autotuned to death

[ikijapan]

Hey all,

I know the autotune question has been beaten to death, but I had a few specific questions for those with experience.

First, I have a vocal track I'm working with for someone, and we have done like 50 takes, and the performance is turning out great, but there are a few notes that are questionable. I never figured out how to use autotune correctly and it's been sitting on my computer as the biggest, dumbest waste of money I've had so far. I never could get it to sound right. Then I found this video that kind of explains how to use the graphical mode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WavtqBSEYTc

OK, so that was real helpful. But the guy I'm working with has a very wide vibrato, and the video demonstration has the notes tuned to a flat line straight across the note. I think it sounds a little funny like that. Do you guys use the vibrato feature? or draw in the vibrato manually for pitch corrections?? I wish there was another demonstration somewhere on using autotune...I mean the manual is fine, but I really could use more direction on this.

Also, my last question is, with the graphical mode seeming so NECESSARY, is there even a way to use the autotune rack mount unit? I mean, it seems like it would be useless since it's almost a requirement to use the graphic correction?

[giraffe]

try turning the speed down, but with most of the people i work with vibrato is not an issue. so good luck on that.

never used the hardware unit, but to me the "auto" setting is about completely useless. can get away using it on bass sometimes.

[Farview]

You don't need the vibrato feature.

Hit the button across the top with the thing that looks like an I (right next to the magnifying glass) Use that tool to select the area of the vibratoed note.

Now hit the 'make curve' button (down the left side). Autotune will trace the curve of the performance.

Hit the arrow button on the top. Now, you can grab the middle of the line to move the whole performance to the right note. The idea is to get the vibrato to center on the right note. Or you can grab an end and just raise or lower that end. (this is usefull when someone starts on the right note and starts going flat towards the end).

Now, you have changed the note value without changing the performance.

[ikijapan]

Originally Posted by Farview

You don't need the vibrato feature.

Hit the button across the top with the thing that looks like an I (right next to the magnifying glass) Use that tool to select the area of the vibratoed note.

Now hit the 'make curve' button (down the left side). Autotune will trace the curve of the performance.

Hit the arrow button on the top. Now, you can grab the middle of the line to move the whole performance to the right note. The idea is to get the vibrato to center on the right note. Or you can grab an end and just raise or lower that end. (this is usefull when someone starts on the right note and starts going flat towards the end).

Now, you have changed the note value without changing the performance.

Oh! Nice, thanks Farview. I will have to try that.

[flatfinger]

If your at home and have unlimited takes and can comp till your hearts content, ; why auto tune????
if you are tone deaf???

must just be in a hurry, right????

[gabereding]

Hey,
If you want to tighten the vibrato so it's not so wide, just select the note with the I-beam selection tool, turn the vibrato knob on the left side of the window down however far you want, and then hit "make vibrato curve".
I think those are the names for those knobs and buttons. I don't specifically remember. Anyways, then you can do like the other guy said, and reposition the curve to be more centered, etc....
-Gabe

[ikijapan]

Originally Posted by flatfinger

If your at home and have unlimited takes and can comp till your hearts content, ; why auto tune????
if you are tone deaf???

must just be in a hurry, right????

haha, nah man. I took like 50 takes with this guy because I didn't want to use autotune. The guy has great sense of pitch, but there are some REALLY weird arpeggios he is doing with his voice on diminished chords, with wide leaps of over an octave on some parts and it's those parts that he keeps missing. And it's not that he is missing it completely, it's just not as perfect as he would like. I actually think it sounds fine, but he wants it right on pitch on the recording.

And I am NOT going to do unlimited takes. I already went above and beyond on this one. It's about time I learned autotune anyways.
So, we'll see what happens.

[flatfinger]

Originally Posted by ikijapan

haha, nah man. I took like 50 takes with this guy because I didn't want to use autotune. The guy has great sense of pitch, but there are some REALLY weird arpeggios he is doing with his voice on diminished chords, with wide leaps of over an octave on some parts and it's those parts that he keeps missing. And it's not that he is missing it completely, it's just not as perfect as he would like. I actually think it sounds fine, but he wants it right on pitch on the recording.

And I am NOT going to do unlimited takes. I already went above and beyond on this one. It's about time I learned autotune anyways.
So, we'll see what happens.

[ikijapan]

Crap, I'm running into a big problem with autotune. Maybe someone can help. So I am using the graphic mode now, and I know how to get the vocals graphed.

But then after I correct everything (or anything) and play back to the corrected graph, the autotune is slightly out of time with the real vocals and it keeps correcting the wrong part. It's like 2.5 seconds behind. And even if I move the vocals 2.5 seconds ahead from the starting point, it's not exactly on. It's off by like half a second, and then ahead a half a second...another words it would take me forever to time it exactly. What the heck am I doing wrong??

Are you supposed to use autotune as an insert, or a send?? Or neither???

[Farview]

Originally Posted by ikijapan

Crap, I'm running into a big problem with autotune. Maybe someone can help. So I am using the graphic mode now, and I know how to get the vocals graphed.

But then after I correct everything (or anything) and play back to the corrected graph, the autotune is slightly out of time with the real vocals and it keeps correcting the wrong part. It's like 2.5 seconds behind. And even if I move the vocals 2.5 seconds ahead from the starting point, it's not exactly on. It's off by like half a second, and then ahead a half a second...another words it would take me forever to time it exactly. What the heck am I doing wrong??

Are you supposed to use autotune as an insert, or a send?? Or neither???

You can't use graphical mode as an insert or a send. You have to work on the file directly. It's an offline process.

[ikijapan]

Oh great, farview to the rescue!

So, wait, how do you do that? When I use autotune just by opening the program offline, it doesnt allow me to play the music file. Only preview, or apply. And it wont let me click outside of autotune. It locks it to only autotune?

[ikijapan]

Oh wait a sec. Do I just preview the file to get the data after pressing the track button? And then preview again after making the corrections, and then apply when I am done?? Or am I going about this all wrong

[Farview]

What program are you using?

You need to work directly on the file. In Cubase, you would double click on the audio and it would open it up in an editing window, Then right click->plugins->autotune. Then play the track into auto-tune and fix it.

[ecktronic]

Ive not used Autotune very much but when I used it I found it was best to have the "speed" half way and the other function right next to the "speed" half way up aswell.
I would manually use pitch correction to change the bad notes to closer to the right note then use autotune to smooth things out so the vox sound perfectly in tune.
I used bypass automationfor parts that didnt need the autotune also.

Eck

[ikijapan]

Originally Posted by Farview

What program are you using?

You need to work directly on the file. In Cubase, you would double click on the audio and it would open it up in an editing window, Then right click->plugins->autotune. Then play the track into auto-tune and fix it.

OK, I'm just going about it all wrong. I'll do it that way and I'm sure that will solve the problem.

I am using Cubase as well.

[Farview]

Originally Posted by ecktronic

Ive not used Autotune very much but when I used it I found it was best to have the "speed" half way and the other function right next to the "speed" half way up aswell.
I would manually use pitch correction to change the bad notes to closer to the right note then use autotune to smooth things out so the vox sound perfectly in tune.
I used bypass automationfor parts that didnt need the autotune also.

Eck

It really all depends on the vocal part. If you have a singer with lots of wide vibrato, that will just ruin it.

[Farview]

Originally Posted by ikijapan

OK, I'm just going about it all wrong. I'll do it that way and I'm sure that will solve the problem.

I am using Cubase as well.

Yup, you actually have to be working on the file itself.

[TerraMortim]

Originally Posted by ikijapan

Hey all,

I know the autotune question has been beaten to death, but I had a few specific questions for those with experience.

First, I have a vocal track I'm working with for someone, and we have done like 50 takes, and the performance is turning out great, but there are a few notes that are questionable. I never figured out how to use autotune correctly and it's been sitting on my computer as the biggest, dumbest waste of money I've had so far. I never could get it to sound right. Then I found this video that kind of explains how to use the graphical mode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WavtqBSEYTc

OK, so that was real helpful. But the guy I'm working with has a very wide vibrato, and the video demonstration has the notes tuned to a flat line straight across the note. I think it sounds a little funny like that. Do you guys use the vibrato feature? or draw in the vibrato manually for pitch corrections?? I wish there was another demonstration somewhere on using autotune...I mean the manual is fine, but I really could use more direction on this.

Also, my last question is, with the graphical mode seeming so NECESSARY, is there even a way to use the autotune rack mount unit? I mean, it seems like it would be useless since it's almost a requirement to use the graphic correction?

1 word. Melodyne. Check it out. =)

[ikijapan]

Originally Posted by Farview

What program are you using?

You need to work directly on the file. In Cubase, you would double click on the audio and it would open it up in an editing window, Then right click->plugins->autotune. Then play the track into auto-tune and fix it.

Crap, I went home and it still didn't work. So I brought my laptop so I can troubleshoot.

So, I double click the vocals, it pulls up a new window with just the vocals. Then I right click and go to plug ins and then it pulls up autotune. At that point, autotune comes up on the screen, and locks out the rest of cubase. Like, if you click outside of the autotune screen, it beeps and you have to ONLY use autotune. I can't play back audio for example by pressing the play button through cubase. I could get the audio by pressing track->preview.
But then it's not going to autotune correctly when I play back.

Do I have some setting wrong in cubase? Should I be able to playback audio through the play button and access all the options of cubase after I open autotune that way??

[Farview]

Originally Posted by ikijapan

Crap, I went home and it still didn't work. So I brought my laptop so I can troubleshoot.

So, I double click the vocals, it pulls up a new window with just the vocals. Then I right click and go to plug ins and then it pulls up autotune. At that point, autotune comes up on the screen, and locks out the rest of cubase. Like, if you click outside of the autotune screen, it beeps and you have to ONLY use autotune. I can't play back audio for example by pressing the play button through cubase. I could get the audio by pressing track->preview.
But then it's not going to autotune correctly when I play back.

Do I have some setting wrong in cubase? Should I be able to playback audio through the play button and access all the options of cubase after I open autotune that way??

You have to select the part of the track you want to tune. Once you have made the selection, preview will play it. I suggest selecting a phrase at a time.

[ikijapan]

Originally Posted by Farview

You have to select the part of the track you want to tune. Once you have made the selection, preview will play it. I suggest selecting a phrase at a time.

OK, but then how do you hear the corrections you made? Do you have to just apply it and then if it's off redo it? And how do you make sure the autotune start point is the same as the playback start point? It seems to get off for me. Do you have to make sure you select a portion of audio IMMEDIATELY before a word starts or something?

For example if I have a song that goes from F# to B on the melody, when I correct it, sometimes the F# correction kicks in on the B and the B on the next note, it's just all off, like some weird delay.

[Farview]

Originally Posted by ikijapan

OK, but then how do you hear the corrections you made? Do you have to just apply it and then if it's off redo it? And how do you make sure the autotune start point is the same as the playback start point? It seems to get off for me. Do you have to make sure you select a portion of audio IMMEDIATELY before a word starts or something?

For example if I have a song that goes from F# to B on the melody, when I correct it, sometimes the F# correction kicks in on the B and the B on the next note, it's just all off, like some weird delay.

You select the part you want to correct, tune it to the grid. (assuming you know what note should be hit) process it and play it back in the mix.

[ikijapan]

Originally Posted by Farview

You select the part you want to correct, tune it to the grid. (assuming you know what note should be hit) process it and play it back in the mix.

OK, so there's no way to quickly hear just the vocal before applying, that way I could make sure the vibrato corrections dont sound weird or something?

I'm trying this right now

[Farview]

Originally Posted by ikijapan

OK, so there's no way to quickly hear just the vocal before applying, that way I could make sure the vibrato corrections dont sound weird or something?

I'm trying this right now

You hit preview and it will play the vocal with the corrections that you made.

[noisewreck]

BTW ikijapan, Offline Audio processing is covered very thoroughly in the Cubase help system