Some of the redesign results from changes to the way in which Auto-Tune operates, particularly in Graphic mode. These include a significant polish to the interface while these things are always a matter of taste, for me the new look is a significant improvement over version 4. New TuneĪntares have introduced a number of new features in Auto-Tune 5. However, on the positive side, most Melodyne users would argue that Melodyne is capable of much more than excellent pitch correction - it can be used to completely change both the pitch and timing of a melodic phrase in ways that Auto-Tune cannot - and in that sense, is also a creative tool rather than only a corrective one. Both of these facts made Melodyne feel somewhat less immediate than Auto-Tune, and less well integrated with the host DAW project. Before any pitch correction could be performed, audio had to be played through Melodyne Bridge into the main Melodyne application, and once any pitch manipulation had been carried out, it was saved in a separate file by Melodyne. In essence, Melodyne functioned as a stand-alone application and the link to your sequencer was provided by a separate plug-in called Melodyne Bridge. Until now, Melodyne worked in a very different fashion from Auto-Tune. However, if certain phrases in the performance require more detailed pitch correction, Auto-Tune 's Graphic mode provides pitch curves that can be edited to overcome more significant errors in the performance. Auto-Tune 's name derives from the simplicity of its Auto mode of operation: the plug-in is simply inserted into the required monophonic track and, providing the intonation of the original performance isn't too far wide of the mark, you can tweak a couple of controls and Auto-Tune performs its magic with no further user intervention.
So which of these two well respected pitch-manipulation tools should you be adding to your own DAW setup?īefore launching into what's new, it is probably useful to summarise the basic features of the two applications, because until now they have operated in very different ways. Both Antares and Celemony have just released new versions: Auto-Tune has moved to version 5, while Melodyne 3 has now been released as a plug-in, replacing the stand-alone application that linked to your sequencer via Melodyne Bridge. While Antares' Auto-Tune has been the market leader in this area ever since its introduction, Celemony's Melodyne has a significant and growing presence (although a further serious contender, Waves Tune, was reviewed by Jem Godfrey in the November 2006 issue of Sound On Sound). Whatever your views on the ethics, pitch correction has become one of the most widely used vocal processing tools in studios around the world. The new-look Auto mode interface for Auto-Tune features Humanise and Natural Vibrato controls.Īuto-Tune has been the industry standard pitch-correction tool for many years, and version 5 introduces many new features, but it faces its strongest competition yet from the new plug-in version of Celemony's Melodyne.