Pitch Correcting Plug-in Auto-Tune reborn! Owner’s Manual
©2008 Antares Audio Technologies. All rights reserved. Certified Isinglass-free.™ All trademarks are property of their respective owners. www.antarestech.com Printed in USA Rev 1.
The Obligatory Legal Mumbo-Jumbo The Antares Auto-Tune Evo software and this User’s Manual are protected by copyright law. Making copies, adaptations, or derivative works without the prior written authorization of Antares Audio Technologies, is prohibited by law and constitutes a punishable violation of the law. Auto-Tune Evo License Agreement Antares Audio Technologies grants you a non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use Auto-Tune Evo under the terms and conditions stated in this agreement.
Term of the Agreement This agreement is effective until terminated by you or Antares. You may terminate the agreement at any time by notifying Antares and destroying all copies of the manual, and erasing Auto-Tune Evo from all machine-readable media, whether on-line or on archival copies. In the event of breach of any of the terms of this agreement, you shall pay the attorney’s fees of Antares that are reasonably necessary to enforce the agreement plus resulting damages.
Contents Chapter 1 Getting Started What’s New in Auto-Tune Evo Installing and Authorizing Technical Support Chapter 2 Introducing Auto-Tune Evo Some background So what exactly is Auto-Tune Evo? A little bit about pitch How Auto-Tune Evo detects pitch How Auto-Tune Evo corrects pitch Automatic Mode Graphical Mode Pitch Shifting and Formant Correction Chapter 3 9 9 9 11 11 12 14 15 Auto-Tune Evo Controls Common Controls The Options Window Automatic Mode Controls Graphical Mode Controls Pen Tablet Input
vi Chapter 5 New Features Quick Start Guide 65 Chapter 6 The Auto-Tune Vocal Effect (The Cher/T-Pain Style Effect) 77 Chapter 7 Other Creative Applications 79 Chapter 8 The Auto-Tune Evo Scales! 91 Index 83
1 Welcome! On behalf of everyone at Antares Audio Technologies, we’d like to offer both our thanks and congratulations on your decision to purchase Auto-Tune Evo, the latest (and indisputably greatest) generation of the worldwide standard in professional pitch correction. Before you proceed any farther, we’d like to strongly encourage you to register and authorize your copy of Auto-Tune Evo. (You can skip ahead to the Authorization and Installation instructions on page 5. We’ll wait.
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3 Chapter 1: Getting Started Auto-Tune Evo represents the most substantial advancement in power and ease of use since Auto-Tune’s original introduction in 1997. If you are new to Auto-Tune, we encourage you to read this manual and work through the tutorials in Chapter 4. It’s the quickest way to become familiar with what Auto-Tune Evo does and how it does it.
4 common control area to ensure that all of the parameters used by both Automatic and Graphical correction modes are easily available at all times. • Tracking control back where it belongs: Back in Auto-Tune 5, we consolidated the Auto Mode and Graphical Mode Tracking controls and moved the resulting control to the Options dialog. This turned out to be a none-too-popular move. It’s now back in the common control area where it’s instantly accessible in either mode.
5 • Customizable object-based default Retune Speeds: Since you will typically use different pitch correction objects for different tasks (e.g., traditional pitch correction, pitch shifting, T-Pain-style effects, etc.), you can streamline your workflow by setting your own custom default Retune Speeds for each type of object (i.e., Curves, Lines, and Notes) in the Options dialog.
6 How to use this manual If this is your first experience of Auto-Tune, you will find that Auto-Tune Evo has a very friendly user-interface and is extraordinarily easy to use. However, because Auto-Tune Evo does things that have never been done before, some aspects of the user-interface may not be immediately obvious. You should at least read either Chapter 3, Auto-Tune Evo Controls, or Chapter 4, Auto-Tune Evo Tutorial, to learn the essential information you will need to operate Auto-Tune Evo.
7 Technical Support In the unlikely event that you experience a problem using Auto-Tune Evo, try the following: 1. Make sure you have the latest version of the plug-in. You can download and install the latest version of Auto-Tune Evo from the following web page: http://www.antarestech.com/download/ update.shtml 2. If you are having problems authorizing your software, be sure that you have the latest version of the PACE Interlok drivers.
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9 Chapter 2: Introducing Auto-Tune Evo Some background In 1997, Antares Audio Technologies first introduced the ground-breaking Auto-Tune Pitch Correcting Plug-In. Auto-Tune was a tool that actually corrected the pitch of vocals and other solo instruments, in real time, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive nuance of the original performance. Recording Magazine called Auto-Tune the “holy grail of recording.
10 column, etc.). The sound that is thus generated can be graphically represented as a waveform (a graph of the sound’s pressure over time) that is periodic. This means that each cycle of waveform repeats itself fairly exactly, as in the periodic waveform shown in the diagram below: Because of its periodic nature, this sound’s pitch can be easily identified and processed by Auto-Tune Evo. Other sounds are more complex. This waveform: is of a violin section playing a single note in unison.
11 How Auto-Tune Evo detects pitch In order for Auto-Tune Evo to automatically correct pitch, it must first detect the pitch of the input sound. Calculating the pitch of a periodic waveform is a straightforward process. Simply measure the time between repetitions of the waveform. Divide this time into one, and you have the frequency in Hertz. Auto-Tune Evo does exactly this: It looks for a periodically repeating waveform and calculates the time interval between repetitions.
12 Automatic Mode Auto-Tune Evo’s Automatic Mode works by continuously tracking the pitch of an input sound and comparing it to a user-defined scale. The scale tone closest to the input is continuously identified. If the input pitch exactly matches the scale tone, no correction is applied. If the input pitch varies from the desired scale tone, an output pitch is generated which is closer to the scale tone than the input pitch.
13 Retune Speed Auto-Tune Evo also gives you control over how rapidly, in time, the pitch adjustment is made toward the scale tone. This is set with the Retune Speed control (see Chapter 3 for more details). Fast Speed settings are appropriate for short duration notes and for mechanical instruments, like oboe or clarinet, whose pitch typically changes almost instantly. A fast enough setting will also minimize or completely remove a vibrato, as well as produce the infamous “Cher effect.
14 Graphical Mode The Graphical Mode is similar to the Automatic Mode in that it also continuously tracks the pitch of the incoming sound and modifies the output pitch to be closer to a desired pitch. But in the Graphical Mode, the desired pitch is not a predefined scale tone, but rather is a graphical representation of your desired pitch (called a “correction object”).
15 controls at the top of the interface. They do not affect the computations of the Graphical Mode in any way. They are merely a reference to guide you in setting the target pitches. Graphical Mode also includes the Envelope Graph, which displays the amplitude (loudness) envelope of the sound whose pitch is shown in the Pitch Graph.
16 When a vocal is pitch-shifted by large intervals without formant correction, not only is the pitch of sung notes shifted, but the formants are shifted as well. The resulting effect is not just of a person singing higher or lower notes, but of a person who is literally growing or shrinking (depending on the direction of the shift). While this can be useful for producing singing chipmunks, it typically does not produce realistic pitch-shifting over ranges larger than a semitone or two.
17 Chapter 3: Auto-Tune Evo Controls This chapter is a reference for all of the controls used in the Auto-Tune Evo interface. How these controls are used together for intonation correction is demonstrated in Chapter 4, Auto-Tune Evo Tutorial. If you are upgrading from Auto-Tune 5, you can probably skip ahead to Chapter 5, New Feature Quick Start Guide. Continuous Controls Auto-Tune Evo’s continuous controls are represented graphically as virtual knobs.
18 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.
19 Scale Detune The Detune parameter allows you to change the pitch standard of Auto-Tune Evo from the default A = 440Hz. The value is set in cents (100 cents = 1 semitone). The range of adjustment is from -100 to +100 cents. For convenience, the detune amount is also displayed in Hertz relative to A440. The Detune function can be used to tune a vocal performance to some irreparably out-of-tune instrument (a piano or organ, for example), or to allow correction to other than the conventional 440Hz standard.
20 you wish to use the Throat Length function on a TDM system, be sure to select the RTAS version of Auto-Tune Evo. In addition to simply changing vocal timbre, increasing throat length is useful when the original performance is female and you want to transpose it down and have it sound more male. Conversely, decreasing throat length is useful when the original input is male and you want to transpose it up and have it sound female or childlike.
21 Options Clicking the Options button will bring up a window containing a number of settings that fall into the “set and forget” category. NUMBER OF UNDOS Auto-Tune Evo 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. KNOB CONTROL Lets you select how you want to control the “knobs” in the Auto-Tune Evo interface.
22 position in Graphical Mode. This is most useful when you are comparing the various pitch values (tracked pitch, correction object pitch, and output pitch) at one or more time locations in your track. A Tip: Since the line indicator can be somewhat annoying during normal editing tasks, you can, if you prefer, uncheck this box in the Options dialog and then assign Toggle Time Indicator to one of the number keys as described below.
23 Note: Some hosts do not support immediate resizing of an open plugin window. If yours in one of those, after clicking Save, you will have to close the Auto-Tune Evo window and reopen it to have the size change take affect. Another Note: Since real-time resizing is supported in all current versions of Pro Tools LE and HD, neither the RTAS nor TDM versions of AutoTune Evo include (or need) the Window Size controls.
24 a slower Retune Speed just to the sustained notes. Thus, the short notes are in tune and the sustained notes still allow the natural variations of the original performance. Here’s how it works: Start by setting Humanize to 0 and adjusting the Retune Speed until the shortest problem notes in the performance are in tune. At this point, any sustained notes may sound unnaturally static. If so, start advancing the Humanize control.
25 to recognize vibrato and differentiate between it and intended note changes. Our testing has shown that it works a lot of the time — but not always (it depends a great deal on the actual performance). When it works, Auto-Tune Evo ignores the wide vibrato as far as target note selection is concerned. When it doesn’t, it works pretty much the same way it would work if the function were ”Off.” The default state of this control is Off.
26 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.
27 The Virtual Keyboard The Virtual Keyboard displays Auto-Tune Evo’s pitch detection range and acts as a real-time 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. IMPORTANT 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.
28 and use the Scale Edit window Remove All button to remove all notes from the scale. Set Keyboard Edit to Remove and Keyboard Mode to Momentary. 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. Sample Rate Display This display indicates the sample rate of the current audio file as reported to Auto-Tune Evo by the host application. NOTE: Auto-Tune Evo is high sample rate compatible.
29 Auto-Tune Evo MIDI Functions Auto-Tune Evo 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 Evo. Please note that some host applications may not support the routing of MIDI information to plug-ins.
30 If you happen to have made 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.
31 Create Vibrato Functions SAWTOOTH Gradually rises from minimum to maximum and then drops instantaneously to minimum to start the cycle again. Rate Sets the rate of the vibrato over a range of 0.1 Hz to 10 Hz. The default Rate setting is 5.5 Hz. Double-clicking or Command (Mac)/Control (PC) clicking the Rate knob will reset it to that value. Variation Sets the amount of random variation that will be applied to the Rate and Amount parameters on a note to note basis.
32 which the vibrato depths will increase from none to the full amounts set in the various Amount parameters — for a total of 1.75 seconds from the beginning of the note to the time full vibrato depth was reached. Pitch Amount Sets the amount that the pitch changes. The range is from 0 (no change) to 100 (maximum change). The default setting is 18. Command (Mac)/Control (PC) clicking the slider will reset it to that value. Amplitude Amount Sets the amount that the loudness changes.
33 The Pitch Change Meter The Pitch Change Indicator shows you how much the pitch is being changed, measured in cents (100 cents = one semitone). For example, if the indicator bar has moved to the left to -50, it indicates that the input pitch is 50 cents too sharp and Auto-Tune Evo is lowering the pitch by 50 cents to bring the input back to the desired pitch.
34 Using Internal Clock Mode To select Auto-Tune Evo’s Internal clock, click the Internal button. To track and correct pitch in Internal Clock mode: 1. Use your host transport to move to the beginning of the section you want to correct and note that position, as you will need to return to that precise place for correction. 2. Click the Reset button to set the clock position to 00:00:0. 3. Click the Track Pitch button, play the desired audio and then stop the transport. 4.
35 Pitch Tracking and Correction Objects Track Pitch The Track Pitch function is used to detect the pitch of the audio to be processed so that it can be displayed on the Pitch Graph Display. Locate the desired audio and press the Track Pitch button. (If you are using Auto-Tune Evo’s Internal clock (see below) you may (depending on your host) need to click the Reset button to reset the clock position to 00:00:0.
36 Make Curve The Make Curve button is enabled whenever there is any red input pitch contour data present in the Pitch Graph (whether it is displayed in the current Pitch Graph view or not). Pressing the Make Curve button causes blue target pitch contour objects (curves for short) to be created from the input pitch contour data. These curve objects can then be dragged and stretched for very meticulous pitch correction.
37 If you aren’t satisfied with the results of the Import Auto function, simply switch to Automatic Mode, modify any of the settings as desired, and then return to Graphical Mode and click Import Auto again. NOTE: In addition to its use as a Graphical Mode correction tool, the Import Auto function can also be used to provide an informative visual representation of the results of Automatic Mode settings.
38 As you select slower Retune Speeds, the output progressively reflects the shape and position of the original tracked input pitch. This is much easier to understand visually than to describe. Simply zoom in on a Note and adjust its Retune Speed over its entire range. You will see the green output curve change in real time and all will be clear.
39 Again, what may seem slightly bewildering in verbal description, is immediately obvious when you see it in action. So track some pitch and experiment with the Number of Note Objects control. You’ll see. Retune Speed The Retune Speed setting is used only during the pitch correction process. It’s similar in function but separate from the Retune Speed control in Automatic Mode.
40 correction, often resulting in exclamations of a possibly profane nature.) The default Adjust Vibrato setting is 0. Command (Mac)/Control (PC) clicking the slider will reset it to that value. NOTE: This function is only available when some tracked audio has been selected with the I-Beam tool. If no audio is selected, the knob will not become active. Once some audio is selected, the knob will become active.
41 Tune Evo’s Graphical Mode window can be resized in real-time, limited only by the size of your monitor. In hosts that don’t support real-time resizing, the window size can be set in the Options Dialog as described above. In VST hosts, resizing is limited to a maximum size of 1600 x 1200 pixels — still not too shabby. Show Lanes The Pitch Graph Display’s default mode displays horizontal lines that represent each pitch.
42 turned off and the Note has been offset from the graph line or lane, it will display the note and the amount of offset (in cents). The Envelope Graph Display The Envelope Graph displays the amplitude (loudness) envelope of the sound whose pitch is shown in the Pitch Graph. All/Tie Buttons The Envelope Graph’s horizontal (time) scale is controlled by the “All” and “Tie” buttons. Clicking the All button causes the envelope graph to display all of the currently tracked audio.
43 The Graphical Tools The graphical tools are used in conjunction with the edit buttons to create or modify the desired correction objects. NOTE: In addition to clicking on the various tools, if your host passes key presses to plug-ins, you can assign selected tools to QWERTY number keys using the Key Binding function in the Options dialog. The Line Tool The Line Tool is used to draw multi-segment straight lines on the Pitch Graph.
44 object, any object(s) that previously existed at the same time will be deleted. NOTE: If, while the Curve Tool is selected, you move the cursor onto the Envelope Graph Display, it will temporarily change to the Magnifying Glass Tool, allowing you to quickly and easily move to any other point in your audio and then resume editing without needing to manually change tools. The Note Tool The Note Tool is used to draw new Notes (duh!).
45 intermediate anchor point at that point. The cursor will change to the anchor point cursor and the new anchor point can then be dragged. Note’s start or end point will replace any other correction objects that currently exist in the extended time range. Moving the Arrow Tool over an existing anchor point (except for end points) and double-clicking will remove that anchor point and cause a straight line to be drawn between the now adjacent anchor points.
46 Scissors Tool Moving the Scissors Tool over an existing Curve, Line, or Note object and clicking will break the object in two at the point clicked. Both of the new objects will be unselected. For Curves and Lines, although it will look like there is only one anchor point created at the break point, there are actually two (one for each of the two newly created line or curve segments). Simply use the Arrow Tool to move the top anchor point to reveal the other one.
47 The Cut And Copy Buttons The Cut and Copy buttons become active whenever one or more correction objects are selected. Cut removes selected objects. Both Cut and Copy copy selected objects to the Auto-Tune Evo clipboard. You can then paste the objects elsewhere in the Pitch Graph display. NOTE: If you’re absolutely certain you want to clear everything and don’t want to be bothered by the confirmation dialog, Option-click the Clear All button to bypass the warning.
48 The Nudge Buttons The Nudge buttons allow you to move all currently selected correction objects up or down in precise one-pixel increments. Note: If Snap To Note mode is enabled, Note objects can not be nudged. If you want to nudge a Note object, first turn off Snap To Note. After nudging the Note to its new pitch, you can re-engage Snap To Note.
49 Chapter 4 : Auto-Tune Evo Tutorials This chapter introduces you to how Auto-Tune Evo works by guiding you through a number of brief tutorials. These tutorials make use of a number of audio and MIDI files. (We will assume that you are familiar with loading audio and MIDI files into your host application.) If you purchased a packaged version of Auto-Tune Evo, your will find the required files in the “Tutorial Audio” folder on the installation DVD ROM.
50 The setting of 0 is fast: Auto-Tune Evo makes instantaneous pitch changes. The setting of 30 is slower. Auto-Tune Evo makes gradual pitch changes. This parameter controls how rapidly the pitch correction is applied to the incoming pitch. The units are milliseconds. A value of zero will cause instantaneous changes from one tone to another and will completely suppress a vibrato (note that related volume changes will remain). Retune values from 10 to 50 are typical for vocals. To continue: 1.
51 Tutorial 2: Targeting Ignores Vibrato Function This tutorial will demonstrate the purpose and use of the Automatic Mode’s Targeting Ignores Vibrato function. Begin the tutorial by doing the following: 1. Load or import “wide_vibrato” into a track of your host program. This is a recording of a male voice singing a sustained “G” with a pronounced vibrato. Play the track so that you are familiar with the original audio.
52 Tutorial 3: Natural Vibrato Function This tutorial will demonstrate the use of the Natural Vibrato function using the same audio file we used in the previous tutorial. Begin the tutorial by doing the following: 1. Load or import “wide_vibrato” into a track of your host program. This is a recording of a male voice singing a sustained “G” with a pronounced vibrato. Play the track so that you are familiar with the original audio. 2. Set up Auto-Tune Evo to be an insert effect on that track. 3.
53 Tutorial 4: Using the Automatic Mode MIDI Functions This tutorial will introduce you to Auto-Tune Evo’s two Automatic Mode MIDI functions: Learn Scale From MIDI and Target Notes Via MIDI. With Learn Scale From MIDI, you can create the correct scale for a particular melody without knowing a G-sharp from a B-flat. Simply play the melody on a MIDI keyboard which is patched through your host application to AutoTune Evo or play an existing MIDI file with contains the MIDI notes of the melody to be processed.
54 Tutorial 5: Transpose and Formant Control This tutorial will demonstrate Auto-Tune Evo’s pitch shifting, formant correction and throat modeling capabilities. It will make use of the same audio file used in the previous tutorial. Begin the tutorial by doing the following: 1. Load or import the audio file “somewhere” into a track of your host program. 2. Set up Auto-Tune Evo to be an insert effect on that track. (If you are using a Pro Tools HD system, use the RTAS version of the plug-in.) 3.
55 Tutorial 6: Graphical Mode Basics This tutorial will introduce you to the basic Graphical Mode functions, again using the “A2A3-A2 sweep” file from Tutorial 1. Begin the tutorial by doing the following: 1. Load or import “A2-A3-A2 sweep” into a track of your host program. Play the track so that you are familiar with the original audio. To erase the last point entered, press on the keyboard (you can press repeatedly to erase back to the first anchor point).
56 5. Play back the sound to hear the effect. 6. Vary the Retune Speed between 0 and 400 and note the effect on both the green output curve and the audio. This would also be a good time to see if the Edit Button keyboard equivalents work in your host application: Command/Control-Z Undo Now that we have some correction objects on the Pitch Graph Display, this would be a good time to become familiar with the functions of the Arrow and Scissors Tools.
57 Tutorial 7: Precision Tutorial 8: Make Curve Function This tutorial is actually more of a demonstration to show the extraordinary precision with which Auto-Tune Evo can track and correct intonation problems. If this doesn’t sound interesting, feel free to proceed to Tutorial 8 below. This tutorial will introduce you to the Make Curve function. The Make Curve function gives you precise control over pitch accuracy and inflection.
58 2. Make sure Snap To Note is engaged and use the Line Tool to draw a horizontal line at C3 as shown below: 7. Click the Make Curve button. Auto-Tune Evo will compute a new blue curve object from the existing pitch data as well as a green output curve that reflects the default Curve Retune Speed. (The new curves may be difficult to see at first because they may exactly overlay the red curve.) Click the I-Beam Tool on the background of the Pitch Graph to cancel the area selection. 8.
59 • or stretch it by dragging one end vertically. The Retune Speed 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.
60 8. Click the Import Auto button. Auto-Tune Evo will compute a new blue curve object from the existing pitch data as well as a green output curve: raised PITCHES PITCH DRAWN TO NEIGHBORING NOTES Assuming that this entire phrase should be centered around E3, there are several problem spots, indicated above, where the pitch is being incorrectly adjusted towards neighboring tones. 9.
61 Tutorial 10: Make Notes Function This tutorial will help you become familiar with Auto-Tune Evo’s new Notes correction objects and how they are used for pitch correction and selective pitch shifting. For this tutorial, we will once again use the “somewhere” audio file. 1. Load or import the audio file “somewhere” into a track of your host program. 2. Set up Auto-Tune Evo to be an insert effect on that track. 3. Select Graphical Mode and select G Major as the Key and Scale. 4.
62 11. Ensure that Formant Correction is engaged. With the Arrow tool still selected, move the cursor over the middle of the G3 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 two semitones to A3. Play the file and listen to the melodic change. 12. Select the Scissors tool and click on the A3 note at about the 8.3 second point (at the pronounced pitch peak) to cut it into two notes. 13.
63 20. The easiest solution, of course, is to select the right scale. Change the Key and Scale from G Chromatic to G Major. Click Make Notes again. Set the Number of Note Objects to 20. Voilà.
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65 Chapter 5: New Feature Quick Start Guide This chapter brings all of the new Auto-Tune Evo features together in one place to help experienced Auto-Tune 5 users learn the new features without having to slog through all of the stuff they already know. (The items below also appear in their appropriate places elsewhere in the manual.) With a few exceptions, the new features in Auto-Tune Evo are additions to the current Auto-Tune 5 functionality.
66 • • • Key Scale Scale Detune Tracking control back where it belongs Back in Auto-Tune 5, we consolidated the Auto Mode and Graphical Mode Tracking controls and moved the resulting control to the Options dialog. This turned out to be a none-too-popular move. It’s now back in the common control area where it’s instantly accessible in either mode.
67 will take effect in the current instance of AutoTune Evo, but future instances will revert to the previously saved value.
68 throat length, while a value of 0.70 represents a 30% decrease in throat length. Note: This control is only active when Formant Correction is engaged. When Formant Correction is not engaged, this control is disabled (grayed out). Since Formant Correction is not available in the TDM versions of Auto-Tune Evo, Throat Length is also not available in the TDM versions. If you wish to use the Throat Length function on a TDM system, be sure to select the RTAS version of Auto-Tune Evo.
69 For pitch correction, it combines the ease of Automatic Mode with the control of Graphical Mode to allow you to get optimum results with a minimum of tedious tweaking. Combined with Auto-Tune Evo’s formant correction and throat modeling capabilities, it provides an easy, intuitive method of modifying the pitch of individual notes or phrases. And when programming Cher or T-Pain style vocal effects, it gives you absolute control over exactly which notes will be quantized to.
70 should be the first action you take before proceeding with any pitch correction or Note or Curve-based pitch shifting. If not, frustration is almost guaranteed to ensue. When Number of Note Objects is set to the “Less” end of its range: Small variations in pitch are treated as a single Note. • Large cyclical variations in pitch are seen as vibrato and treated as a single Note. • A gradual pitch change is seen as a transition between notes and no Note objects are created for it.
71 Pitch Graph. If the Snap To Note function is not active, you can move the note to any arbitrary pitch. A Tip: When moving a Note with Snap To Note off, you can refer to the Object Pitch Display to determine the Note’s exact pitch at any position. When the cursor is near either end of a note, the length adjustment cursor (horizontal left and right arrows) will be displayed.
72 VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Although it’s been mentioned before (and will probably be mentioned again), we can’t stress too strongly the extent to which the ability to assign independent Retune Speeds to individual correction objects streamlines Auto-Tune Evo’s Graphical Mode workflow and makes it easier than ever to get natural sounding correction results.
73 New Pitch Graph display mode Global Transposition However, with the introduction of Note objects, we have added an additional Lanes display mode that, as the name implies, displays horizontal lanes that extend from the left-hand “keys” and are tinted to differentiate the sharps and/or flats. Note objects snap neatly into these lanes and they are particularly useful when you will be using Note objects to shift the pitch of individual notes.
74 New graphical Paste function The Paste button becomes active whenever one or more objects have been Cut or Copied to the clipboard. To paste object(s) from the clipboard: Navigate to the general area where you want to paste the object(s.) • Click the Paste button (the cursor will turn into the Paste cursor). • Press and hold your left (or only) mouse button. A graphic representation of the object(s) to be pasted will appear.
75 New Auto-Scaling behavior If Auto-Scroll is off while tracking pitch, when the transport is stopped and the Track Pitch button is clicked to exit Track Pitch Mode, AutoTune Evo will not automatically scale the display to encompass all of the tracked audio, as it normally would. This is useful when you have zoomed in to a problematic bit of audio and want to track it a number of times with different Tracking settings and observe the effects of the different settings.
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77 Chapter 6: The Auto-Tune Vocal Effect (i.e., the Cher/T-Pain-Style Effect) 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 effect have gone on to appear on songs from a huge variety of artists.
78 Graphical Mode Using Auto-Tune Evo’s new graphical Note objects will give you the ultimate control over the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect. 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.
79 Chapter 7: Other Creative Applications for Auto-Tune Evo Auto-Tune Evo 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 Evo: • Produce instant double tracking in one take! Record onto two tracks, processing only one of the tracks through Auto-Tune Evo.
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81 Chapter 8: The Auto-Tune Evo Scales The following are brief descriptions of the scales available in Auto-Tune Evo: 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.
82 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.
83 Index A Amplitude Amount 32 Antares Audio Technologies ii, 1, 9 background 9 Authorizing Auto-Tune Evo 6 Automatic Mode 11, 12 Retune Speed 13 Scales 12 Vibrato 13 Automatic Mode Controls 23 Humanize 23 Natural Vibrato 24 Pitch Correction Functions 23 Targeting Ignores Vibrato 24 Auto-Tune 5 3, 4, 66 Auto-Tune Vocal Effect 77 B BIG IMPORTANT NOTE 3, 65 Bypass 26, 79 Bypass All 26 C Cents 26 Cher/T-Pain-Style Effect 77 Clear All Button 46 Clock Controls 33 Determining if your host provides valid clo
84 Select All Button 47 Snap To Note Button 47 Undo Button 47 Editing Tools 42 Edit Scale Display 25 Bypass 26 Bypass All 26 Cents 26 Remove 26 Remove All 26 Set All 26 Set Major/Set Minor 26 Equal Tempered Scale 10 Ethnic Tunings 81 Evo Vocal Processing 9 Evo Voice Processing Technology 3 How Auto-Tune Evo corrects pitch 11 How Auto-Tune Evo detects pitch 11 Humanize 23 F L G M Formant Amount 32 Formant correction 67 Formant Correction 15, 20 Global Transposition 73 Godzilla 9 Graphical Mode 11, 14
85 Comprehensive programmable keyboard shortcuts 5 Customizable object-based default Retune Speeds 5 Enhanced I-Beam Tool behavior 5 Enhanced pitch displays 5 Formant correction 5 Global Transposition 5 New graphical Paste function 5 New Pitch Graph display mode 5 Note-based pitch correction and pitch shifting 4 Nudge controls for pitch correction objects 5 Object-based Retune Speed settings 4 Real-time display of output pitch 5 Resizable Graphical Mode window 4 Throat modeling 5 Note Tool 70 Nudge Buttons
86 T Targeting Ignores Vibrato 24 Target Notes Via MIDI 30 Technical Support 7 Throat Length 19 Throat modeling 67 Throat Modeling 16 Tracking 17 Track Pitch 35 Transpose 19, 67 Tutorials 49 1: Automatic Mode Basics 49 2: Targeting Ignores Vibrato Function 51 3: Natural Vibrato Function 52 4: Using the Automatic Mode MIDI Functions 53 5: Transpose and Formant Control 54 6: Graphical Mode Basics 55 7: Precision 57 8: Make Curve Function 57 9: Import Auto Function 59 10: Make Notes Function 61 U Undo Butt
