Since we're already OT, I'll add that she was actually using something more like a harmonizer than a vocoder[0].
A vocoder takes the formants from a singer/speaker and applies them to a carrier signal which provides the pitch. So you could for example use a piano as the carrier signal, resulting in a sound that is still very recognizably piano-like but "sings" whatever you do, ignoring the pitch of your voice.
A harmonizer is really one or more pitch shifters that take the original singing and move the pitch up or down a certain number of steps while retaining (more or less) the timbre or texture of the voice. The altered pitch(es) can track the original or be fixed to certain notes. The altered pitches are mixed with the original signal to create harmonies. (AutoTune is in fact a pitch shifter married to pitch recognition algos that nudge the pitch back to where it should be.)
Some harmonizers let you use a MIDI keyboard to determine the pitches that will play. With this kind of setup it's often referred to as a voice synth: you can play chords on a keyboard that result in copies of your own voice re-pitched and played back simultaneously. This is basically what she used to create that song.
None of this (hopefully interesting) aside changes the gist of the original statement: Hide and Seek is a beautiful song, and Heap's voice is a perfect match for the instrument because of her range and tonal flexibility.
A vocoder takes the formants from a singer/speaker and applies them to a carrier signal which provides the pitch. So you could for example use a piano as the carrier signal, resulting in a sound that is still very recognizably piano-like but "sings" whatever you do, ignoring the pitch of your voice.
A harmonizer is really one or more pitch shifters that take the original singing and move the pitch up or down a certain number of steps while retaining (more or less) the timbre or texture of the voice. The altered pitch(es) can track the original or be fixed to certain notes. The altered pitches are mixed with the original signal to create harmonies. (AutoTune is in fact a pitch shifter married to pitch recognition algos that nudge the pitch back to where it should be.)
Some harmonizers let you use a MIDI keyboard to determine the pitches that will play. With this kind of setup it's often referred to as a voice synth: you can play chords on a keyboard that result in copies of your own voice re-pitched and played back simultaneously. This is basically what she used to create that song.
None of this (hopefully interesting) aside changes the gist of the original statement: Hide and Seek is a beautiful song, and Heap's voice is a perfect match for the instrument because of her range and tonal flexibility.
[0]http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=288785 (forum link because the original article 404s)