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This cross-platform, signal-bending software has a simple goal: Take audio files (voice, brass, bass, percussion, etc.), separate them into pitch and time components, and provide the tools to manipulate either component with the same kind of flexibility as MIDI data. In other words, despite working with digital audio, you manipulate notes - not waveforms.
When Melodyne 1.0 was introduced, it was a standalone application that didn't integrate well with other programs (strike 1), was Mac- only at a time when I was using mostly Windows (strike 2), and expensive (strike 3). So while I admired the technology, I filed it mentally under "cool technology, I'm sure other people will put it to good use."
But v2.1 changes all that. It now works with host programs via either MelodyneBridge (which makes the program appear like a plug- in), or ReWire (as a client or host), and processes stereo files - the original was mono only.
So I'm sitting here tweaking a vocal - creating a harmony based on the original vocal that works perfectly and has a different formant, so it sounds like I hired someone else to do the job. Oh yes, and I fixed a bad note while I was at it, and changed the timing a little bit. So did three strikes turn into a home run? Absolutely, although it takes a little effort to get there.
MELODYNE BASICS
Melodyne is a standalone application into which you can import or record files in WAV, AIFF, SND, or SDII (Mac only) formats. It doesn't like polyphonic files; even reverb can screw things up. But it will handle complex monophonic sounds (e.g., sax), not just harmonically simple ones like voice.
Once the file is in a track, Melodyne analyzes it, parses it into individually editable elements, and opens an editor window. Here you can alter timing (stretch or shorten notes, change start or end times, and even change a note's attack to be more staccato or legato), amplitude, formant, pitch (including constraint to scales), and split notes into smaller sections. For example, you might want to stretch just the end of a note, not the entire note, so you can preserve an unaltered attack and stretch only the part that sustains. This can happen...