Antares AutoTune 3 user manual

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5. Do whatever your host application requires to bypass both instances of
Auto-Tune 3.
6. Play back the files so you can hear them together without processing.
Believe it or not, these vocal samples from a sample CD are supposed to be
the same pitch. Yikes!
7. Now enable Auto-Tune 3 on each of the tracks and play the files again.
If you’ve done everything right, you will hear the samples so well in tune
that they sound like one voice.
Tutorial 4: The Make Curve Function
This tutorial will introduce you to the Make Curve function. The Make
Curve function gives you by far the most precise control over pitch accu-
racy and inflection.
1. Setup to process the file “Crowd All” through Auto-Tune 3.
2. Select Graphical Mode.
3. Press the Track Pitch button.
4. Play the “Crowd All” file.
5. Select the Zoom/Select tool and drag out a box on the Pitch Graph
that encloses the red curve for the “-gether” part of the last word,
“to-gether.” You will see something like the following:
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6. Use the Zoom/Select tool to drag a selection of “-gether” in the Enve-
lope Graph. The result will be something like the following:
7. Click the Make Curve button. Auto-Tune 3 will compute a new yellow
curve object from the existing pitch data. (The new curve may be
difficult to see at first because it will exactly overlay the red curve.) Click
the Zoom/Select tool on the background of the Envelope Graph to
cancel the area selection.
8. Both anchor points of the new curve will be selected. Select the Pointer
Tool and click precisely on the left end of the curve to select only the
left anchor point (you’ll know you’re over the anchor point when the
cursor changes to the four-pointed arrow cursor). Drag this straight up,
stretching the curve so it is centered around the D3 graph line. (If you
press Option/Alt on your keyboard before clicking the anchor point,
your movement will be constrained to the vertical, assuring that you
maintain the time relationship of the curve.)
9. Move the Pointer Tool over the body of the yellow curve so that the
cursor changes to the horizontal bar. Press and hold Option/Alt on your
keyboard (to constrain movement to the vertical) and click and drag the
curve straight down so it is centered on the C3 graph line. The Pitch
Graph should now appear as follows:
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10. Set the Retune Speed to 0 and play back the sound. Note that the
errant note is now in tune.
To continue, here is an alternative approach to the same pitch problem
using the Line Tool.
1. Click the Select All button and then the Cut button to delete the yellow
curve created above.
2. Use the Line Tool to draw a horizontal line as shown below (press the
Option/Alt key to constrain the line to horizontal):
3. Set the Retune Speed to 20 and play back the sound. Experiment with
other Retune Speeds to hear their effects.
Vibratos and other pitch gestures typically occur with related loudness
gestures. Specifically, with vibratos, some vocalists produce mostly pitch
variations and little loudness variations while others produce small pitch
variations and a lot of loudness variations (the latter is often called
tremolo). Nonetheless, almost all voices seem to produce a combination of
both pitch and related loudness variations. Therefore, trying to take an
existing vibrato and change it (say speed it up) often sounds unnatural
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because the new pitch variation does not correspond to the original (and
still present) loudness variation.
These considerations are also important when correcting pitch. It’s rarely
effective to draw in a new pitch gesture at the desired pitch, even though
that gesture may have worked well in another performance.
As this tutorial has demonstrated, the following two techniques are the
most commonly successful approaches to Graphical Mode pitch correction:
•The first technique uses the Make Curve button to create a curve of the
existing pitch, allowing you to drag that curve up or down, or stretch it
by dragging one end vertically. The Retune slider can then be set very
fast (0 to 5). This will force a precise re-tuning, but will sound extremely
natural since the target pitch curve will precisely synchronize with the
original loudness gestures of the voice.
•The second technique is to draw a flat line segment across the duration
of a tone at the desired pitch and then set the Retune Speed in the
range of 20 to 40. This has the effect of gently moving the input pitch
towards the desired pitch. The slower values of 20 to 40 will let through
a vibrato but still draw the overall pitch closer to being in tune. The
average pitch will eventually settle to the given line and the pitch
gestures will occur both sharper and flatter relative to that line. The
settling time is about twice the Retune Speed setting (in milliseconds).
20 to 40 will let through about one-half of a typical vibrato. Slower
settings will let through more vibrato but will cause the new pitch to be
reached more slowly.
Tutorial 5: The Make Auto Function
The Make Auto function allows you to display and edit the pitch correc-
tions that would result from specific Automatic Mode settings.
1. Setup to process the file “Crowd All” through Auto-Tune 3.
2. Select Automatic Mode and set the Key and Scale to C Major and the
Retune Speed to the default of 20.
3. Select Graphical Mode.
4. Press the Track Pitch button.
5. Play the “Crowd All” file.
6. Select the Zoom/Select tool and drag out a box on the Pitch Graph that
encloses the red curve for the words “crowd all rushed.” You will see
something like the following:
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7.  Use the Zoom/Select Tool to drag a selection in the Envelope Graph as
shown:
8. Click the Make Auto button. Auto-Tune 3 will compute a new yellow
curve object from the existing pitch data:
PITCH DRAWN TO
NEIGHBORING
TONE
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Assuming that this entire phrase should be centered around E3, there are
several problem spots, indicated above, where the pitch is being incor-
rectly adjusted towards neighboring tones.
9. To hear the pitch corrections that would be produced in Automatic
Mode, set the Graphical Mode Retune Slider to 0, (fast) and play back
the file.
10. Switch to the Automatic Mode and click the Remove buttons next to C,
D and F.
11. Return to the Graphical Mode and use the Zoom/Select tool to drag out
a selection in the Envelope Graph, as in Step 7.
12.  Press the Make Auto button. Auto-Tune 3 will compute a new yellow
curve from the existing pitch data:
Note how the pitch errors from the previous curve have been removed.
Also, note the “raised pitch” indicated above. This occurs because the
Automatic Mode Retune slider value of 20 is slow compared to the rapidly
increasing pitch that is occurring at that point in time. But even with the
raised pitch, the average output pitch is centered on E3 and the phrase
sounds in tune.
RAISED 
PITCH
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Chapter 5:
Creative Applications for Auto-Tune 3
Auto-Tune 3 works on vocals so well you may think that’s all it can do.
Actually, lots of instruments can use it to great advantage. Fretless bass,
electric violin, trombone, even the theremin, all feature continuous pitch
potential, unconstrained by frets or keys. Here are some other ideas for
using Auto-Tune 3:
•Produce instant double tracking in one take! Record onto two tracks,
processing only one of the tracks through Auto-Tune 3. If you’re going
for a tight double track, set Retune Speed rather fast and Detune Auto-
Tune 3 slightly. Increase both of these parameters to broaden the
doubled effect. You can also use some Vibrato to make a more dynamic
effect (small depth and rate values are best, with medium delay). Of
course, you can also decide to record a single virgin track, and bounce
that to another, processing through Auto-Tune 3. This way you can dial
in the effect while auditioning the mix.
•Recording with two mics (as above) while improvising can also produce
heterophonic effects (the effect of two players and instruments playing
the ‘same’ melody, which actually varies with some different pitch
material). The more constrained your scale is in Auto-Tune 3, the more
variation there will be between the two performances.
•To set up a drone or ambient aura behind a melodic performance, try
sending some of the signal to Auto-Tune 3 with an extremely con-
strained scale (for example, in the key of C: C, F, G, A#) and then on to a
lush, long reverb. The effect produced will be a steady backdrop of
chanting tones behind the main melodic material.
•Don’t be afraid to use just as little of Auto-Tune 3 as you need. It’s
quite possible that a performer has really quite good intonation, but
fails consistently on one or two notes. In this case, use Auto-Tune 3’s
individual Bypass function (in the Edit Scale display) to bypass all the
notes except the one(s) which need the retuning. This way, Auto-Tune 3
is working in a completely transparent mode, and only when needed.
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Index
A
Antares Audio Technologies
contacting  ii
Authorizing Auto-Tune 3  4
Auto-Tune 3
background  6
creative applications  51
installation  3
serial number  1
Tutorials  40
what it is  6
Automatic Mode  10, 11
Automatic Mode Controls  17
B
Bass Mode  2
Bypass  17, 21
Why set Scale notes to “Bypass?”  21
C
Cents  22, 25
Challenge/Response  4
Controls  15
Bypass  17
common  15
Correct Pitch  30
Correction Mode  16
Edit Scale Display  20
Envelope Graph Display  32
Envelope Graph Scale  32
Graphical Mode Controls  29
Graphical Tools  32
Input Type  16
Key Selection  17
Knobs  17
Pitch Change Indicator  28
Pitch Graph Display  31
Playback Controls  29
Retune Speed  26, 38Sample Rate Display  15
Scale Detune  25
Scale Selection  18
Select Pitch Reference  16
Set Buffers  30
Track Pitch  29
Tracking  26, 37
Use Cursors button  39
Vibrato Section  27
Correct Pitch  30
Correction Mode  16
Creative applications  51
Curve Tool  33
Cut and Copy buttons  35
E
Edit Scale Display  20
Envelope Graph Display  32
Envelope Graph Scale  32
Equal Tempered Scale  8
G
Graphical Mode  13, 14
Graphical Mode Controls  29
Graphical Tools  32
Curve tool  33
Cut and Copy buttons  35
Line tool  32
Make Auto button  36
Make Curve button  36
Paste button  35
Pointer tool  33
Select All button  35
Undo button  35
Zoom/Select tool  34
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I
Input Type  16
Alto/Tenor Voice  16
Bass Instrument  16
Instrument  16
Low Male Voice  16
Soprano Voice  16
Installing Auto-Tune 3  3
K
Key Selection  17
keyboard equivalents  35, 44
Knobs  17
L
Learn Scale From MIDI  24
License Agreement  iii
Line Tool  32
M
Make Auto button  36
Make Curve button  36
MIDI Functions  23
Learn Scale From MIDI  24
Target Notes Via MIDI  23
P
Paste button  35
Pitch  7, 8
how Auto-Tune 3 corrects pitch  10
how Auto-Tune 3 detects pitch  9
Pitch Change Indicator  28
Pitch Graph Display  31
Envelope Graph Display  32
Envelope Graph Scale  32
Pitch Graph Scale  31
Playback Controls  29
Correct Pitch  30
Set Buffers  30
Track Pitch  29
Pointer tool  33
R
Registering Auto-Tune 3  5
Remove  21
Why set Scale notes to
“Remove?”  22
Retune Speed  11, 26, 37, 38
S
Sample Rate Display  15
Scale Detune  25
Scale Selection  18
Scales  11, 18, 23
Contemporary Tunings  19
Equal Tempered Scale  8
Ethnic Tunings  19
Historical Tunings  18
Modern equal temperament  18
Select All button  35
Select Pitch Reference  16
serial number  1
Set Buffers  30
Set Major Scale/Set Minor Scale  23
T
Technical support  5
Track Pitch  29
Tracking  26, 37
Tutorials  40
1: Automatic Mode  40
2: Graphical Mode  42
3: Precision  44
4: The Make Curve Function  45
5: The Make Auto Function  48
U
Undo button  35
Use Cursors button  39
V
Vibrato  11, 27
Vibrato Section  27
W
What’s new  2, 23
Z
Zoom/Select tool  34
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