Melodyne ... not quite yet

C.Lambrechts · 22nd April 2004

It had been a while since I tested this awesome looking piece of software. A piece of software that I originally thought would wipe the floor with autotune / vocalign / soundreplacer / timestretchers etc etc ....

Version 1 realy messed with your sound and had some major pitfalls like not having the possibility to work sample accurate with your soundfiles for example.

Today I gave version 2.07 a closer look ... for about 20 minutes to find out that NOTHING has changed ... NOTHING .... at least not the stuff that imho matters.

Granted ... it does cool things ... awesomely cool things and if you don't mind loosing 50% of your original quality then fine .... go for it.

BUT :

1. Still no accurate possible way to position your sound file. Options are limited to 1 ms at best ... 44 samples of margin where you have NO idea whatsoever where you actually position your file. Unacceptable if you think that we have been kicking digidesigns butt for the last 3 years to finally get ADC ... sample accurate ADC. Mind you ... if you want to work within that 1ms (44 samples) margin you have to stick your nose to the screen and try to estimate where to release the mouse button, hoping that you are spot on.... allways the 44 sample margin of error in mind which again .. you have NO control over.

2. I created a nice little 15 second bounce ... female vocal with nice reverb tail .... Melodyne offers no import positioning possibilities at all ... You have to add melody or open the sound file and it kinda puts the file where it feels like it ... near the zero point of the session. After which you have to find out that instead of importing all 15 seconds of the file ... it only imported 14 seconds of it. Nicely cutting off the reverb in the middle of it. Thank you .... my nice 960L verb cut off without even asking. Fine ... import is dry you'll say. Tried it ..... doesn't think the first breath / respiration is important so let's cut that in the middle too. WTF ... NO way to import the complete file incuding silences in the beginning or end. Good luck positioning your file afterwards back into your protools session.

3. Fine fine .... work arounds possible and granted ... it can do some cool things. so let's see how it sounds after exporting it and putting it back into PT. I did absolutely NOTHING to the file ... NOTHING .... I imported it into melodyne and simply exported it back. Merely to see what the processing does compared to the original sound.
While all this time I was thinking to import the processed file back into ProTools, to have it placed under the original / phase revese it and see if they cancel ... which is virtually impossible because you are at best with a 44 sample margin .... there was no need whatsoever to go this far. It wasn't even necessary to A/B against the original. My nice smooth sounding female had turned into a grainy crispy sounding old lady with a vocoder on her breath. Sorry Melodyne .... it is better then in version 1 ... but a damn long way off to what it is supposed to be. As long as you are not able to process a file without sonically touching it ... forget it.

I'll try again in version 3 maybe .... for now .... dissapointed again ... pitty ... great potential ... heads up and keep working on it.

BevvyB · 22nd April 2004

I too was one of those people who got all excited when Melodyne came out

Oh well, still only good for wierd stuff in dance tracks I guess

veejay_j · 23rd April 2004

All true, I found out that it really depends in how he import the
file. You can make some settings (detection parameters) in the window were melodyne checks/scan the audio file for the pitch.

I like the program for problem solving in vocals, but that is not a job I like to do. And it can verry easy mess up your vocal sound.

J

lefthando · 23rd April 2004

Thanks for the posts guys,

I've a client who is insisting on working with this software while we develop his recordings in the studio. I've managed to hold him off with my skepticism so far, as I just haven't had time to delve into it.

I will not waste my time nor his money for the moment.

22nd April 2004	#1
C.Lambrechts Lives for gear Joined: May 2002 Location: Ans (Liege) Belgium Posts: 3,286 Thread Starter	Melodyne ... not quite yet It had been a while since I tested this awesome looking piece of software. A piece of software that I originally thought would wipe the floor with autotune / vocalign / soundreplacer / timestretchers etc etc .... Version 1 realy messed with your sound and had some major pitfalls like not having the possibility to work sample accurate with your soundfiles for example. Today I gave version 2.07 a closer look ... for about 20 minutes to find out that NOTHING has changed ... NOTHING .... at least not the stuff that imho matters. Granted ... it does cool things ... awesomely cool things and if you don't mind loosing 50% of your original quality then fine .... go for it. BUT : 1. Still no accurate possible way to position your sound file. Options are limited to 1 ms at best ... 44 samples of margin where you have NO idea whatsoever where you actually position your file. Unacceptable if you think that we have been kicking digidesigns butt for the last 3 years to finally get ADC ... sample accurate ADC. Mind you ... if you want to work within that 1ms (44 samples) margin you have to stick your nose to the screen and try to estimate where to release the mouse button, hoping that you are spot on.... allways the 44 sample margin of error in mind which again .. you have NO control over. 2. I created a nice little 15 second bounce ... female vocal with nice reverb tail .... Melodyne offers no import positioning possibilities at all ... You have to add melody or open the sound file and it kinda puts the file where it feels like it ... near the zero point of the session. After which you have to find out that instead of importing all 15 seconds of the file ... it only imported 14 seconds of it. Nicely cutting off the reverb in the middle of it. Thank you .... my nice 960L verb cut off without even asking. Fine ... import is dry you'll say. Tried it ..... doesn't think the first breath / respiration is important so let's cut that in the middle too. WTF ... NO way to import the complete file incuding silences in the beginning or end. Good luck positioning your file afterwards back into your protools session. 3. Fine fine .... work arounds possible and granted ... it can do some cool things. so let's see how it sounds after exporting it and putting it back into PT. I did absolutely NOTHING to the file ... NOTHING .... I imported it into melodyne and simply exported it back. Merely to see what the processing does compared to the original sound. While all this time I was thinking to import the processed file back into ProTools, to have it placed under the original / phase revese it and see if they cancel ... which is virtually impossible because you are at best with a 44 sample margin .... there was no need whatsoever to go this far. It wasn't even necessary to A/B against the original. My nice smooth sounding female had turned into a grainy crispy sounding old lady with a vocoder on her breath. Sorry Melodyne .... it is better then in version 1 ... but a damn long way off to what it is supposed to be. As long as you are not able to process a file without sonically touching it ... forget it. I'll try again in version 3 maybe .... for now .... dissapointed again ... pitty ... great potential ... heads up and keep working on it. __________________ Chris Lambrechts

22nd April 2004	#2
BevvyB Mindreader Joined: Jun 2002 Location: London Posts: 2,604	I too was one of those people who got all excited when Melodyne came out Oh well, still only good for wierd stuff in dance tracks I guess __________________ Julian Moore \| Georgia Wonder \| 'Made In Nevada' Project - we're recording our next album in a music store

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23rd April 2004	#3
veejay_j Gear interested Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 12	All true, I found out that it really depends in how he import the file. You can make some settings (detection parameters) in the window were melodyne checks/scan the audio file for the pitch. I like the program for problem solving in vocals, but that is not a job I like to do. And it can verry easy mess up your vocal sound. J

23rd April 2004	#4
lefthando Gear addict Joined: Feb 2004 Location: Kits Beach Posts: 377	Thanks for the posts guys, I've a client who is insisting on working with this software while we develop his recordings in the studio. I've managed to hold him off with my skepticism so far, as I just haven't had time to delve into it. I will not waste my time nor his money for the moment.