# Cylon voice **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657 "2003-02-21T23:05:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![satanslawyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@satanslawyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/satanslawyer)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/1 "2003-02-21T23:05:43Z")
Does anyone know how they created the cylon voice in Battlestar Gallactica? I would assume that they used a vocoder but am not sure. ---
**Author:** ![vertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3ec8ea/32.png) [@vertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertigo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/2 "2003-02-22T00:06:08Z")
They spoke monotone into a running fan 🙂 Try it! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/3 "2003-02-22T00:38:26Z")
I’m sure it was a vocoder. [http://user.dls.net/~rick/callisto/multi/sounds.htm](http://user.dls.net/~rick/callisto/multi/sounds.htm)]Listen to some cylons. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/4 "2003-02-22T00:40:37Z")
Grrrrrrrrrr…link fixed [here.](http://user.dls.net/~rick/callisto/multi/sounds.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/5 "2003-02-22T00:47:43Z")
I don’t really know, but I think **Q.E.D.** has it right. When I was a kid they sold toy Cylon helmets that included voice distortion apparatus. IIRC, the cheapies just had fixed mechanical echo chambers, but the good ones had electronic vocoders. Again, we’re working on my memory, but I seem to recall that the electronic ones ate batteries like candy. Man, I loved that show when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/6 "2003-02-22T00:54:03Z")
Damnit, I’m wrong. Upon further relection, the good ones just had an LED that would oscillate back and forth across the viewslit, creating that cool “red scanner” effect. You couldn’t see anything out of those things. I want to be a little kid again. ---
**Author:** ![ChaosGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@ChaosGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChaosGod)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/7 "2003-02-22T00:55:44Z")
Does anybody know: a) If there exists a software that can turn a PC into a REAL-TIME vocoder. (repeat: REALTIME) b) If the answer is yes, is there a free version somewhere, and where. I’ve performed a couple of searches, but the only free software that I’ve managed to download was not realtime. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/8 "2003-02-22T01:34:18Z")
[Here](http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~clark/cylonix.html) you go, **ChaosGod**. There is a demo version, and you can register for the full version if you chose. I played with it a bit, and it’s a bit complicated, but the Help is decent. ---
**Author:** ![ChaosGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@ChaosGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChaosGod)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/9 "2003-02-22T02:01:50Z")
**Q.E.D** -\> Awsome! Thanx! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cylon-voice/156657/10 "2003-02-22T02:29:32Z")
Yep, it **was** a vocoder. I found the exact model with a photo of it [here.](http://www.liebrand.nl/la/vocoder.html) It was manufactured by Sennheiser: > [@](#): > > There are only 3 copies of this model in Europe, one probably owned > by Kraftwerk. Other people using this model are Herbie Hancock, > the **Cylon robots in Battlestar Gallactica** , and some droids in Star Wars. [sub](Bolding is mine.)[/sub]