheap novelty type but yet not over the $100 limit you mentioned.

 

[OdiWan72]

that's no voicechanger, but a simple amplifier....cheap and effektive.
I have one attached to the belt of my costuming DV and it serves its purpose.

Markus

I'm assuming you googled it already.

This one looked interesting...

AGPtek Mini 8 Multi Voice Changer Microphone Megaphone Loudspeaker for Teaching/ Tour guiding/ Sales promotion/Speech - Rakuten.com Shopping

I guess mainly because it did not seem like the cheap novelty type but yet not over the $100 limit you mentioned.

 

[Mara Jade's Father]

that's no voicechanger, but a simple amplifier....cheap and effektive.
I have one attached to the belt of my costuming DV and it serves its purpose.

Markus

I wouldn't mind having something to use with my trooper armor. I've had it for about 13 years now and only trooped in it once so I do not want to pay a lot. But if I ever wear it again, I'd like to have an amplifier for inside the helmet. Maybe this might be good for that purpose.

 

[Blue Leader]

Maybe the simple "voice changer" in one of Hasbro's toy helmets would be right for you. From your description, I think the Megatron (Transformers) would be best, but maybe Vader would work also. These "voice changers" aren't very good voice changers, as they mostly just add a metallic ring to your real voice.
Proper voice changers are supposed to replace your voice, and used with an enclosed helmet so that your real voice isn't heard.
There are plenty of reviews and videos on Youtube if you want to hear samples.
Then there are lots of tricks to speak more robotic or foreign: talking slowly with more time between words, speak atonally, avoiding contractions ("don't" -> "do not"), etc.

Another option might be to use an actual vibrator to your throat. The device that Ned in South Park uses is a real device, that is just a vibrator. It is used by people who have had their vocal cords surgically removed. My dad underwent such a surgery (Laryngectomy, like South Park-Ned) and used such a vibrator for a while before he learned another way of speaking using burps.
It can sound really weird though, and it is hard to articulate some words. You would have to vibrate for each word.

The Megatron changer might be much easier to use, but I think the vibrator is more like the in-universe device you describe.

Ah, I hadn't heard of the Megatron voice changer, I might have to look that up. Though the problem I tend to run into with the really cheap ones is that they don't work very well. When I speak a sentence the voice changer might only pick up a few of the words if I'm lucky, or the only sound that comes out is screeches and other unpleasant noise.

The voice doesn't have to be robotic, it was just the only thing I could think of, considering that the voice probably wouldn't make sense if it just sounded like someone speaking through a modulated helmet like a stormtrooper.

I should probably have mentioned this, and I don't know why I didn't think about it, but I will be wearing a latex mask with an "armor" mask over it, which the latter would simulate the vocal mask that an Anomid has.

I'm assuming you googled it already.

This one looked interesting...

AGPtek Mini 8 Multi Voice Changer Microphone Megaphone Loudspeaker for Teaching/ Tour guiding/ Sales promotion/Speech - Rakuten.com Shopping

I guess mainly because it did not seem like the cheap novelty type but yet not over the $100 limit you mentioned.

I hadn't seen that, it does look rather interesting. While it looks like a handy device for costumes, I don't really need my voice to be louder for this one, just... sounding a little different.

But I might use that amplifier for something else...

And yeah, I did search Google. I came up with a lot of stormtrooper voice changers and a lot of cheap costume ones, a few of which I had already tried before...

 

[George]

I've found this Star Wars / Boba Fett voice changer by Spyware online and consider using it for a helmet:

http://www.toychamp.nl/product/922715-Star_Wars_Voice_Changer

I only found a youtube video of the Darth Vader version and even there I couldn't tell whether this toy can do the job,eventhough the sound is ajustable.Does anyone know this item,and what can you tell me about it?

 

[Travis McGee]

i'm looking for a voice changer that would make the static burst on it's own