Melodyne algorithm unhappiness thread
 

I have Melodyne Studio 3 and have used it on my whole album, but I'm realizing that what you get in "ease of use" you pay for in tweaked sound... or maybe I just haven't figured out how to import, manipulate and export audio correctly. I've taken a lesson from a pro and have done literally hundreds of hours of Melodyne work now... and would consider myself an advanced intermediate for speed and style at this point... so... I think I'm just not digging the sound. Period.

Example: a lot of the time, portamento glides between notes already sound weird (artificial & forced) right after import... before you even make any changes. i.e. simply import a vocal and immediately export it without doing anything and it sounds like it's been messed with. I'm of the mind that if you don't alter anything, it should sound identical to the unprocessed track.

I understand that this is an algorithm thing and that Melodyne has a "sound" more so than AutoTune, but is everyone just lying when they say, "All the records sound like this now! It's cool!" I'm kind of disturbed by this 'head-in-the-sand' sentiment.

That said, the interface is amazing and I can splice and dice a vocal like there's no tomorrow, but for subtle pitch correction, I think I'm going back to AutoTune and saving Melodyne for when I'm tuning the next Britney Spears record.

Re: Melodyne algorithm unhappiness thread
 

Why don't you use the plugin for subtle tuning? You only process the portion of the vocal you want tuned without having to process a whole file. No export-import. The plug is included with Studio.

Re: Melodyne algorithm unhappiness thread
 

Iv'e oftern thought it sounds quite un-natural, (being a bit fussy) but now accept it's generally acceptable, actually I find it quite cool and creative.

I guess when things get more translucent sounding, many of us will look back at the way melodyne sounds now with a kind of retro fondness similar to the romantic way we remember and recreate anolougue sounds.

If anyone complains, you could just explain that it's just the way it is unless you wanna go for another take (have the meter running though.)

Re: Melodyne algorithm unhappiness thread
 

I use two things for pitch correction: Waves Tune LT and a TC Helicon Voice One. Both yield exceptional results. I really like the TC stuff. I haven't used Melodyne but I would imagine that it has similar capabilities. One thing that is important is the % of correction. Try correcting only at about 50-60% instead of using the 100% correction function. This helps it to sound more natural. In the two that I have, key is also important. Make sure that if a bridge turns to Dm after being in D major for instance that you change the key setting for that section.

Also, with pitch correction I sometimes notice that some pitches overcorrect and so I have to tell it to go to the half step lower than where I want to go.

Anyway, it seems like you are a seasoned user that just doesn't like the sound. Maybe try waves (download a demo) or the TC powercore I believe has correction in it. Maybe a buddy has one you can try...or a store. Check out the demos for the TC Voicelive 2...unbelievable. The harmony is mind-boggling for a $700 piece of equipment and I believe that it does correction as well. I think TC is probably the leader in correction/harmony production...of course that is my opinion.

Hope my rambling helps a little...!

God bless

Reb