If you like the idea of playing the vocoder, you may well have to get used ... especially if you want to do it live! As with any music and production, we can learn plenty from the past masters.
MELPe implements a variable low bit rate vocoder that supports multiple rates of 600 bps, 1200 bps, and 2400 bps. It uses the MELP sampling rate of 8,000 kHz as well as the original frame size of 22.5 ...