Celemony Melodyne
Pitch-correction tools have always been a divisive issue (particularly for musicians of a purist disposition). There are those who believe that any kind of pitch-correction is blasphemous and thus renders the artist talentless (or with little credit to his/her name). Another school sees it as it is: a tool and nothing more. In this hyper-tuned era where most sounds undergo heavy processing and softsythns are rampant, even the greatest voice left ‘untouched’ would still sound imperfect/out of tune. This is largely to do with how WE consume music today. There’s no right or wrong answer here. It is what it is.
We believe that pitch-correction tools work best when used by those who can actually sing/perform. Of course, there are those (e.g. Kanye West) who choose to use it as an instrument — which is great! But by and large, pitch-correction tools are there for people who can sing and who wish to tune ‘here and there’ as it cannot create a Sinatra or Aretha Franklin on its own.
There are a few great tuning programmes on the market and Melodyne is definitely among the best. This is an extremely powerful tool and has been quietly dominating the market for a while now. The possibilities are pretty much infinite. You can tune and transpose any audio file, manipulate the timing and timbre, create harmonies and — if done with care and caution — sound 100% natural.
The drift tool is definitely one of our favourite features — especially if you’re aiming for a natural sound. Melodyne is without a doubt the best tuning programme on the market.
- An extremely powerful pitch correction (though it’s much more that) tool with undeniably awesome functionalities
- Phenomenal algorithm that does not leave any additional arteffects/character to the sound (unlike other tuning programmes on the market)
- It’s a little pricey
- The interface might appear somewhat daunting (especially for those who use other tuning programmes such as Antares Auto Tune, etc)
- Many of the truly exciting features (e.g. multi-tracking, etc) can only be found on the Studio Edition which is somewhat of a letdown
- It’s time-consuming. Prepare to spend some serious time if you’re aiming for excellent results
Who should buy this product?
- You have the cash and it won’t break the bank.
- You see this as a long-term investment — either as a studio owner or vocal producer.
- You’re a professional vocalist/musician or music producer who’s tired of spending countless dollars on studio fees!
Who should not buy this product?
- If you’re just looking for a quick ‘tuning solution’ this isn’t for you. There are cheaper and faster options.
- If your intention is solely to tune your voice in order to achieve the infamous ‘autotune’ (or ‘Cher effect’) sound, there are cheaper alternatives.
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