Explainer
Throat vs iZotope VocalSynth 2: Vocal Synth Plugins Compared (2026)
Updated 2 min read
iZotope VocalSynth 2 is a vocal effects suite that transforms your voice with five engines (Vocoder, Talkbox, Compuvox, Polyvox and Biovox), plays harmonies over MIDI, and costs $199 list. Throat works the other way round: your voice *plays* a monophonic synth in real time, with your pitch setting the note and your vowels moving the filter, at zero latency, for €49. Pick VocalSynth for processed, harmonised and robotic vocals; pick Throat to hum basslines, leads and talk-box lines instead of programming them.
Throat vs VocalSynth 2 at a glance
What it is
- Throat
- A synth your voice plays
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- Vocal effects with five engines
Price (list)
- Throat
- €49 once
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- $199
Formats
- Throat
- VST3, AU, AAX
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- VST2, VST3, AU, AAX
What you hear
- Throat
- A synth: bass, lead, brass, flute, talkbox, 808
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- Your voice, transformed
Engines / voicings
- Throat
- 6 voicings
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- Vocoder, Talkbox, Compuvox, Polyvox, Biovox
Chords and harmonies
- Throat
- No, monophonic
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- Yes, over MIDI
MIDI needed
- Throat
- No: pitch comes from your voice
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- Optional: MIDI plays the harmonies
Latency
- Throat
- Zero
- iZotope VocalSynth 2
- See iZotope's specs
What VocalSynth 2 does well
VocalSynth 2 is a sound-design playground for vocals. Vocoder gives classic and modern vocoder tones, Talkbox imitates the tube-in-the-mouth sound, Compuvox turns speech robotic and glitchy, Polyvox creates harmonies that keep the singer's character, and Biovox shapes the voice with vocal-tract style filtering. Blend several at once, add the built-in effects, and play chords from a MIDI keyboard for harmonies. It suits producers who want heavily processed, layered and harmonised vocals.
What Throat does well
Throat turns your voice into a synth player. Hum and it follows your pitch, sing louder and it gets brighter, say 'ah' and the filter opens, 'oo' and it closes. Breaths become a noise layer and t, k and p sounds punch the attack, so a beatboxed kick plays an 808. Six voicings (Bass, Lead, Brass, Flute, Talkbox and 808 Glide) set how your voice shapes the tone; Free follows every slide and vibrato, Snap locks notes to your key, and Octave −2 turns a hum into a bassline. Everything is causal, so it adds zero latency and you can perform through it while recording. 65 presets.
Where VocalSynth 2 is stronger
- Harmonies and chords from one voice, played over MIDI.
- Five engines you can blend, including speech-synth robot voices.
- Your voice stays the source: lyrics come through, transformed, rather than replaced by a synth.
- VST2 support for older hosts.
Where Throat is stronger
- Hum to synth in real time: basslines and leads without a MIDI keyboard or any note programming.
- Expressive control: vowels, loudness, breath and consonants all play the synth continuously.
- Zero latency, so it feels like an instrument while you record.
- Price: €49 once, and every preset plays in the browser on your microphone.
Which should you choose?
- Robot, vocoder and harmonised vocal effects: VocalSynth 2.
- Humming basslines, wah leads and talk-box lines you perform: Throat.
- A choir or chordal vocoder without MIDI routing: Choir.
Compare every approach in how to turn your voice into a synth and vocoder vs talk box.
Try Throat on your voice
FAQ
What does iZotope VocalSynth 2 do?
It's a vocal effects plugin with five sound engines: Vocoder, Talkbox, Compuvox (a robotic, speech-synthesis-style voice), Polyvox (harmonies that keep the voice's character) and Biovox (vocal-tract style filtering). You blend the modules and add effects, and play harmonies over MIDI.
How much is VocalSynth 2?
As of November 2026, iZotope lists VocalSynth 2 at $199, and it's often discounted. It comes in AAX, AU, VST2 and VST3 for macOS and Windows.
Can I get the talk box sound without a talk box?
Yes. VocalSynth's Talkbox module, a vocoder such as our Choir, or a voice-controlled synth such as Throat all get close. Throat is the most hands-on: your vowels open the synth's filter in real time and its Talk control makes the synth pronounce your words.
Does Throat play chords?
No. Throat is monophonic: your voice plays one synth note at a time, following your pitch. For chords and harmonies from your voice, use a vocoder like Choir or VocalSynth's Polyvox and Vocoder modules.