Pitch Automation in DP 4.6

[James Steele]

Originally posted by Magic Dave (magicd) from MOTU:

Pitch automation is done primarily in the Sequence Editor. The pop-up menu that allows you to view Soundbites, Volume, Loops and other types of automation now includes Pitch. When you switch to the Pitch view, the track should show the audio waveform, the Pitch Segments, and the actual Pitch Curve. If you don't see the Pitch Segment or Pitch Curve, that's because DP has to analyze the audio first to get it's pitch information. This should happen automatically when you switch to the Pitch view. You can track analysis progress in the Background Processing window (Studio menu).

If you have DSP analysis set to Wait Until Needed in the DP preferences, DP won't analyze for pitch until you switch the track view to Pitch. At that point, DP only analyses the pitch for the visible, displayed soundbite/soundfile. So lets say you have a vocal track and you've punched in the bridge. If you are zoomed in so that only the bridge soundbite shows, switching to the pitch view will cause DP to analyze only the soundfile that contains the bridge soundbite.
This is useful to know if you are running on a slower computer and working with long soundfiles. For example, lets say I've got a four minute vocal track and I want to tweak one word in the middle of the chorus. I could select the chorus and split it out as it's own soundbite. I then Merge that soundbite (Audio menu), which causes DP to create a new audio file that contains just the selected area. I zoom down to the word I want to edit and switch to the pitch view. Instead of analyzing the original four minute vocal track, DP only analyzes the newly created chorus soundbite.

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Pitch automation is a real time DSP process. It's like a plug-in built into the track. You'll notice that the update notes say that Delay Compensation must be on when using Pitch Automation. If it isn't, pitch automated soundbites will be delayed during playback.
This also means that if you add complex pitch automation to many tracks, you're adding to the CPU load on playback. on my single processor G4 Powerbook, this load can add up quickly, especially if I have other plug-ins running.

The trick here is to print pitch automation changes once you're happy with what you've got. Check it out:
I've recorded a vocal verse. I want to fix a syllable of a word. I switch to the Pitch view and make my edit. I like what I hear. So I switch back to Soundbite view and select a region around the edit (extra space before and after the edit). I Split (edit menu) the soundbite out and Merge (Audio menu) it. This creates a new soundbite with the pitch change printed. Because there is no more live pitch automation for the newly fixed and created soundbite, it isn't using extra CPU power.

As I've been working with this feature, I've found that making corrections, then merging soundbites has been a very efficient workflow technique.

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Pitch Segmentation is a big deal. When DP analyzes monophonic audio for pitch, it has to make a decision as to what is a different note, and what is a variation of single note. There is a Adjust Pitch Segmentation command under the Audio menu>Audio Pitch Correction. This command works on selected soundbites. It's basically a threshold slider that controls the sensitivity of DPs decision making in terms of what are separate pitches or not. Other ways to control pitch segmentation include the Scissors and Mute tools from the Tool Palate. I use the C and M keys to access these tools. The Scissors tool will cut a Pitch Segment. The Mute tool glues Pitch segments together. Positioning the mouse cursor at the right or left hand edge of a Pitch segment gives you a <-> tool that lets you change the position of the break between Pitch Segments.

Pitch Segments are what gets copied and pasted when you export as MIDI. Pitch Segmentation is critical when applying Pitch Scaling, either manually (Option-drag a Pitch Curve) or by choosing Scale Expression from the Audio menu>Audio Pitch Correction.

When dragging Pitch Segments, they will snap to the nearest pitch. Holding the Command key as you drag the Pitch segment allows you drag without snapping, allowing you to detune a note.

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Knowing key commands speeds up the workflow. C= Pitch Segment Cut, M=Pitch Segment Heal, P=Pencil Tool

More to come I'm sure!

Magic Dave

[Timeline]

This helps. Concise!

Thanks

[Jeff Isaacs]

We had a rough session this evening. This is the second time I've had a problem with the new pitch correction.

When we went to a vocal track to make some adjustments, the pitch correction would not work. The transpose function was gone as well. The track looked right, and the changes could be made, but there was simply no effect. I tried re-booting the folder- nothing.

But I found a work-around! I made a duplicate track, and everything worked just fine on the new track. I tried the old one a few times before deleting it altogether. The duplicate pitch correction functioned as normal. Sure saved my tail, but I want to know if I am alone. Did I do something to de-activate the pitch function?

If there is a bug, please let everyone know how to get around it.
Thanks
Jeff Isaacs
Grand Junction Recording
Waterloo, Iowa

[positivemu]

I am having the same problem and it has caused me a lot of wasted time. And the work around you decribed - duplicating the track - only works for a short while. I sure hope there is an explanation for this. If this is a bug, how could MOTU release and charge money for 4.6?

[mastermix]

If this is a bug, how could MOTU release and charge money for 4.6?

DP 4.6 Upgrade is free...and optional...

Kris..

[positivemu]

I upgraded from 4.12 to 4.6. So I paid for it.

Are you saying that since 4.6 is a free and optional upgrade from 4.5 that MOTU might release it with a serious bug in the primary new feature (pitch automation)? And is that OK with you?

[positivemu]

By the way - A big Thank you to Magic Dave (and James) for re-posting this very clear and concise primer on DP's new pitch automation. I have spent the last 3 hours working with the pitch automation features in DP 4.6 and a print out of this explanantion (along w/the DP undate manual) by my side and I am getting very good results. Magic Dave's presentation of this info is excellent. Thank you again!

Ken

[sdfalk]

I have version 4.6 (which was a free upgrade for me) and have yet to
run into a single problem regarding pitch automation.

I sure hope there is an explanation for this. If this is a bug, how could MOTU release and charge money for 4.6?

Are you saying Motu would do this on purpose?

[Jeff Isaacs]

AUG 31. WE HAD SOME TROUBLE FROM THE SESSION OF THE 26TH. TURNS OUT THAT THE TUNES WE DID PITCH CORRECTION ON, WHEN BOUNCED TO DISC (FOR EXPORT TO BURN TO DISC), EVEN THE 'REPAIRED' DUPLICATE TRACKS DID NOT PITCH CORRECT. AGAIN THERE WAS NO EFFECT TO THE FINISHED TUNES.

I REMEMBERED ONE RATHER OBSCURE MENTION IN THE UPDATE NOTES, "CORRECTIONS CAN, HOWEVER, BE PERMANENTLY APPLIED TO AUDIO BY MERGING THE SOUNDBITE..." THE ENTIRE CORRECTED VOCAL TRACK WAS HIGHLIGHTED, 'MERGE SOUNDBITES' WAS APPLIED, AND ONLY THEN COULD THE TRACK BE BOUNCED TO DISC. THIS WOULD NOT WORK WHEN THE ORIGINAL TRACK WAS RE-OPENED AFTER THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO 'BOUNCE TO DISC'. THAT FUNCTION HAD SOMEHOW PERMANENTLY SHUT OFF THE PITCH CORRECTION ALL TOGETHER.

I DUPLICATED THE VOCAL TRACK, 'MERGED' IT TO LOCK IN THE PITCH CHANGES, THEN INCLUDED IT IN MY MIX SUCCESSFULLY.

I PROBABLY SHOULD MAKE THE PITCH CORRECTIONS, 'MERGE', AND THEN FINISH MIXES, USING DUPLICATES WHENEVER NECESSARY. YES?

I ALSO HAVE USED THE TRANSPOSE FUNCTION TO QUICK FIX SECTIONS OF VOCALS FOR A LONG TIME, UP OR DOWN SO MANY CENTS. IT WAS HIGHLIGHT , TRANSPOSE. THE HIGHLIGHTED SECTION ONCE TRANSPOSED WOULD THEN BECOME A SEPARATE SOUNDBITE. THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE, SO YOU MUST HAVE THE PITCH VIEW OPEN TO SEE ANY CHANGE.

I SUPPOSE IT IS ALL JUST PART OF THE NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS.
MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT SOMETIMES THE INITIAL CORRECTIONS DO NOTHING. THE DUPLICATING, AND MERGING ARE MY WORK-AROUNDS FOR NOW.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS. JEFF ISAACS

[positivemu]

"Are you saying Motu would do this on purpose?" (sdfalk)

No, I am not saying that. I am glad that it is working well for you but it is an ongoing problem for me on both of my studio computers and it is clearly a problem for many other users as well.

I am saying this to the good folks at MOTU - what is the explanation for this and when do you expect to offer a fix?

The new pitch automation feature is the primary reason why I made the upgrade from 4.12 to 4.6.

[sdfalk]

I'm actually not that happy.
I'm waiting for it to crap out and in spite of the fact that I've been using
Pitch Automation on a project I'm working on almost non-stop,
it hasn't crapped out even once.
Very strange
I'd like Motu to find the problem as well to preempt any potential
suprises I might have.

[woodbrosproductions]

I just had the most amazing experience with the new pitch automation. It took 15 minutes to do what had previously taken several hours to do in Autotune... and the pitch automation left almost no artifacts. Can't say that about autotune. The "scale expression" command is the greatest thing to ever happen.

[jimmy330]

We had a rough session this evening. This is the second time I've had a problem with the new pitch correction.

When we went to a vocal track to make some adjustments, the pitch correction would not work. The transpose function was gone as well. The track looked right, and the changes could be made, but there was simply no effect. I tried re-booting the folder- nothing.

But I found a work-around! I made a duplicate track, and everything worked just fine on the new track. I tried the old one a few times before deleting it altogether. The duplicate pitch correction functioned as normal. Sure saved my tail, but I want to know if I am alone. Did I do something to de-activate the pitch function?

If there is a bug, please let everyone know how to get around it.

Having same problem, found the same work around. It's really annoying because it's so intermittent, that it takes a few times before you go "F@#$ it's not working again!" and then do the work around.
MOTU please get on this one.

[positivemu]

What happens to me is that I do the duplicate track workaround and then continue working with the pitch automation (I love what this feature can do, otherwise I wouldn't put up with this bug). Usually everything then stays stable (not always, but usually) for the duration of the session. I finish working and close the file. When I reopen the file - 2 minutes later or two days later - the pitch automation is back to not working again. I repeat the duplicate track workaround on any track with pitch automation and so on.

Is anyone else experiencing this phenomenon?

[dschmidt]

I see the pitch segments, and all the pitch automation stuff seems to work, but there is no pitch curve. I don't see any option to turn the curve on and off...what am I missing?


Also...i'm trying to do some "pitch stepping" effects via some sort of pitch quantization. However, the pitch quantization doesn't appear to be adjustable - it only snaps the pitch to the nearest root note. Is there any way to quantize pitches to some kind of "pitch map" or something?

Thanks!
Dave