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Melodyne or Auto-Tune?
- Melodyne Version Comparison
- Melodyne vs Auto–Tune
- Melodyne vs Flex Pitch
- Melodyne vs Waves Tune
- Melodyne Alternatives
To put it simply here are the basic differences between Melodyne versions:
- Essential – basic time & pitch
- Assistant – includes audio to MIDI, tempo detection & more in depth pitch control.
- Editor – introduces Polyphonic Direct Note Access, which allows you edit things like piano pieces.
- Studio – Polyphony, Quantization, Tempo, Advanced pitching tools & more.
| Features | essential | assistant | editor | studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-tracking – view and manage multiple tracks in a single window | X | |||
| Multitrack Note Editing – edit the notes of multiple tracks simultaneously | X | |||
| Track-transcending macros – apply the macros to multiple tracks simultaneously | X | |||
| Quantize to reference track – make one track adopt the timing of another | X | |||
| Sound Editor – unique, overtone-based sound design | X | |||
| DNA Direct Note Access – algorithms for polyphonic instruments such as piano and guitar | X | X | ||
| Editing of individual notes within chords – with all the tools and macros | X | X | ||
| Extended tempo functions – map and edit sudden or gradual changes of tempo | X | X | ||
| Extended scale functions – create and modify scales; extract scales from audio material | X | X | ||
| Audio-to-MIDI – export notes to a MIDI file | X | X | X | |
| Inspectors – swift access to all parameters | X | X | X | |
| All Melodyne’s tools – for pitch, formants, volume, timing, sibilants | X | X | X | |
| Musically weighted pitch analysis – for psycho-acoustically optimal intonation correction | X | X | X | X |
| Chord Track and chord recognition – bring notes into line harmonically, extract chords from audio | X | X | X | X |
| All the algorithms without DNA – for melodic, percussive and complex material | X | X | X | X |
| Edit note assignments – full control over the algorithms | X | X | X | X |
| Melodyne’s Main Tool – edit the pitch, position and duration of notes and note separations | X | X | X | X |
| Macros for pitch, timing, leveling – correct and optimize notes by means of intelligent automation | X | X | X | X |
| Stand-alone or in your DAW – integrated via ARA , AU, VST 3 or AAX | X | X | X | X |
| Intercompatibility – open and edit projects created by other editions | X | X | X | X |
Contents
What Is Melodyne?
Melodyne 5 by Celemony is the most in-depth, graphical pitch editing tool on the market. Unlike tools like Little Alterboy and Auto-Tune, instead of automatically tuning all your vocal notes to a scale, Melodyne gives you complete control over your pitching, giving you the ability to choose any note.
You can, of course achieve the same tuning characteristics as you can with Auto-Tune, but the in-depth control over every part of your song is the bread and butter of Melodyne!
To use Melodyne, you need to analyze the audio you want to adjust. After running the analyzer, you’ll be instantly presented with each melodic note, and options to change and alter them.
With Melodyne Editor and Studio, you also have access to DNA Direct Note Access technology, which lets you control individual notes in Polyphonic material, such as piano chords, barbershop quartets and more.
Unlike Antares’ Auto-Tune however, Melodyne is not a plugin you’ll be performing with on stage, instead requiring you to analyze and cache the audio within the plugin.
If your DAW supports ARA plugin-formats, the all new automatical pitching mode will allow you to tune your vocals in real-time.
Which Melodyne Version Is Right For Me?
Whether you choose to go for Melodyne Essential, or the top of the line Studio package, is up to a few different criteria.
First and foremost, the price. Where you can get Melodyne 5 Essential, with the core tools you’ll need for pitching, for just over $100, the full studio package is almost 8x as expensive.
If you know you’ll be using all the Multi-Tracking features, as well as some of the in-depth macro control that Studio offers, you’ll inevitably have to spend that extra cash.
If just correcting pitch centers and timings is all you need, stick to Melodyne Assistant or Essential. That being said, one of the greatest Melodyne features, the Polyphonic DNA control, is only available with either Melodyne Editor, or Studio.
If you’re going to be working on polyphonic audio, you’ll have to dish out a bit more for your copy of Melodyne.
FAQs
What’s Melodyne for?
Melodyne is a pitch editor plugin that’s mainly used for vocal production, but can be used on instruments, and rhythmic instruments too. It’s pretty much auto tune on steroids, and allows you to edit individual pitches of note, even having the capability of separating the musical and non-musical information (like “sss” & “shh” sounds in vocals), giving you full control over, pitch, intonation, time, tone & more! You could change the entire key of a sample, or change the make-up of chords from a melody, or apply vocal pitching that sounds natural. It really is a fantastic plugin.
What are the different Melodyne versions?
Melodyne has 4 versions:
- Essential – basic time & pitch
- Assistant – includes audio to MIDI, tempo detection & more in depth pitch control.
- Editor – introduces Polyphonic Direct Note Access, which allows you edit things like piano pieces.
- Studio – Polyphony, Quantization, Tempo, Advanced pitching tools & more.
Which Melodyne version is best for me?
If you want full control over your vocals and samples, you’ll really want to get Melodyne studio. Essential only offers very basic pitch editing, and is enough to get by on if you’re on a budget, but as you upgrade the versions you get more advanced features. If you have the money go with Studio. If you don’t get what you can afford and upgrade at a later date.
How do I know which version of Melodyne I have?
You’ll be able to find the version number of your Melodyne in the “About Melodyne” window, which opens from the Program menu under macOS and the Help menu under Windows.
Is Melodyne better than Flex Pitch?
Yes Melodyne is a lot better than Flex Pitch. It offers polyphonic note detection, where Flex Pitch can only detect monophonic. Flex Pitch is still a great tool, that you’ll be able to do most of your vocal editing with, and comes free with Logic Pro X. Melodyne is light-years ahead though. Check out our full Melodyne vs Flex Pitch guide to learn more about which is best for you.
Is there a free version of Melodyne to try?
Melodyne offers a 30 day free trial, which you can download for free on our product page!
What is Melodyne best at?
Melodyne is fantastic at vocal editing. The pitching sounds natural and untouched, and the algorithm is so advanced it can detect the “sss” & “ssh” sounds, separating them from the melodic, so you have ultimate control over your vocal editing.
It’s also great at a tonne of other things and can be used to detect pitch of percussive instruments/loops, instrument loops, and even detect chords, using chord track. You can use Melodyne to change the key, tempo, makeup of chords and so much more. It’s particularly amazing at vocal production though.
Is Melodyne better than Autotune?
Melodyne provides a more natural approach to pitch correction, meaning your vocal will sound untouched by its tuning efforts. Autotune gives that signature T-Pain, robotic style sound. If you want that stylistically, you’ll want autotune. If you want natural pitch correction, get Melodyne.
Does Melodyne work on Windows 7?
Melodyne 5 doesn’t work on Windows 7. Melodyne 4 and below will work on Windows 7. If you want to upgrade your Melodyne to 5, you’ll need to upgrade your OS too. If not, just stick with Melodyne 4.
How Do I Use Melodyne?
Melodyne can be intimidating on first look, but using it can be quite simple, and fun!
Unlike Auto-Tune, you won’t be able to use Melodyne in real-time, and before you work with a vocal, you’ll need to scan, or “transfer” your audio into the plugin.
Just press the transfer button and play the region of audio you want to correct.
Once you’ve scanned in your audio, you’ll be greeted with a few red waveforms, that graphically show you the notes you’re hitting, as well as pitch deviation and vibrato.
Now you can adjust your vocal to hit the correct pitch wherever you need it to. From here, you can also time stretch vocal notes, re-pitch them and even adjust pitch drift and vibrato.
Using Melodyne is more intricate than just loading up an automatic tuning plugin, however, the results are often-times much cleaner, and more transparent, to the point where you can’t hear the plugin at all.
When we’re going for subtle, there’s no better pitch correction software, than Melodyne!
Finishing Up
Whether you’re looking for the flagship, top-of-the-line pitch correction software, or just an easy to use tool, to get your vocals sitting just right, Melodyne has a version on offer that will be for you.
While the more advanced editions of Melodyne can be quite expensive, it’s undoubtedly the most powerful graphical pitch editor ever made.
If this is exactly what you’re looking for, you should pick up Melodyne right now!
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out some of our other awesome lists, reviews and tutorials!
Toms is a music producer & DJ, born and raised in Post Soviet Latvia. Currently based in Brighton, Toms has had over 6 years of experience with all things production and in that time, he’s done a tonne of cool stuff! He’s played multiple festivals, had experience in the field with mixing & mastering and even become a freelance journalist in the music industry.
Toms currently creates music under the alias Sovereign. Producing music that’s intimate and subtle, while full of edge and energy, the young producer combines the artistic sounds of Trip Hop artists like Massive Attack, with the energy and youthfulness of producers like Flume, Jamie XX and Yaeji. You can check his stuff on Soundcloud.
