Help understanding/choosing pitch correction plugin...

Hey everyone --

I tried searching this Forum, but didn't find close matches to my question.

I'm working on several projects at once, and am in the process of laying down vocals. It's simply impossible for me to nail all notes spot-on, and I guess I need some processing help. I've tried using the pitch correction plugin that's part of Logic, but it seems to do nothing that I can hear. I'm wondering if my vibrato is just overpowering it so it can't tell what the correct pitch is. I can't seem to find a good tutorial for this tool...I suppose it's possible I'm not using it correctly.

I took a look at Antares' web site, and watched their two videos. However, they didn't demonstrate a/b what their product does. I don't want to use an auto-tuner to make me sound like a robot, or color my voice in any way. I just need to fix a note here and there. Is Antares a good choice? I don't have an Intel Mac, so it would have to be a lesser version, maybe? Does the plugin operate the same way as shown in their videos...by opening up the sound waves in graphical form, or does it look different when used as a plugin?

When I watched these videos, all I could think of was, LEARNING CURVE!!! I'm overwhelmed enouh as it is, without taking yet something else on. At my current level of sophistication, I'd like just to add a plugin and have it work automatically, but if it's not too difficult, I suppose I could learn to fix individual notes.

Thanks for any help/suggestions!

-Bruce

Thanks Fader! I'll take a look at their website.

-Bruce

OK, so I checked out Celemony's website, watched videos on YouTube, and read reviews. It seems pretty sophisticated, although I have concerns about the learning curve again. Videos of products are always frustrating to me, because the demonstrater assumes you know basic operation of the software and skips over steps that an uninformed potential user needs to see.

Anyway, I found this comment in a review:

"If there is a limitation to the Melodyne plugin it is that it has a hard time correcting vibrato. It seems to center the fundamental of the note, rather than force the pitch variation to defined limits, like auto-tune does. What this means is that there are some kind of problem that Melodyne will fix best and others that Auto-Tune will fix best. But if you could get only one, my opinion is to go with Melodyne."

When I sing, usually (I think) the notes with the widest vibrato are in-tune, because I'm using more air. I think the notes I'm having occasional pitch problems with are the lighter, transient notes between notes of longer values. If this is the case, it sounds like I wouldn't run into much trouble, right? I just select those notes that need a nudge or two, and correct them, leaving the others alone. Sounds like brain surgery!!

Sorry if my questions and lack of understanding are pretty basic about this -- I do OK with this stuff, but I'm a bit reluctant to take on something new to learn...especially if it carries a $200 price tag...

-Bruce

I think the notes I'm having occasional pitch problems with are the lighter, transient notes between notes of longer values. If this is the case, it sounds like I wouldn't run into much trouble, right? I just select those notes that need a nudge or two, and correct them, leaving the others alone. Sounds like brain surgery!!

It is! It corrects all those little pitch mistakes your brain made! I've used it a lot for exactly what you're describing. Honestly, you shouldn't have much trouble getting your head around it. The docs aren't too bad and the graphic "blob" interface paradigm is fairly intuitive. Just learn all of its tools and you'll be sailing. It's great for fixing little timing mistakes too.

Anyway, I found this comment in a review:

 

"If there is a limitation to the Melodyne plugin it is that it has a hard time correcting vibrato. It seems to center the fundamental of the note, rather than force the pitch variation to defined limits, like auto-tune does. What this means is that there are some kind of problem that Melodyne will fix best and others that Auto-Tune will fix best. But if you could get only one, my opinion is to go with Melodyne." -Bruce

I disagree with that review! There are two main pitch correcting modes in Melodyne, pitch and pitch drift, both of which you can do as a percentage.

I generally run the pitch correction any where from the low 60s to about 90 %. But pitch drift I'll almost always keep much lower, about 63%. It just sounds more real to me to leave some of that in. I frequently do a global correction and then run the file back and listen for any miss-corrections. Sometimes Melodyne will decide that a note should go down when it should have gone up.

Those modes are also available as tools so you can do note by note adjustments. The other tools are great too - decreasing vibrato, separating notes, adjusting amplitude, etc. They've also got a context specific uber tool which can become any one of about four tools depending on where you float the mouse on the "pitch blobs".

It's actually pretty intuitive.

Thanks so much everyone for your input! I think I'll print out this thread, and you've boosted my confidence that I may spring for Melodyne...I think the "Assistant" version would be the right one for me?

I'm a little unclear on the installation...and probably better to go with the iLok versus single-system registration. Then it just pops up in the channel strip settings?

-Bruce

I'm a little unclear on the installation...and probably better to go with the iLok versus single-system registration.

See this:

Computer-based activation

 

This is the standard method for activation, which unlocks Melodyne on a particular computer without the need for a hardware dongle. The activation is bound to this computer. You may activate and use Melodyne on up to two computers, and you can deactivate Melodyne on a particular computer at any time in order to activate it on a different computer with the spare activation. In short: With this method you obtain two computer-based activations which you may use at the same time or transfer to further computers as you like.

Then it just pops up in the channel strip settings?

No, you pop it from a channel insert slot, from the Audio Units sub-menu.

I think the "Assistant" version would be the right one for me?

If you don't need DNA then go for it.

J.

Thanks so much, jordito! I was watching one of Celemony's videos demonstrating that DNA...holy cow! I could imagine all the possibilities with that -- especially if you were good with loops! It is a pretty amazing feature.

Thanks for the clarification on the registration details!

-Bruce

You're welcome!

Another great feature is the ability to save as a MIDI file...great for making groove templates and when you're having a hard time transcribing something, or simply when you want to hear how your vocal melody sounds when played by a software instrument..really cool!

And with the DNA feature, you can save polyphonic material to MIDI...

J.

i couldnt agree more with everyone elses responses to your question.

I will add (or reiterate) these two things -

1) For what you are wanting to do, the learning curve is extremely easy. Youve seen the vids, those blobs are incredibly intuitive IMO. I would suggest recording a fresh dummy vocal on a blank project, pull up melodyne in the plugs, transfer your vocal in, and then right click on any blob and get to know those tools - pitch drift, formants, etc. Very cool what you can do / grasp within minutes.

2) for what you are wanting to do, assistant will do it. you can always upgrade.

Have any of you used Melodyne for sound-mangling purposes (as opposed to pristine pitch-correction)? It certainly seems like a sound-designer's dream come true.

I'm very interested in using DNA to get unique sounds out of environmental recordings. I guess I would want the editor version for that, right? Studio is too expensive, I'm not sure what extra functionality that would give me over editor.