Antares AutoTune 8 user manual

							75
The section should now look something like this:
 9. Play the project. You’ll note that the transition into the final syllable is now much smoother, but the original was so flat that the default Retune Speed of 50 is not fast enough to correct the attack of the final note.
 10  Still with the Arrow tool selected, click on the final C#3 to select it. Now adjust the Retune Speed for the desired correction (start with a value of 10 or so). Note that with a long held note like this, too fast a Retune Speed can sound unnatural. The trick is to select a speed that pulls the attack in tune, while still allowing enough of the singer’s original natural variation. 
We’ll continue with an example of selective pitch shifting.
 11. Ensure that Formant Correction is engaged. With the Arrow tool still selected, move the cursor over the middle of the C#3 note and notice that it turns into the pitch shift cursor (little vertical up-and-down arrows). Click on the note and drag it up one semitone to D3. Play the file and listen to the melodic change. (If you have “PLAY AUDIO FOR SELECTED NOTE OBJECT” checked in the Options window, you’ll hear the pitch of the Note Object as you select and move it.)
 12. For a melodic variation, select the Scissors tool and click on the now D3 note at the 16.052 second point to cut it into two notes. 
 13. Select the Arrow tool again and drag the lefthand half of the note back down to C#3. Play the file and listen to the result.
As should be clear, Note Objects o(er almost unlimited flexibility in pitch correction and melodic editing. 
						

							76
Tu t o r i a l  11:  
Time: Error Correction
In this tutorial we’ll use Auto-Tune 8’s Move Point and Move Region functions to correct timing errors in a lead vocal track. While you can use Auto-Tune 8’s bars and beats scale as a reference for correction, we’ve also included a harmony track with proper timing that will let you try correcting by ear.
The Move Region Tool
 1. Load or import the audio files “Time_vocal” and “Time_accomp” into two separate tracks in your host and set your host’s tempo to 110 BPM. Listen to the tracks to become familiar with them. 
 2. Set up Auto-Tune 8 as an insert e(ect on the “Time_vocal” track and select “Alto/Te n o r ”   a s   t h e   I n p u t   Ty p e .
 3. Select Graphical Mode and select Bars + Beats as the Time Display mode.
 4. Press the Track Pitch + Time button. 
 5. Start playback and track “Time_vocal.” Stop the transport to exit the tracking function. Adjust the zoom and scroll controls to focus on the first two bars (there is one bar of silence at the beginning of the tracks).
 6. Note that the vocalist comes in early with the first word, “Time.” SInce this word is isolated (i.e., there’s silence after it), we’ll use the Move Region tool to move it into its proper place.
 7. Select the Move Region Tool and select the initial range from the beginning of the third beat of the first measure to the end of the second measure. The precise boundaries of this selection are not critical, as long as there are a few beats of silence before and after the note to be moved. (You can check out the graphic below for reference.)
 8. Use the Move Region tool to select the region to be moved. Using the envelope display as reference, select the the region from the beginning of the breath before the note (at time position 1:3.9) to the end of the note’s decay (at time position 2:3.62). 
At this point, your display should look like this:
 9. Still using the Move Region tool, click and hold anywhere in the region selected in Step 8 and move the region to the right until the beginning of the note’s main envelope (the part after the initial breath) is lined up exactly on the first beat of measure 2.
Yo u r d i s p l ay s h o u l d n o w l o o k li ke t h i s:
Play back your track and note that the two vocal parts are now perfectly in sync. (You can click the Time Control Enable button to A/B the original and time shifted versions.) 
						

							77
The Move Point Tool: Adjusting an Ending
Moving on in the track, we’ll use the Move Point Tool to correct a phrase that starts at the right point but ends late.
 1. Adjust the zoom and scroll controls to focus on bars 3 through 5. Play the track and note that the end of the second phrase (the end of the word “illusion), is sustained too long.
 2. Select the Move Point Tool and select the range from the beginning of the last syllable of “illusion” (at time position 4:1.80) to the beginning of the breath before the following note (at time position 5:2.23). 
 3. Use the Move Point Tool to select the point to be moved. In this case we want to move the very end of the phrase while leaving the beginning in place. Using the envelope display as reference, place the cursor over the very end of the note (at time position 5:2.10). Click and drag to move the end point back to the beginning of measure 5.
Yo u r d i s p l ay s h o u l d n o w l o o k li ke t h i s:
Play back your track and note that once again the two vocal parts are now perfectly in sync. 
The Move Point Tool: Adjusting an 
Internal Syllable 
For our final example, we’ll use the Move Point Tool to correct a syllable in the middle of a word.
 1. Adjust the zoom and scroll controls to focus on bars 7 through 9. Play the track and note that the start of the last syllable in the final word of the track (“delusion”), starts slightly too early.
 2. Select the Move Point Tool and select the range from the beginning of the word “delusion” (at time position 7:4.63) to a beat past the end of the track (at time position 9:2.0). 
 3. In this case we want to move the start of the syllable while leaving the beginning and end of the selected word in place. Using the envelope display as reference, place the cursor over the beginning of the last syllable (at time position 8:1.73). Click and drag to move the end point to the right to time position 8:2.0.
Yo u r d i s p l ay s h o u l d n o w l o o k li ke t h i s:
Play back your track and note that once again the two vocal parts are now in sync. 
You’ve now completely corrected the timing of the track. If you like, click the Time Control Enable button to A/B the original and time shifted versions to remind yourself how far you’ve come. 
						

							78
Tu t o r i a l  12: 
Time: Creative Editing
In this tutorial we’ll use Auto-Tune 8’s Move Region function for a creative, rather than corrective, purpose.
 1. Load or import the audio file “Bass_ri(” (a two-bar bass line) into a track of your host and set your host’s tempo to 110 BPM. Listen to the track to become familiar with it. We’re going to use the Move Region tool to move the second note of the pattern and change the feel of the bass line. 
 2. Set up Auto-Tune 8 as an insert e(ect on the track and select “Bass Inst” as the Input Type.
 3. Select Graphical Mode and select Bars + Beats as the Time Display mode.
 4. Press the Track Pitch + Time button. 
 5. Play the “Bass_ri(” file and track the two-bar line. Stop the transport to exit the tracking function. Adjust the zoom and scroll controls to focus on the first measure of the bass line.
 6. Click the Make Notes button. Although we’re only interested in the timing of this example, the Note objects provide a useful visual reference of the bass line. 
Our goal here is move the second note, an A#, so that instead of being a pickup note to the third beat, it falls squarely on the second beat, creating a distinctly di(erent feel to the line.
 7. Select the Move Region tool and, using the main edit window’s envelope display as reference, select the initial range from the end of the first note’s decay (at time position 1:1.58) to the end of the A#’s decay (at time position 1:2.93). You can check out the graphic below for reference.
 8. Now, we’ll use the Move Region tool to select the region to be moved. Again using the envelope display as reference, select the region from the beginning of the A# (at time position 1:2.38) to a bit before end of the A#’s decay (at time position 1:2.86). 
NOTE: The reason that we don’t select the entire A# is that when we move the note forward in the next step, we want to leave a bit of it for Auto-Tune 8 to stretch into a natural decay leading into the note on the third beat.
At this point, your display should look like this:
 9. Still using the Move Region tool, click and hold anywhere in the region selected in Step 8 and move the region to the left until the beginning of the note’s main envelope is lined up exactly on beat 2. 
						

							79
Yo u r d i s p l ay s h o u l d n o w l o o k li ke t h i s:
Play back your track and note the new feel. You can click the Time Control Enable button to A/B the original and time shifted versions. 
Also note how Auto-Tune 8’s time shifting algorithm has turned the small bit of audio at the end of the moved A# into a natural-sounding decay leading into the following C.  
						

							80
5: The Auto-Tune Vocal E(ect 
In addition to its adoption as the worldwide standard in professional pitch correction, Auto-Tune has also gained renown as the tool of choice for what has become one of the signature vocal sounds of our time.
First heard on Cher’s 1998 mega-hit “Believe,” variations of the e(ect have gone on to appear on songs from a huge variety of artists. Since there seems to be a lot of mythology about how it’s accomplished, we thought we’d provide the o-cial Antares version here.
What is it?
Quite simply, the Auto-Tune Vocal E(ect is what is technically known as “pitch quantization.” That is, instead of allowing all of the small variations in pitch and the gradual transitions between notes that are a normal part of singing (and speaking, for that matter), the Auto-Tune Vocal E(ect limits each note to its exact target pitch, stripping out any variation, as well as forcing instantaneous transitions between notes. 
How to do it.
There are basically three key elements to producing the Auto-Tune Vocal E(ect in Auto-Tu n e   8:
 1. Set Correction Style to “Classic”
 2. Set Retune Speed = 0
 3. Pick the right scale
That’s pretty much it. Really.
There are, however, some possible variations in approach, depending mainly on whether you want to use Automatic Mode or Graphical Mode. Here are the details:
Automatic Mode
 1. As we already mentioned, start by setting Correction Style to “Classic” and Retune Speed to 0.
 2. Set the Key and Scale to the key and scale of your track. 
 3. Play your track. If you like the result, you’re done.
 4. If you’re not happy with the result, try one or more of the following:
 • Edit the scale notes. Depending on the specific vocal line, adding or removing scale notes can give you distinctly di(erent e(ects.
 • Try a di(erent key and/or scale.
 • Try the chromatic scale (although our experience is that if you’re going for the classic e(ect, chromatic rarely provides it).
 • Try a Retune Speed of 1 or 2 or a bit slower. This will allow slight pitch variations and slightly less instant note transitions, but may result in the right e(ect for a particular performance.
 5. Don’t forget your host’s Bypass function. Limiting the Auto-Tune Vocal E(ect just to specific phrases can provide sonic contrast in your song. 
						

							81
Graphical Mode
Using Auto-Tune 8’s graphical Note Objects will give you the ultimate control over the Auto-Tune Vocal E(ect.
 1. Since you want all of your notes quantized, start by opening the Options dialog and setting the default Notes Retune Speed to 0. 
 2. Unless you will using something other than a standard diatonic scale, turn on Show Lanes mode.
 3. Track your audio.
 4. Click the Make Notes button. If necessary, adjust the Number of Note Objects control to get as accurate a representation of the desired target notes as possible.
 5. Make sure that all of the Note objects in the range where you want the e(ect to happen butt up against each other (this will ensure that all of the note transitions are instantaneous). If they don’t, either use the Arrow tool to extend existing Note boundaries so that they do, or use the Note tool to draw new notes to fill in any gaps.
 6. Play your track. If you like the result, you’re done.
 7. If you’re not happy with the result, simply experiment with changing the pitch or length of individual Notes. The beauty of Note objects is that you can literally sculpt any melodic contour to get exactly the e(ect you desire.
 8  Once you get the e(ect exactly as you like it, Auto-Tune 8’s graphical Paste function will allow you to copy all of the Note objects and paste them in subsequent verses or choruses or wherever else in your track you’d like the same e(ect. 
						

							82
6: The Auto-Tune 8 Scales
The following are brief descriptions of the scales available in Auto-Tune 8:
Modern Equal Temperament
These first three equal-tempered scales are the ubiquitous scales typically found in Western tonal music:
Major: a seven-tone equal tempered major scale.
Minor: a seven-tone equal tempered minor scale.
Equal Tempered chromatic: 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 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): 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 minor mode. 
Meantone chromatic: 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 playable.
Werckmeister III: 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 chromatic: 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. 
						

							83
Contemporary Tunings
Equal tempered scales with a large number of tones are typically used to play common tonal harmony with greater purity of intervals 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. 
						

							84
Index
A
Adjust Vibrato  41
All/Tie Buttons  46
Amplitude Amount  32
Antares Audio Technologies  ii
Arrow Tool  48
Audio Feedback of Note Object Pitch  4
Authorizing Auto-Tune 8  5
Automatic Mode  8
Basics  64
Automatic Mode Controls  22
Create Vibrato Functions  31
Edit Scale Display  25
MIDI Functions  29
Pitch Change Meter  33
Pitch Correction Functions  22
Sample Rate Display  28
Virtual Keyboard  27
Automatic Mode MIDI Functions  29
Automatic Update Notification  4
Auto Scroll  46
Auto-Tune Vocal E(ect  80
How to do it  80
What is it?  80
C
Clear All Button  51, 57
Clock Controls  34
Common Controls  15
Correction Mode  19
Formant Correction  18
Key Selection  16
Low Latency  16
Scale Selection  16
Select Pitch Reference  16
Throat Length  18
Tracking  15
Contemporary Tunings  83
Continuous Controls  15
Controls  15
Common  15
Continuous  15
Correction Mode  19
Correction Style  23
Correct Pitch  36
Create Vibrato Functions  31
Curve Tool  48
Cut And Copy Buttons  52
D
Data File Management Dialog  60
Delete All Data Files  62
E
Editing Modality  47
Editing Tools  47
Editing Modality  47
Graphical Tools  47
Editing Tools Active During Playback  4
Edit Scale Display  25
Enable Button  57
Envelope Graph Display  56
Ethnic Tunings  82
F
Find Data Folder  61, 63
Flex-Tune  10, 66
Correction Style  23
Formant Amount  32
Formant Correction  13, 18