A few considerations about Auria's MU-RETUNE!

theconnactic

Hi, folks! I've been quite vocal about the lack on iOS of a modern pitch correction solution for iOS, one that would allow us to move notes across a piano roll to artificially build backing vocals, or fine tune a track on a per note basis etc., like Melodyne or Logic's Flex Pitch. Also, the mobile version of AutoTune is very stripped down and mostly ineffective. That leaves us with the Auria pitch correction Plug-In, MU-Retune.

Now, Retune is a port from (the pitch correction part of) the Desktop plug-in called MuVoice, that was an Antares AutoTune 5 competitor a few years ago, so it's really old, and the GUI shows it. But it is in fact more powerful than I realized at first, and since it is ultimately the only option, I had to work my way around it, so here's some tips that will get you consistently to decent results, while Celemony or Apple don't wake up for the demands of iOS musicians:

• It is very sensitive to background noise, such as computer hissing or headphone leaks, so be sure to get a real silent room for tracking, keeping the headphone monitoring under control. If it's not possible, be sure to apply noise redution algorythms, such as Hokusai's, prior to applying ReTune to your vocals for a more satisfactory result;
• Cracklng artifacts can appear even with mild settings (such as the preset "basic autotune"), and are usualy caused by background noise. Fortunately, they can be brought fairly under control by lowering the frequency knob. That would add artifacts as well, such as distortion or EQ changes, but they are much more manageable than crackling and poping;
• One thing that helps keeping the artifacts to a minimum is applying mild autotuning in sucession, instead of cranking up extreme settings in the first pass. Apply subtle correction, bounce, apply again, bounce, that will give better results;
• Other important thing is to isolate the offending parts by copying them to different tracks and apply the pitch correction only when needed. Unfortunately, this requires the best performance you can get before applying ReTune: don't be lazy if you're serious about your music! Leave ReTune for the parts you absolutely cannot get right;
• there are one kind of vocals that benefit of extreme autotuning settings: long note background vocals! Still, better isolate the long notes to different to crank up the settings, applying subtler correction in the rest of the track;
• Better work with definite scales instead of chromatic for avoiding notes that are perfectly pitched but not in the song's key. If there are modulations, separe the modulating parts to different tracks or (I don't know if it's really possible but worth a try) automate the key knob when the tonality changes.

Hope that helps a little.

LostBoy85

@theconnactic Very nice of you to take the time to share your knowledge Dmitri.

theconnactic

You're welcome, @LostBoy85! Are you a ReTune user? Hope this helps a litlle. At first, I regretted the five dollars I spent, but regretted even more when I spent another five dollars with Mobile AutoTune, so I came back to ReTune and decided to tame this horse.

Jocphone

I struggle with the sound of auto tune effects. It may be a generational thing or due to the kind of music I enjoy but I simply think it mostly sounds a bit odd. Companies have made amazing strides in this area but i think it suffers from the 'Uncanny Valley' problem. Where the closer they get to perfection, the weirder it sounds. The brain is very, very good at picking up on odd effects on voice.

I do own Melodyne but have never got on with the effect it produces in my hands.

I'm sure there are many songs that I know and love, that use auto tune and I don't even hear it but also there are many, many songs that I cherish where the singer sings out of tune and it is completely acceptable and defines the character of said song.

I like to hear the imperfections of a person's voice, also like to hear someone who has put a lot of effort into their singing. Auto tune is a useful effect in itself but I wouldn't want it to define the feel of my music.

realdavidai

It's really grown on me. "Corrective" Tuning sounds glorious on pop-vocals, even on singers who sound great with out it. But there are other genres where I wouldn't prefer it. Jazz and classic soul etc.

iPad can't fully compete with desktop without it.

@theconnactic have you contacted Celemony recently? Or maybe one could be crowd-sourced

theconnactic

Regardless of the ethics/aesthetics of using pitch correction algorythms (this is kinda off topic here), fact is Mu-ReTune has proven to be a solution where it was thought there were none. If you use ReTune, please try the tips above and share your experiences. Cheers!

Shaken&Stirred

Thanks for these tips. I tracked vocals yesterday for the track I'm currently working on and will soon be beginning my least favorite part of the recording process - comping vocal tracks. Since I am the vocal "talent" involved, there will surely be opportunities to employ Retune, and the tips you've offered.

JRSIV

@theconnactic This is why I love this place so much. Dmitri good on you for the tips and at least mentioning ReTune. It was going to be a no brain purchase for me when I first got Auria a few years back. At only $5 and it being one of the relatively few Auria in app plug ins I figured "why not?" even with my generally negative view of pitch correction software.

But I can't think of another app that had more bad reviews from Auria users and the general vibe on it when I investigated was that it was total shit. So, never bought it.

Your honest and helpful info has made me give it a reappraisal. I've had experience in friends project studios seeing AutoTune in action and my college recording program had Melodyne. I think pitch correction technology is okay if it's used extremely sparingly as a sort of final measure, last resort thing.

After trying & trying vocalist can't seem to not go off tune on one or two notes, then by all means use it. Recorded a badass performance with great tone & soul but on a few notes the singers very sharp? That's what to me auto tune software is made for.

Also if a creative use of it has created a badass, unique sound, whether on vocal or instrument I think that's just like using an effect like flanging, etc. No problem. But wholesale tuning of every note until all humanity is squeezed from it like most pop producers do on singers today, nah...fuck that.

So, (sorry for the preamble, just letting you know how I see the technology) can ReTune be programmed to surgically fix isolated pitch issues or is it more of a blanket effect put on whatever audio is fed/imported into it? Is it similar to Melodyne it at least result if not graphical appearance?

If ReTune can be used to tune just a few individual notes in a vocal I am really interested in getting it, whether it looks pleasing or not. Any additional info you have is appreciate brother...be cool,

JohnRSIV

theconnactic

It's more like Antares AutoTune, bearing a striking resemblance with AutoTune 3.x "auto" mode (as I said, it's a port of an old plug-in). If you want it to be surgical, isolate the offending parts manually by editing them and put each of them in different tracks, and then apply ReTune to each of these tracks. Luckily, being an Auria plug-in, you can have multiple instances of it running at the same time.

theconnactic

Just realized ReTune can be used to build artificial backing vocals as well. With the gender and humanize knobs, it can sound very convincing. Unfortunately, the scale knob only affects the base vocal, but not the vocal harmony, which is in a fixed interval controlled by the shift knob, so it's not quite Eventide Hamonizer at your fingertips. But there's a workaround: duplicate de original vocal, set the interval you want (I'd start with 3 or 4 semitones for harmonizing in thirds, and obviously 7 for harmonizing in fifths) and bounce with the wet fader soloed and than apply ReTune again, always in a mild setting, applying it multiple times if needed, to force all wrong notes to the correct scale using the key knob.