Celebrating 30 Years of VocAlign -The Industry Standard for Vocal Alignment

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This year marks a significant milestone for Synchro Arts as we celebrate 30 years of VocAlign, the industry-standard tool for vocal alignment in music, film, and TV. Since its launch in 1995, VocAlign has transformed audio production, saving time by ensuring perfect, natural-sounding sync between vocal and instrumental performances.

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Before VocAlign: The birth of automated vocal alignment

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Before VocAlign, post-production audio teams had to manually edit studio-recorded replacement dialogue (known as ADR - “Automatic” Dialogue Replacement) to match up with the actors' on-screen performances and lip movements. This was very often a slow and tedious process.

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1985: Jeff Bloom, the founder of Synchro Arts, introduced the standalone Wordfit system, pioneering true automatic ADR synchronization and drastically improving efficiency in film post-production.

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1990: Wordfit became an add-on to the DAR SoundStation II, a digital audio workstation, further streamlining ADR workflows.

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The late David Lynch, director of Dune, The Elephant Man, and Mullholland Drive, praised the revolutionary impact of Wordfit during a post-sync session for Dune:

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“It’s a miracle, really… It spoils you in a way. You have to be close, but it certainly lets the person concentrate on their performance, and they stop worrying so much about synch. Strangely enough, a lot of times the synch gets closer when they are not worrying.”

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You can spot VocAlign alongside David Lynch on the front cover of EQ Magazine in 1999.

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While Wordfit introduced alignment technology for dialogue, it was the 1995 launch of the VocAlign software plug-in that made automatic alignment widely accessible, evolving into the industry standard for vocals, dialogue and instruments that we know today.

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VocAlign’s evolution: A journey through time

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1995: VocAlign launches, introducing automatic audio alignment and revolutionizing post-production workflows.

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2000: VocAlign plug-in becomes widely adopted, with pricing between £199 - £385, making it accessible to more professionals.

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2001 - 2010: VocAlign is used in major Hollywood productions, including:

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🎬 The Harry Potter series – Helping seamlessly align ADR with on-set performances.

🎬 The Lord of the Rings trilogy – Ensuring accurate vocal sync in epic battle scenes and character dialogue.

📺 Friends & Seinfeld – Used to fine-tune dialogue in some of the most iconic sitcoms of all time.

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2012: Revoice Pro is introduced, adding the innovation of transferring pitch, inflection and other features from one audio signal to another for dialogue replacement and music production.

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2018: Synchro Arts wins an Emmy Award for its innovations in automated sound conformation in TV and film post-production, recognizing the impact of VocAlign and Revoice Pro in the industry.

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2020: Synchro Arts team wins a Scientific and Technical Academy Award (Oscar) for its contributions to automatic ADR synchronization, acknowledging VocAlign and Revoice Pro as essential tools in film production. Later that same year, Synchro Arts also received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.

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2021: VocAlign Ultra launches, incorporating Revoice Pro technology for matching and aligning any features of one signal with another’s, starting with pitch, inflection, and loudness. The same year, the Synchro Arts team won an Academy Award for its contributions to the film industry, solidifying its role as an essential tool in Hollywood and worldwide.

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2024: VocAlign 6 is launched, featuring new Standard and Pro versions adding Pro Tools ARA integration to the list of other ARA-supporting DAWs , plus an improved UI, and cutting-edge vocal alignment features.

‍2025: VocAlign celebrates 30 years of innovation with new pricing designed to make industry-leading vocal alignment more accessible than ever.

A legacy of innovation in music & film

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For three decades, VocAlign’s technology has played a pivotal role in both blockbuster films and chart-topping music, ensuring seamless vocal alignment across various genres and mediums.

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🎤 Music artists & producers

Used in hit records from Black Eyed Peas, Travis Barker, Kelly Clarkson, and more, helping to perfect vocal tightness in studio recordings.

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🎬 Films & TV shows

Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Shrek all used VocAlign to refine dialogue and ADR.

Friends, Seinfeld, and countless TV productions relied on VocAlign’s precision to maintain consistency in dialogue editing.

With two major industry awards, an unmatched track record in professional audio, and a commitment to continuous innovation, VocAlign remains the gold standard for vocal alignment in 2025 and beyond.