Up went the white flag

[bjornson]

Ok I surrender.. After 8 years of using workstations, I'm going to use autotune for the first time. I've always just manually tweaked a note here and there... This guy sucks so bad theres no other way. He suggested it and i made HIM buy it.
Can some one give me their tried and true step by step graphical mode process?
I still refuse to just slap it on the track and grimace.
I feel like a cheap *****

[imacgreg]

Welcome to the world of mediocre vocals!! hah. Here's a method that works for me when I need to do my tuning fast and accurate.

Make sure that when you change the AT mode from automatic to graphical, that you have the scale set on chromatic. That way, it will show you all the notes on the graph when tuning; not just those in whatever key it is set in.

Next, you need to set up your PT tracks to be able to tune fast. I create a new audio track, call it "tuner" whatever; it won't matter. Slap AT as a plugin on that track. Set it's output to a random bus.

Now, on your vocal audio track, set its input to that same bus. At this point, I make a duplicate track of your lead vocal (as a safety). Re-label the original vocal track something like "Lead Vox Tuned" or something like that. Ok, now just grab all the audio bits and pieces on your newly re-labeld "Lead Vox Tuned" track and pull them down to your new audio track, which we have labeled "tuner".

Now, record enable your "Lead Vox Tuned" track. From now on, when you play the vocal being tuned, you are hearing it through all the processing you had originally, but it is now running through the tuner. Make sure the tuner track is solo safed in case you want to tune while just hearing the vocal track.

Does this make any sense?? So far you've set up the bussing structure in order to tune fast and efficiently. Also, becuase you've renamed the track you are recording to as "Lead Vox Tuned," all your new tuned audio files will be appropriately named. It could simplify your life down the road.

Actually tuning the vocals is pretty damn easy, but my fingers are tired; hopefully someone else can chime in with actual tuning advice.

Ian

[bjornson]

Thanks, my first Q's are, do you "track pitch" the entire song into graphic mode or do it piece by piece? do the retune and retracking knobs function the same in graphic mode? do you HPF before you "track pitch" ?


Heres the funny part. I tortured this band during tracking. beat the shit out of em.
The singer didn't come till tonight. The tracks are pretty slammin. Then he opened his mouth to warm up. My eyes got real big and my jaw dropped. My assistant just busted up laughing.
I went outside and had my first ever puff of a marlboro. (i'm 39)
I kept looking around for the hidden camera. I still might be being set up.

[imacgreg]

Hahaha... I have to admit that has happened to me on more than one occasion. I have learned to ask the band to lay down a scratch vocal if possible, so I can be, uhhh, "mentally prepared" when it's time to do vocals...


Definately do the song piece by piece. I think the smaller the better. Take it phrase by phrase. Basically, highlight a 3-6 word phrase, hit "Track Pitch" and press play (making sure pre-roll and post roll is off). After AT has analyzed the pitch, start drawing in what it "should" be. This part can be tricky and over time you will develop little tricks to remove AT artifacts. The retune and retracking knobs both work during graphical mode. Once you've got the segment playing just fine, hit record and record it to your main vocal track as described above.

Ian

[Geert van den Berg]

As imacgreg said, I would like to add some other tricks. I don't see the need to make a recording track anymore since the latest version is also in audiosuite.

I would definately duplicate your vocal track as a safety. Then you can select words or frases to tune. When I do this I always do a seperate region command so I can easily select the same piece of audio again, if I might accidentily deselect the audio when tuning (the plugin doesn't remember the place your region is that you are tuning, so you'll need to track pitch again, not nice if you've just been busy drawing in the right notes!)

If the plugin has trouble to track to the voice if it's an old or raspy voice make another duplicate of your vocal track and filter and compress it heavely with audiosuite then for the tracking command you select the same portion of audio on this track (you can mute this track, make it one whole file and seperate regions on this track) but you process and listen to the track you are auto-tuning. Hope this is clear and helpfull.

How I do it, if it matters.........in PTLE

1. Duplicate the sucky vocal track.
2. Use the AS version and apply it to the track as a whole setting the key and params. This takes a few shots until you learn the what best suites your talent, or lack there of.
3. Solo the track and listen through...This can hurt be careful .
4. When you hear a line that is fuqd up by AT cut it out on the fly.
5. If you are luck most of the track will still be left and then you can address the small sections on thier own.
6. Lastly, try to blend this track with teh original if possible for a more natural feel.

If you get this far you are either real happy you saved the day OR coming to the realization that AT is NOT going to work.

ALWAYS TRY TO AVOID AT!!!!
It sucks the life out of sound while imparting some odd metallic thingy that drives me nuts. My singer loves it. He also wants to sound like Chad Kroger and do it with one vocal track. Right!

Good luck.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

The only way to use AutoTune and not have it sound like you used it, is to use Graphic mode. I've previously posted tutorials on how to use it on the DUC:

Link 1

Link 2

Read them in that order.

Rail

[karl]

I quite happily use it in auto mode as an AS plug. Just process a part line or two at a time and leave the retune time at about 80-100 for transparency. Also set the key you are in and edge towards relaxed setting. I cannot understand it when Autotune is applied real time and just set to chromatic though. That is not good enough for a lot of singers. I think the listener has become accustomed to most recordings being well in tune over the last few years.

[Geert van den Berg]

I agree with only using AT in Graphic mode. But you can do this as well when using the audiosuite version, which is IMHO easier and faster then making a new record track! (and you don't have to compensate for plugin-latency)

[Rail Jon Rogut]

In AudioSuite mode.. you can't listen to it against the track to check tuning. Personally, I don't just rely on the lines when tuning vocals.. I still use my ears to check it's right in the track. It's also not normal for a singer to sing every single note perfectly in tune.

Rail

[Geert van den Berg]

You are right about that, but pressing the process button and use undo if it's not okay, will get you there as well.

[Geert van den Berg]

I come back on this as I had an Auto-T session today and as Rail Jon Rogut said using the TDM version, to check against the musictracks is indeed handier.