pitch correction orgy: Auto-Tune vs Melodyne vs....

[leigh]

I haven't used Auto-Tune since version 3 on Mac OS 9. Anyone care to sound off on the current state of the software?

I'm looking for straight up pitch correction, not harmony generation. From what I've heard, Auto-Tune still rules the roost for that, while Melodyne is more of a creative effect. However, I'm asking because I'm interested in opinions to the contrary - so please, let's hear it.

Thanks!
Leigh

[Brian Brock]

Melodyne sounds great for straight pitch alteration (I've only used the demo), and for creation. I think I remember you're still on a Mac, but Samplitude also has a great pitch changing algorithms. I believe that Autotune is great, but I put one of their demos (a tube modeler) on my computer (XP) and it acted like a god damn drunken uncle, so I erased it and gave up on Antares. Waves Tune is supposed to be so great, Andy Hong basically anointed it in Tape Op, but I've read too many people bitching about Waves and their indentured servitude policies to care. With all the choices in software, why get involved with something that messes with you?

If you want to try something free, there's GSnap - might be windows only.

b

[rushofblood]

melodyne sounds better to me considering it doesn't alter the actual envelope of the notes

[joel hamilton]

though I am loathe to suggest a Waves product: Waves tune does kick total ass.
I also like the wavemechanics (now soundtoys because waves sued them i think?) "pitchdoctor." Huge latency, but it is reported for correction in the plugin itself. it is actually hard to get pitchdoctor to do the nightmarish autotune glicth sound.... that plug, when you just need some "nudging" in the right directionn on your vocal can be amazing. I also really love that plug for violin and cello. Works really well, without a ton of odd aliasing. Waves tune is really, really powerful, but not as transparent as pitch doctor if all you need is some help in the vocal department.

You can re-write the melody with wavestune though, which is insane.... I use that sometimes, and pitchoctor sometimes.

[knobtwirler]

Can somebody give easy tips on how to use melodyne? It just looks so complicated, and I've even used it once and got very deep into it. When I was done it felt so entangled with it's inherent files and multiple steps, perhaps somebody could shed new light on this app beyond "it sounds better"?

[leigh]

Can somebody give easy tips on how to use melodyne? It just looks so complicated, and I've even used it once and got very deep into it. When I was done it felt so entangled with it's inherent files and multiple steps, perhaps somebody could shed new light on this app beyond "it sounds better"?

Melodyne has recently come out with a plug-in version, which I hear eases all the ReWire bridging and whatnot. Unfortunately, no demo is available for that - and for that matter, the demo apparently is the standalone only, so you don't get to experience the full "entanglement" you describe...

http://www.celemony.com/melodyne/Demos.html

Joel, thanks for the suggestions, I'd heard of the Waves tuner, but avoided it for the cringe factor... didn't know that SoundToys was making one, though - I'll definitely check that out.

Cheers,
Leigh


Addendum: PitchDoctor looks great - unfortunately it's TDM only for now.

[Brian Brock]

I downloaded a demo of the plugin version some time ago...

b

[JdJ]

Melodyne via rewire ain't so bad...

On PT:

- Highlight the region you wish to correct (I usually make a dup playlist for comparison)

-Check the timestamp on your region and correct if nec

-Export region as a file*

-Open in Melodyne

- F with it

- Save and Spot to PT will drop it into the highlighted spot in PT You can also preview in real time thanks to the rewire plug.

The only issue I've had is the time stamp thing- sometimes it makes previewing in the mix tough.

*As far as file management goes, I usually am already saving an extra copy (into a separate folder within the session folder) by exporting the region, so I edit it destructively since it already is a duplicate.

I find Melodyne to be pretty intuitive, and most of the time it sounds great. It definitely gives you amazing control over pitch, timing, formant etc.

Hope it helps-

J

[leigh]

I downloaded a demo of the plugin version some time ago...

Right you are:

http://www.celemony.com/cms/index.php?id=demo_plugin

It's weird, between that and the other Melodyne demo page, they look like two entirely different sites.

Leigh

[rydberg]

though I am loathe to suggest a Waves product:

ORLY? For some reason I thought you liked Waves stuff. Care to expound upon your non-preference?

P.

[joel hamilton]

though I am loathe to suggest a Waves product:

ORLY? For some reason I thought you liked Waves stuff. Care to expound upon your non-preference?

P.

Are you f'king kidding me?

I really like the plugs, but the company is, um, not very cool. [sparing the world from a venomous rant for the 9 millionth time]

[uk03878]

This month SOS has a sort of shoot out between the two

[leigh]

This month SOS has a sort of shoot out between the two

Excellent, I'll look for that.

I did get a chance to try out demos of Auto-Tune and the Melodyne plug-in this week. My short comparison: Melodyne has a way more intuitive GUI, but it does noticably shave some high frequencies off the signal. Not sure if that's related to how far you push it, or if it's an all-or-nothing artifact of its processing.

Leigh

[knobtwirler]

Melodyne via rewire ain't so bad...

On PT:

- Highlight the region you wish to correct (I usually make a dup playlist for comparison)

-Check the timestamp on your region and correct if nec

-Export region as a file*

-Open in Melodyne

- F with it

- Save and Spot to PT will drop it into the highlighted spot in PT You can also preview in real time thanks to the rewire plug.

The only issue I've had is the time stamp thing- sometimes it makes previewing in the mix tough.

*As far as file management goes, I usually am already saving an extra copy (into a separate folder within the session folder) by exporting the region, so I edit it destructively since it already is a duplicate.

I find Melodyne to be pretty intuitive, and most of the time it sounds great. It definitely gives you amazing control over pitch, timing, formant etc.

Hope it helps-

J

Thanks for that, pretty thorough explanation. I was hoping the melodyne plug-in would actually be a plug-in, not Rewire. This makes the use of this thing so clunky, whereas Antares stays in Pro Tools and is very quick. i had a client once ask "you got melodyne? That's much faster than auto-tune". I didn't know what the hell he meant, and he didn't even know what he was talking about either, but does anybody here use melodyne with breakneck speed somehow during vocal tracking?

[leigh]

Thanks for that, pretty thorough explanation. I was hoping the melodyne plug-in would actually be a plug-in, not Rewire. This makes the use of this thing so clunky, whereas Antares stays in Pro Tools and is very quick. i had a client once ask "you got melodyne? That's much faster than auto-tune". I didn't know what the hell he meant, and he didn't even know what he was talking about either, but does anybody here use melodyne with breakneck speed somehow during vocal tracking?

JdJ was actually describing a workflow with the Melodyne application, not the plug-in. The plug-in (just recently released, I believe) is totally self-contained, no ReWire connections necessary. And the Melodyne plug-in has a way better integration of the non-realtime aspect of graphic pitch correction with a realtime plug-in environment.

With Melodyne, you just insert Melodyne on a track. When you get to a section of the track you want to tune, press a button in the Melodyne plug-in to analyze the section. When you stop playback, it thinks for a second, and then the note blobs show up and can be manipulated. When you play a part of the track that hasn't been analyzed, Melodyne switches seamlessly to the audio coming straight off the track.

I don't know about using Melodyne during tracking, I wouldn't run any tuning software while tracking though (what if it glitches bad and ruins the take?).

Leigh