My Antares Processor and auto-tuner

  • Thread starter Thread starter Slomofight2000
  • Start date Start date
S

Slomofight2000

New member
I am a small time home-recording engeneer and record music for my bad. I have a korg D1600 digital recording studio and i have recently purchased an Antares AVP-1 vocal processor. Upon hooking up this processer i have realized that the auto-tuner, which previoiusly sounded oh so promising, requires the user to know the scale of the song that is being sung which presents a huge problem to users who dont know jack about scales. Does anyone have a suggestion? i can imagine how much of a pain it would be for me to guess the scale by elimination for every single recording. so any advice would be appreciated. thank you.
 
everyone i know that uses auto-tune just puts it on C Chromatic...

that gives you every possible note and seems to be the least abrasive way to tidy up nice recordings that just need a little push and pull...

the best way to fix a bad note on a vocal take...is to redo it
 
Those Antares hardware units are pure junk! It is NOT going to make much improvement without some serious artifacts.

When you read about AutoTune being used, it is NOT in "auto" mode, rather, in manual mode, where only specific notes are fixed. But, on the hardware unit, the auto mode is even worse than the software plugin's auto mode is.
 
You don't need to make a scale if the song is in a standard major or minor key. You just set it for your key and it will use the scale for that key. As for figuring the key, just ask the band what key they are playing in. if they don't know what key that they are playing in, set it for the key of the chord that the guitarist is playing when the singer comes in. The singer should be using that chord for his reference pitch.
 
I opted for the TC-Helicon VoiceWorks as I feel it is an altogether superior sonic product. The pre in it is top notch, the effects (especially the reverbs) are signature TC all the way. But indeed the voice pitch correction is best done manually. I just set it to the root key I'll be singing in, set all of the note including the sharps and flats ON and adjust the somewhat finer adjustments available on the TC unit. It has rendered some fine dead on singing for some problematic singers I know when they came over to cut tracks. I'm a believer....also the compression on this unit is sweeeet and transparent.....
 
i have realized that the auto-tuner, which previoiusly sounded oh so promising, requires the user to know the scale of the song that is being sung
Click to expand...

hmmmm, I would think if you were at a point to record your songs, you would know what key the song is in.

This is why engineers (and hopefully musicians!) should know a bit about music and music theory. Knowing what key a song is in is pretty important (and fairly "basic" stuff). But hey, if you knew music fairly well, you wouldn't need Auto-tune!

Obviously, if you're just starting out learning an instrument, this wouldn't apply to you.

Learn music first, (including playing an instrument or two), and then learn how to engineer. Just my 2 cents (and my not so humble opinion!)
:)
 
I don't throw this argument at people often, because I know it's not what they wanna hear, but man, this is a classic case of learn *some* music theory before you buy any music-related gear *at all*.

No offence, but if you don't even know what key a song is in, that money you spend on the antares unit is much, much, much, much, much better spend on a hand full of music lessons or a simple book. This doesn't have to be gray, boring stuff at all at your level. Trust me, a couple of lessons on your instrument and you're world we be all the clearer to you.
 
Halion said:
I don't throw this argument at people often, because I know it's not what they wanna hear, but man, this is a classic case of learn *some* music theory before you buy any music-related gear *at all*.

No offence, but if you don't even know what key a song is in, that money you spend on the antares unit is much, much, much, much, much better spend on a hand full of music lessons or a simple book. This doesn't have to be gray, boring stuff at all at your level. Trust me, a couple of lessons on your instrument and you're world we be all the clearer to you.
Click to expand...

A-freakin'-men!
 
Should have bought Auto-Musician. :D


Take a music theory class at your local community college. It's fun, you'll meet chicks, and you'll feel so much better about yourself and your muse. It'll probably help your singing too when you understand the intervals you're navigating with your voice.
 
Ok, problem number one, im 15. its not like i can easily access a "music theory class" at a local community college and my school doesnt offer one. second of all, im self taught at guitar. im fairly good at it but as fair as music and notes go, i couldnt tell u what note im playing for the life of me. i do it all by ear. but needless to say im a good musician and recording artist. my band is here: www.purevolume.com/soulstatewitness
so as you can see were not COMPLETELY annept at recording and im sure our other guitarist can easily tell me the key bu that doesnt pry me from the problem that im sure that with our songs complexities at times the key would be different. well anyway thank you for your advice thus far. i'll keep checking back for more updates
 
Oh.......and don't fall asleep in those English classes either. That way you can spell "Inept" the right way next time. Just giving ya a hard time. Keep it up...you can only get better at it.... :D
 
You guys aren't bad, but the Auto-tune won't help his vocals. It isn't that he is out of key, his delivery is just weak. He kind of slides into and out of notes, this is exactly what makes Auto-tune glitch and freak out. The other thing: even if you get it to not glitch, the performance will still be weak.

One more thing. Unless you use a tuner that is calibrated correctly, the Auto-tune will correct his voice to a standard pitch, not what you are tuned to.


BTW, I'm sure there is a library (or even the internet) where you can find little tutorials on music theory. I think there is even a music theory for dummies book. You don't need to know much, you just need to understand the basics of how everything fits together. It will open up the world for you.
 
if you can't music...or even go as far to know what note you are playing on the guitar...in my eyes...you are not a musician. you are a guitarist.

buy a book on music theory...and sure, younger people can take classes at community college. you obviously can afford it if you are buying antares rack gear...
 
A lot of this stuff is just picking on you, but the most helpful advice so far is to use it in chromatic. Then you just adjust the sensitivity of it so that it screws up your vocals as little as possible. If you can process your vocals after you have recorded the take, you may be able to memorize when and where to bypass it or leave it on. Otherwise it will almost certainly do goofy things to your vocals if left on constantly. That is why it is easier to use the plug-in version; you can automate it, or do manual processing. It is not a magic-perfect-vocal-box. But it should help stabilize some of your notes. Unless you are wanting to do the Cher-voice thing...

BTW, I was in a much crappier band when I was 15. But keep working on getting a couple ballz behind your voice. I think some heavier vocal compression would probably help more than autotune.
 
Reggie said:
A lot of this stuff is just picking on you, but the most helpful advice so far is to use it in chromatic.
Click to expand...
No one is picking on him. And chromatic only works when the vocalist is really close, this guy isn't close enough all the time. Mainly because he doesn't know anything about scales either and therefore doesn't know what notes to hit and what notes not to.

The best advice is to learn what you are doing. You're 15, you've got a lot of time to put it together.
 
Farview said:
And chromatic only works when the vocalist is really close,
Click to expand...
I agree. That is about the only use I have for Autotune.

Farview said:
Mainly because he doesn't know anything about scales either and therefore doesn't know what notes to hit and what notes not to.
Click to expand...
I disagree. Good luck finding a handful of rock/punk singers who know much about scales and key signatures. If a person has a good ear (and some control over their vocal chords), it really isn't hard to find a melody over a song in whatever key, and know what sounds "cool" vs. what doesn't.
I'm not sure he was really wanting Autotune to actually change his notes into key for him anyway. I figured he just wants to tighten up the pitches he is already singing and sound like the autotuned radio singers. Dude seems to have an OK ear for pitches, just not the vocal control that comes with years of singing yet.
 
Reggie said:
I disagree. Good luck finding a handful of rock/punk singers who know much about scales and key signatures. If a person has a good ear (and some control over their vocal chords), it really isn't hard to find a melody over a song in whatever key, and know what sounds "cool" vs. what doesn't.
Click to expand...
That's because those guys know their scales. Whether they studied them or even know what they are called, they still know the scales.
 
i would rather work with the plugin version, or Melodyne. more control, easier to use. just click your note and put it where you want it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top