Antares AutoTune 5 user manual

							
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Chapter	3: 	Auto-Tune 	5 	Controls
This chapter is a reference for all of the controls used in the Auto-Tune 5 interface. How these controls are used together for intonation correction is demonstrated in Chapter 4, Auto-Tune 5 Tutorial. 
If you are upgrading from Auto-Tune 4, you can probably skip ahead to Chapter 5, New Feature Quick Start Guide. 
Common Controls 
The following controls and displays are visible regardless of which operating mode is selected. Their settings affect both Automatic and Graphical Modes. 
Input Type As a result of Antares research into the unique characteristics of various types of audio signals, Auto-Tune 5 offers a selection of optimized processing algorithms for the most commonly pitch-corrected inputs. Choices include Soprano Voice, Alto/ Tenor Voice, Low Male Voice, Instrument, and Bass Instrument. Matching the appropriate algorithm to the input results in even faster and more accurate pitch detection and correction. 
To select the desired Input Type, click on the Input Type pop-up and then select the desired type from the pop-up list. 
NOTE: Choosing the wrong Input Type (or just forgetting to set it at all)  can result in compromised performance. Pay attention. 
ANOTHER NOTE: When any Input Type other than Bass Instrument is selected, Auto-Tune 5 is reliably able to detect pitches down to A0 (55Hz). Selecting Bass Instrument lowers the lowest detectable  frequency by about one octave to 25Hz. Since the lowest E string on a bass guitar is approximately 41Hz, Bass Instrument (as its 
name so ably implies) allows you to apply pitch correction to those pesky fretless bass lines as well as other low bass range instruments. However, when Bass Instrument is selected, pitches above A4 may be incorrectly tuned by a perfect fifth, so be sure to select Bass Instrument only when correcting  bass range tracks.  
Correction Mode Click the appropriate button to 
select either Automatic or Graphical Mode. 
Select Pitch Reference Auto-Tune 5 provides the ability to pitch correct stereo tracks while maintaining the tracks’ phase coherence. (Refer to your host application’s manual for instructions on assigning a plug-in to a stereo track.) Click the appropriate button to select which of the two stereo tracks (left or right) Auto-Tune 5 will use as a pitch reference. 
NOTE: If there is a marked difference in the two tracks, pick the cleanest,  
						

							
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most isolated track. For example, if one track is a close mic’ d vocal while the other is mic’ d from farther away for ambience, or is heavily  processed, select the close mic’ d track. 
ANOTHER NOTE: Auto-Tune 5 will only pitch correct true stereo tracks.  If the second track (i.e., the track not selected as a pitch reference) is  simply an independent unrelated track, unpredictable (and potentially unpleasant) sounds may result. On the other hand, something interesting might happen. You never know. 
When Auto-Tune 5 is instantiated on a mono track, this control is inactive (grayed out). 
Options Clicking the Options button will bring up a window containing a number of settings that fall into the “set and forget” category. They are: 
TRACKING In order to accurately identify 
the pitch of the input, Auto-Tune 5 requires a periodically repeating waveform, characteristic of a voice or solo instrument. The Tracking control determines how much variation is allowed in the incoming waveform for Auto-Tune 5 to still consider it periodic. 
If you are working with a well-isolated solo signal (e.g., tracking in a studio or off of a multi-track master) you can typically set the Tracking control to 25 and forget it. 
If, on the other hand, your signal is noisy or not well-isolated (as might be more common in a live performance situation) or you are dealing with a particularly breathy or guttural voice, it may be necessary to allow more signal variation (higher Tracking numbers). However, under these circumstances tracking is not guaranteed and a too “relaxed” setting may introduce distortion and popping. 
NOTE: The improved pitch detection algorithm in Auto-Tune 5 (in  combination with the Input Type selection described above) results in noticeably more reliable pitch detection compared to previous versions of Auto-Tune. If you have used older versions of Auto-Tune, you may find that situations that previously required constant modifications of  the Tracking control now track perfectly at the default setting.  
BUFFER SIZE  This controls the number of 
seconds of memory buffer space that are permanently reserved for pitch tracking and pitch correction data in Graphical Mode. (There is a separate buffer for each plug-in occurrence.) To change the buffer allocation, click in the data field and enter the required 
number of seconds. 
NOTE: As buffer memory is typically allocated from within your host application, for large buffers, it may be necessary to increase the memory allocation of your host. 
ANOTHER NOTE: For hosts that provide valid time information, Auto-Tune 5 will display all tracked pitch information at its correct time within the track. If your host supports this capability, setting the buffer to the length of the entire song and tracking the pitch in one pass will allow you to quickly and easily move to each section of audio to be corrected as necessary.  
						

							


KNOB CONTROL Lets you select how you want to control the “knobs” in the Auto-Tune 5 interface. 
  VERTICAL: Position the cursor over a knob, 
press and hold the left mouse button (or the only mouse button, if you’re using a one-button mouse) and move the cursor up to turn the knob clockwise or down to turn the knob counterclockwise. The current value of the knob’s parameter appears in its associated numeric display. 
  HORIZONTAL: Position the cursor over a 
knob, press and hold the left mouse button and move the cursor to the right to turn the knob clockwise or to the left to turn the knob counterclockwise. The current value of the knob’s parameter appears in its associated numeric display. 
  RADIAL: Click anywhere around the 
circumference of the knob, press and hold the left mouse button and “rotate” the knob in the desired direction. The current value of the knob’s parameter appears in its associated numeric display. 
NOTE: This setting applies to “knob” controls only. Controls that appear as sliders are not affected.
CUSTOM CURSORS  Click the check box to 
use Custom Cursors in Graphical Mode. 
Normally, Auto-Tune 5 displays different cursor shapes in the Pitch Graph Display to help you grab and drag objects (e.g., the object cursor, the anchor point cursor, etc.). However, some host applications mistakenly think that they own the cursor when it is in a plug-in window. This may cause the cursor to flash as the host and Auto-Tune 5 alternately try to set the cursor shape. If this annoys you, unclick this check box. It will stop the flashing, but you will no longer see Auto-Tune 5’s custom cursors. 
NUMBER OF UNDOS  Auto-Tune 5 provides 
multiple Undo/Redo capability in Graphical Mode. Select the maximum allowable number here (up to 20). Choosing a higher number allocates more memory for saving intermediate states. 
Sample Rate Display This display indicates the sample rate of the current audio file as reported to Auto-Tune 5 by the host application. 
NOTE: Auto-Tune 5 is high sample rate compatible. If  your host application and audio hardware are capable of dealing with up to 192 kHz files, Auto-Tune 5 will process them correctly. However, it’s important to remember that high sample rate files require substantially more DSP power than 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz files, so the number of  possible simultaneous Auto-Tune 5 instantiations will be decreased. 
ANOTHER NOTE: If you are using external A/D converters with independently selectable sample rates, it can be possible to establish a mismatch between the actual conversion sample rate and what the host application thinks is the sample rate. If this happens, Auto-Tune 5 will appear to be correcting pitch to the “wrong” key. If this appears to be happening, check to be sure that your converter sample rate and your  host application sample rate (as displayed by Auto-Tune 5) match. 
Instance IDSome host applications assign numerical instance IDs to multiple instances of the same plug-in. If your host does this, the ID will appear in a red display to the immediate right of the Sample Rate display. Instance IDs are particularly useful if you are using any of Auto-Tune 5’s MIDI functions, as they allow you to be sure that you are routing the MIDI stream to the correct instance of Auto-Tune on the desired track.
Bypass Auto-Tune 5 does not include a dedicated Bypass control as that function is typically provided by the host application’s plug-in interface. However, it is worth noting that Auto-Tune 5 is designed such that switching the bypass state will not cause any audio artifacts. It can safely be used in performance or in the middle of a recorded track.  
						

							


Automatic Mode Controls 
Knobs and SlidersAuto-Tune 5’s continuous controls are represented graphically as knobs or sliders. 
Depending on your preference, you can control knobs by vertical, horizontal or radial mouse movement. Set your preference in the Options dialog described above. Double-clicking on a knob 
will return it to its default value. In some host applications, Command (Mac)/Control (PC) clicking on a knob will also reset it to default (see the Auto-Tune 5 Read Me and/or your host application manual for details). 
To adjust a slider, click on the “thumb” indicator and move it to the desired value, or click anywhere on the display scale to instantly move the indicator to that position. Command (Mac)/Control (PC) clicking anywhere in the display scale will set a control to its default value.
Key Selection To select the desired key, click on the Key pop-up and then select the desired note from the pop-up list. This determines the pitch of the first note of the scale according to the standard A3 = 440 Hertz. 
Scale Selection To select a scale, click on the Scale pop-up and then select the desired scale from the pop-up list. 
NOTE: To avoid having to deal with scales containing those annoying double flats, double sharps and notes like Cb, E#, Fb and B#, Auto-Tune 5 will automatically choose the simpler of two enharmonically equivalent scales. For example, if you select Db Major, the Edit Scale Display will duly display the Db Major scale. However, if you then go to the Scale selection pop-up and select Minor, the Key will automatically be changed to C# and the Edit Scale Display will, in fact, display the much friendlier C# Minor scale. This will also be reflected on the Pitch Graph Display in the Graphical Mode. 
The Scales
Auto-Tune 5 comes with 29 preprogrammed scales. The first three scales are equal tempered. These are the ubiquitous scales typically found in Western tonal music. The other scales are historical, ethnic, and micro-tonal scales. An in-depth discussion of these scales and their history is beyond the scope of this manual. The interested reader will find more information in Tuning In — Micro-tonality In Electronic Music by Scott R. Wilkinson, published by Hal Leonard Books. 
The following is a brief synopsis of the scales: 
MODERN EQUAL TEMPERAMENT•  major: a seven-tone equal tempered major scale. 
•   minor: a seven-tone equal tempered minor 
scale. 
•   Equal Tempered chrom.: a twelve-tone 
equal tempered chromatic scale. 
HISTORICAL TUNINGS•  Ling Lun: a twelve-tone scale dating from 2700 B.C. China. 
•   Scholar’s Lute: a seven-tone scale dating 
from 300 B.C. China. 
•   Greek diatonic genus: a seven-tone scale 
from ancient Greece. 
•   Greek chromatic genus: a seven-tone scale 
from ancient Greece. 
•   Greek enharmonic genus: a seven-tone 
scale from ancient Greece. 
•   Pythagorean: a twelve-tone scale dating 
from 600 B.C. Greece. This scale is derived  
						

							


and chords. The typical approach is to analyze a passage (or less) of music and select tones from a scale that will best approximate the desired pure intervals.
•  19 Tone: This scale has greater purity 
of minor thirds and major thirds (and conversely, minor and major sixths) than twelve-tone equal temperament. A disadvantage is that perfect fifths are narrower than those found in twelve-tone equal temperament. 
•   24 Tone: Also know as the quarter tone 
scale, this scale is used for variety but has no advantage in terms of ratios that better approximate pure intervals. 
•   31 Tone: In addition to intervals that better 
approximate pure intervals, this scale also contains good approximations to Indonesian pelog and slendro scales. 
•   53 Tone: Related mathematically to the 
cycle of fifths, the 53-tone scale has very pure major and minor thirds, and fifths and fourths. 
•   Partch: Harry Partch is considered the 
father of modern microtonality. This scale was devised by him and used in instrument building and performances. 
•   Carlos Alpha: Wendy Carlos performed 
extensive computer analysis to devise a number of equal tempered scales with good 
approximations for the primary harmonic intervals and their inversions. This scale is good at approximating the primary intervals including 7/4. This scale divides the octave into 15.385 steps forming intervals of 78.0 cents. 
•   Carlos Beta: This scale divides the octave 
into 18.809 steps forming intervals of 63.8 cents. 
•   Carlos Gamma: This scale achieves perfect 
purity of the primary intervals 3/2, 4/ 3 and 5/4. This scale divides the octave into 34.188 steps forming intervals of 35.1 cents. 
•   Harmonic (chromatic): This twelve-tone 
scale is created in the partials in the fifth octave of the harmonic series. The scale degrees that correspond to the classic just intervals are the major second, major third, perfect fifth and major seventh. 
by tuning twelve pure perfect fifths upward and adjusting the octaves downward. This leads to some pure intervals and some very impure intervals. 
•   Just (major chromatic): a twelve-tone scale. 
Just intonation tunes the most frequently used intervals to be pure (integer ratios in frequency). These tunings depend on the mode (major or minor) and the key. This scale is tuned for major mode. 
•   Just (minor chromatic): (See Just (major 
chromatic), above) 
•   Meantone chrom.: a twelve-tone scale. This 
tuning is a combination of Pythagorean and just tunings so that music in a wider variety of keys could be usable. 
•   Werckmeister III chrom.: a twelve-tone 
scale. This scale was a first attempt (about Bach’s time) to allow an instrument to be played in any scale. It was in response to this scale that Bach wrote Well-Tempered Clavier. 
•   Vallotti & Young chrom.: a twelve-tone scale. 
Another derivative of the Pythagorean scale designed to allow arbitrary keys. 
•   Barnes-Bach (chromatic): a twelve-tone 
scale. A variation of the Vallotti & Young scale designed to optimize the performance of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. 
ETHNIC TUNINGS
•  Indian: This 22 tone scale is used in India to perform ragas. 
•   Slendro: This five-tone Indonesian scale is 
played by ensembles called gamelans. 
•   Pelog: This seven-tone Indonesian scale is 
more interesting than Slendro and is now the primary scale in Balinese music. 
•   Arabic 1: This 17 tone scale is the original 
Arabic scale adopted from the Pythagorean scale. 
•   Arabic 2 (chromatic): This twelve-tone scale 
is the modern version of the Arabic scale popular in Arabic music today. 
CONTEMPORARY TUNINGSEqual tempered scales with a large number of tones are typically used to play common tonal harmony with greater purity of intervals  
						

							
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The Edit Scale Display The Edit Scale Display is used to create custom scales or to modify any of the preset scales. Edits made using this display are associated with each scale. That is, each scale retains its own edits independent of the other scales. For example, if you select C Major and Remove or Bypass certain notes and then change to C Minor and make other edits, when you return to C Major your previous edits associated with C Major will be restored. 
The Edit Scale window displays each note of the currently selected scale in the currently selected key. If the selected scale includes more than twelve notes, Up and Down arrows will appear to allow scrolling through all of the available notes. 
Beside each note name are two buttons: a Bypass button and a Remove button. Click on a button to toggle its state. The button will light to indicate that its mode is active. 
If neither of these buttons are lit, Auto-Tune 5 treats this note as a normal scale note, i.e., when the input pitch is close to this note, Auto-Tune 5 will correct the pitch to this note at the rate set by the Retune Speed control. 
If the scale selected in the Scale popup contains exactly 12 notes (e.g., Chromatic, Pythagorean, Meantone Chromatic, Just, etc.), the Virtual Keyboard (see below) will be active and any edits to the scale notes made in the Edit Scale Display will also be reflected on the Virtual Keyboard. 
NOTE: Although Auto-Tune 5 allows setting scale note behaviors in individual octaves, any edits made via the Edit Scale Display will affect all octaves. 
To edit notes in individual octaves, use the Virtual Keyboard. 
Bypass If the Bypass button is lit, when the input pitch is close to this note the input will be passed through with no correction. 
Why set Scale notes to “Bypass?” There are two main reasons to set one or more scale notes to “Bypass.” 
 1.  If a performance includes pitch gestures 
around one or more specific notes that 
you want to preserve with no modification whatsoever, you can set just those notes to Bypass. This lets Auto-Tune 5 correct any pitch problems elsewhere in the scale but passes everything near the bypassed notes completely unprocessed.  
						

							


 2.  If a performance contains only a single error, you can set all notes to Bypass except the one “sour” note. Auto-Tune 5 will then pass the entire performance through unprocessed except for the sour note, which will be corrected. 
Remove If the Remove button is lit, then the note is simply removed from the current scale. For example, selecting the Chromatic scale and then setting C#, D#, F#, G#, A# to Remove would cause a C Major scale to remain. In that case Auto-Tune 5 would always retune the input to the closest note of the C Major scale. 
Why set Scale notes to “Remove?” To understand why it is sometimes necessary to set even correct scale notes to ”Remove,“ let’s look again at the example from Chapter 2. 
This phrase is in D Major and, if all the pitch errors were no greater than about 49 cents, would work fine with a standard D Major scale (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C# ). However, the pitch error of three semitones at the end of the last note is so large that with B and C# present in the Scale, as the pitch fell, Auto-Tune 5 would see first C# and then B as the target pitch and therefore allow the error to remain. With C# and B removed from the Scale, Auto-Tune 5 continues to see D as the target pitch for the entire duration of the note and therefore pulls the phrase up to the correct pitch. 
Cents The number in the Cents column is the associated note’s interval, in cents, from the root note of the scale. It’s provided for reference purposes and to help you choose which notes of a micro-tonal scale to include or remove. 
Set AllClicking this button sets all notes in the current scale to Scale Notes in all octaves. This function is useful as a Reset button to instantly erase all previous Remove and/or Bypass settings and reset an edited scale to its default state. 
Remove All Clicking this button sets all notes in the current scale to Remove in all octaves. 
Bypass All Clicking this button sets all notes in the current scale to Bypass in all octaves. 
Set Major Scale/Set Minor Scale When any scale that includes more than seven notes (i.e., any non-diatonic scale) is selected, the Set Major Scale and Set Minor Scale buttons will appear. Clicking on either of these buttons will “Remove” all notes from the scale except for those notes closest to the notes of a traditional diatonic major or minor scale (depending, of course, on which button you clicked). 10.010.511.0
D3
B2
ORIGINA LPERFORMANCE
CORRECT ED BY AUTO-TUNE 5
C #3 
						

							


Virtual Keyboard  The Virtual Keyboard displays Auto-Tune 5’s pitch detection range and acts as a realtime display of the currently detected pitch, a display of the current Scale settings, and as a tool for setting target note behaviors in specific octaves.  
NOTE: The keyboard is only active for scales with exactly twelve notes. It will be grayed out (hence inactive) when any other scale is selected. “But wait!” you might be thinking, “I want to edit Major and Minor scales in individual octaves and the keyboard is grayed out when I select either one.” No problem. Simply select Chromatic, then use the Set Major or Set Minor button to set up the scale of your choice and edit away.  
KEY COLORS The color of the keys of the Virtual Keyboard indicate their current state as follows: 
COLOR  STATE 
Blue    The currently detected  input pitch  
White or Black   Scale Note  
Gray   Removed  
Light Brown    Bypassed
MOMENTARY  When this button is not On 
(i.e., its color is gray), any edits made to the keyboard will latch -i.e., clicking a key will change its state and the key will retain that state until some other action causes it to change.  KEYBOARD EDIT  These buttons are used to 
select which state (Remove or Bypass) will be toggled when you click on a key. 
When Remove is selected, clicking on any key that is not currently set to Remove will set 
that key to Remove. Clicking on any key that is currently set to Remove will set that key to a Scale Note. 
When Bypass is selected, clicking on any key that is not currently set to Bypass will set that key to Bypass. Clicking on any key that is currently set to Bypass will set that key to a Scale Note. 
NOTE: In the descriptions above, “clicking” on a key refers to pressing the mouse button down and then releasing it. The edit action is  executed when the mouse button is released. Therefore, if the 
Momentary button is Off (see below), dragging across the keyboard highlights each key in turn, but it is only when you release the mouse button that the resulting key will change state. 
When the button is On (i.e., its color is blue), keyboard edits are only active for as long as the mouse is held down on a key. 
NOTE: Pressing and holding the Shift key on your keyboard will temporarily toggle the state of the Momentary button.  
						

							


A TIP: The main purpose of the Momentary function is to allow you to deal easily with specific individual events in a performance. However, you can also use it to “play” the target melody notes in real time. To do this, set the scale to Chromatic and use the Scale Edit window Remove All button to remove all notes from the scale. Set Keyboard Edit to Remove and Momentary to On. Now use your mouse to play the target melody on the keyboard. It’s not as easy as Target Notes via MIDI, but if you don’t have a MIDI controller handy, it’ ll do in a pinch. 
Auto-Tune 5 MIDI Functions 
Auto-Tune 5 provides two functions that require it to receive MIDI data from the host application. Depending on your intent, this data could come in real time from a MIDI controller (typically a keyboard) or from a prerecorded MIDI sequencer track. Refer to your host application’s manual for details on how to route MIDI to Auto-Tune 5. 
Please note that some host applications may not support the routing of MIDI information to plug-ins. In that case the following two functions will not be selectable. 
Target Notes Via MIDI To use the Target Notes Via MIDI function, ensure that the desired MIDI source is routed to Auto-Tune 5, then click the Target Notes Via MIDI button. Its color will change to blue and the Edit Scale display will automatically be set 
to a chromatic scale with all of the notes set to Remove. While in this mode, Auto-Tune 5 continuously monitors its MIDI input for Note On messages. At any instant, the scale used for correction is defined by all MIDI notes that are on. For example, if MIDI notes A, C and E are held, Auto-Tune 5’s input will be retuned to an A, C or E, whichever is closest to the input pitch. 
The source of the MIDI input would typically be a MIDI keyboard or sequencer track, and could consist of chords, scales, or, most powerfully, the exact melody that the input should be corrected to. 
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you will not be defining Auto-Tune 5’s target pitches via MIDI, be sure that the Target Notes Via MIDI button is off. If it is left on and no MIDI note data is present, Auto-Tune 5 will pass through all audio unprocessed — giving the impression that Auto-Tune 5 is not functioning. 
Learn Scale From MIDI In most cases, you will probably tell Auto-Tune 5 which notes to correct to using the Edit Scale Display and/or the Virtual Keyboard. However, there may be occasions when it is not clear exactly what key a melody line is in, or where the melody line has too many accidentals to fit comfortably into a conventional scale. For 
those occasions, the Learn Scale From MIDI function allows you to simply play the melody into Auto-Tune 5 from a MIDI keyboard or sequencer track and let Auto-Tune 5 construct a custom scale containing only those notes that appear in the melody. 
To use the Learn Scale From MIDI function, ensure that the desired MIDI source is routed to Auto-Tune 5 and then click the Learn Scale From MIDI button. Its color will change to blue and the Edit Scale display will automatically be set to a chromatic scale with all of the notes set to Remove. 
Now simply play the melody to be corrected from your keyboard or sequencer. Tempo and rhythm don’t matter, so take your time and make sure you don’t play any wrong notes.  
						

							


As each note is played, the corresponding Remove button in the Edit Scale Display is turned off (adding that note to the scale as a Scale Note). Assume, for example, that your melody starts with D, B, and then A. After playing those notes the display would look the above. 
When you have played the entire melody, press the Learn Scale From MIDI button again to end the process. The Edit Scale Display will now contain a scale containing only those 
notes that appeared in your melody. 
If you happen to make an error during note entry, or want to try again for any other reason, simply click the Learn Scale From MIDI button and start the process again. 
NOTE: When you start the process by pressing the Learn Scale From MIDI button, all notes are first Removed from the chromatic scale in preparation for adding just the notes you play. If you then press the Learn Scale From MIDI button again without playing any notes, you will be left with a chromatic scale with all notes removed. In this state, Auto-Tune 5 will pass all notes with no correction applied. So don’t do that. 
ANOTHER NOTE: We realize that there is some possibility of confusion between the Learn Scale From MIDI function and Target Notes Via MIDI function described above. To clarify: Target Notes Via MIDI is used to specify target pitches in real time while pitch correction is occurring, while Learn Scale From MIDI is used in advance of correction to create a custom scale. 
Octave As Played/All Octaves For both of the MIDI functions (Learn Scale 
from MIDI and Target Notes via MIDI), you can choose whether you want incoming MIDI notes to affect all octaves or just the notes in the specific octaves in which they are played. 
Simply click the desired button. The button will change color to blue to indicate your choice. 
Targeting Ignores VibratoThis feature is designed to help with target note identification when the performance includes vibrato so wide that it approaches adjacent scale notes. The most common symptom of this problem is a pronounced “warbling” as the input is alternately tuned to each of the upper and lower adjacent notes.