New version of Melodyne RAWKS

[David Polich]

Celemony released the 1.2.0 update to Melodyne Editor on October 29.
I just got it installed today...wow. LOTS of changes, including the
long-awaited ability to export any audio as MIDI.

Installing the update can be a bit confusing because the installer is
labeled "Melodyne Singletrack." Be sure to remove your Melodyne Editor
component and VST/RTAS plug-ins from their respective folders before
installing the update. Once installed, you launch DP or whatever audio
app you'll be using, the authorization window appears and you'll be
asked for your serial number.

Melodyne Editor now runs as standalone as well as a plug-in. Cool!
Enhancements, besides the MIDI export features, include improved
selection tools, new scrolling implementations, faster launching,
improvements in resizing the window, drag-and-drop-to-replace,
a new "cycle audio' feature which allows you to select an area of the
audio and loop the playback without engaging the host's playback..I
know there's more but I just started playing around with this new version
a few minutes ago.

Seems to run as efficiently as the older version in DP (maybe even a little
better). Sound quality is improved somewhat. My favorite new feature has
got to be the audio-to-MIDI export...that's going to come into use a lot.

[Frodo]

Thanks for the report, David.

Just curious-- has there been improvement in the polyphonic editing? The last major update wasn't as easy to use in this regard as hoped, although that was the major selling point at the time.

[David Polich]

Thanks for the report, David.

Just curious-- has there been improvement in the polyphonic editing? The last major update wasn't as easy to use in this regard as hoped, although that was the major selling point at the time.

I can't say anything about the polyphonic editing - because, as I'm rather
ashamed to admit, I've never used it! This week might be just the week to
try...

[Frodo]

I've been waiting to do the update for a number of reasons, none of them related to Melodyne. I had an e-mail change and didn't update my account before my Melodyne e-mail went down. That's all fixed, but since the new update was released I've been fixing computers to one extent or another. I think I'm about ready to move forward with it, though. I've got some tracks that have been in need some serious salvaging for a couple of years where re-recording them is not an option.

[Killahurts]

Hey guys,

Speaking strictly as a pitch editor and disregarding other features, how would you say Melodyne compares to the pitch editor in DP? I'm wondering about the differences in quality, as well as the ease of use within DP.

The audio to MIDI feature might be worth the price of admission on its own though.

[labman]

Hey guys,

Speaking strictly as a pitch editor and disregarding other features, how would you say Melodyne compares to the pitch editor in DP? I'm wondering about the differences in quality, as well as the ease of use within DP.

Melodyne Editor is far and away easier for us inside DP. And certainly more flexible with quality and tone control. Never really grasped the usefulllness of how pitch is laid out in DP, but we love the melodyne plug-in concept. Maybe just us!

[David Polich]

If it's just a note here and there that needs fixing, I go for DP's own
pitch correction because it's faster.

Otherwise, yes, Melodyne is far more flexible and has more features.

[jloeb]

I find DP's internal pitch editing much more convenient to use than Melodyne. The back-and-forth between the plugin and DP interface that you have to do with Melodyne, trivial though it is when the task is light, annoys me quite a bit with heavy editing tasks. Also, for monophonic lines, the ability to adjust segmentation globally or by selection (instead of note-by-note, manually) is still something DP has that Melodyne lacks, although it's said to be on their features-to-add list.

What you get with Melodyne that you can't get anywhere else is polyphonic editing and a somewhat higher level of quality when pitch is shifted significantly or is used on high-pitched instruments or vocals. Audio to MIDI is pretty cool too (although i'd bet that's on MOTU's features-to-add list).

[Frodo]

I originally got Melodyne because the algorithms seemed more effective. Which is faster to use hinges entirely (for me) on how quickly I can get the results I need. I've had consistently better success with Melodyne even though DP's pitch window might be easier to navigate to/from.

[Tritonemusic]

Audio to MIDI is pretty cool too (although i'd bet that's on MOTU's features-to-add list).

That's already available in DP. Single notes only, though. Does Melodyne create audio-to-MIDI from chords?

[David Polich]

. Also, for monophonic lines, the ability to adjust segmentation globally or by selection (instead of note-by-note, manually) is still something DP has that Melodyne lacks, although it's said to be on their features-to-add list.

Actually, in the latest version of Melodyne you can select any region
of notes and apply just about any process to the selection - except
segmentation...but there's a really obvious for that. Segmentation, by
definition, is separating one note into more sections. There would be no
way for a global process to "know" where exactly you want the segmentation
to be for multiple notes...that would be Melodyne "reading your mind" and
it can't do that.

[jloeb]

I'm talking about the "Adjust Pitch Segmentation" command in DP, which lets you adjust the threshold of pitch variation in the source material required before DP calls it a different note. No mind reading needed. So for example, if you have a particular singer with a lot of vibrato, you can dial down pitch segmentation for the parts that need it and thereby avoid having DP's pitch detection algorithm chop what is really one held note into a thousand little notes on 2 or 3 adjacent pitches. I find it a really nice feature of DP's pitch handling that any pitch editor really should be able to do for a monophonic source, and Melodyne can't. Yet.

[jloeb]

Audio to MIDI is pretty cool too (although i'd bet that's on MOTU's features-to-add list).

That's already available in DP. Single notes only, though. Does Melodyne create audio-to-MIDI from chords?

Yep. exports as a standard .mid file.

[mhschmieder]

On the Mac, the installer was smart enough to remove the prior version and replace it with the renamed "singletrack" version.

I opened it up just to make sure it works, but haven't had time to use it yet. I'm making up for lost time right now, trying to get caught up after all the down-time from setting up the new computer. I need to use Melodyne badly on some time-sensitive projects, but didn't have time to figure out how to use the latest version, so took another approach (for now).

[Tim]

I just got Melodyne (Editor) for the first time last week, though I've used it before a few times.
It sounds better than DP's, which often creates grainy artifacts.

DP's is convenient to use, as it will follow edits and employs modifier keys (which from what I've gathered Melodyne only does in stand alone mode).




Edited to remove inadvertently typed 't' from the end of 'though'. Please update quotes accordingly.