Can I record Multiple vocal tracks using Melodyne

[RICHARD HUTCHINS]

Hi all

After a long hiatus ( dont ask) I'm back to recording. My voice is pretty poor ( to say the least) I can sing in tune but its weedy and lacks any redeeming factors whatsoever. So I often use the multiple tracked method outlined in Creative Sauce. My question is this; how do I correct it using Melodyne ( essential!) and then do the copy tracks to beef it up? Do I correct them all using Melodyne or just the initial master track that then gets copied? Wish I could sing!

 

Rich

[HOOK]

I'd suggest you simply record your doubles on separate tracks.  Then, correct each with Melodyne as needed.

You can copy tracks and play games with Melodyne's pitch modulation...but but to me, nothing sounds as good as doubling with actual performances.  There's something about the textural differences between two vocal tracks that can add up to one great track.

Edited November 13, 2022 by HOOK

[RICHARD HUTCHINS]

I agree, except it does take a lot more time. And everything takes forever for me as I am a bit of a novice. But to be fair a couple of tracks is all it takes to beef things up.

[Jeremy Oakes]

1 hour ago, RICHARD HUTCHINS said:

I agree, except it does take a lot more time. And everything takes forever for me as I am a bit of a novice. But to be fair a couple of tracks is all it takes to beef things up.

Cut your main track into into reasonable sized clips for Melodyne to handle them efficiently.

Melodyne each clip.

Once done, bounce them all to a single clip.

Duplicate the resulting track as you see fit.

J

[treesha]

I have melodyned one track of takes that are my best and then used that corrected track for my main vocal. Then i can also use it in other ways for some interest, like make a copy or two and add some reverb or other fx to blend in with the original. I have also used the original to make backing vocals by changing the pitch and adding fx. So if you just correct one track to your liking you can mess with copies of it to add interest to the song. 

[RICHARD HUTCHINS]

Noted! Thanks I'll try those approaches, my vocals need a lot of help!

[mettelus]

Couple quick questions first... are the vocals on your soundcloud yours? If so, the vocals on the "Ghosts" track left me scratching my head wondering what you are trying to do with Melodyne? (basically, your "vocals need a lot of help" comment confused me).

Do you use comping on vocal takes? I would start there, so you can select the best phrases for a final take. I would recommend being light-handed with Melodyne for any touch ups desired. I tend to agree that a second totally separate track can often yield the best results (for doubling), but there are several methods to double vocals (even from one track with things such as iZotope Vocal Doubler (free)), or even embellesh a single track without doubling (i.e., a simple post production FX chain). It is fitting things into the mix where the rubber meets the road, so do not be overly critical of solo'd (dry) tracks not sounding perfect on their own.

[RICHARD HUTCHINS]

Hi

Yes, vocals are mine, I do everything myself as I don't know anyone who can do it for me! By " my vocals need a lot of help" I meant that whilst I can sing after a fashion, the tone and range of my voice is limited and I think it lets my songs down. So I use melodyne for the odd note that is not pitched correctly, and also sometimes for a range I simply cant hit.

Some good ideas and suggestions in your reply which I will look at thanks.

[Terry Kelley]

Melodyne, as good as it is, is still limited in how far you can shift notes. You can go up or down only about two steps before it starts to sound mushy. Now if it's combined with unaltered tracks, you can push them up or down a little more, but stand-alone, they start sounding weird no matter how much you mess with the formant and EQ.

I too can't really sing. While I can get pretty close to the correct pitch there is nothing special or interesting about my voice. No one wants to hear me sing. Singing a song over and over makes you start settling on the notes you like but you'll often still be off in places. So I sing a track 10-15 times (comp mode) and edit together the best sections. Then I correct it with Melodyne and then sing to that as a guide. I sing it again a couple of times and take the best sections and put those together and use Melodyne on that final track. By then, the corrections are more limited to just pushing the pitch slightly to where it needs to be. Having that Melodyne corrected guide makes staying on pitch far easier.

For harmonies, I will sometimes copy the track and then use Melodyne to push the notes to the harmonies I like and sing them again using those as the guide. You can get some pretty nice results. You just have to be willing to spend the time although it goes pretty fast once you get going.

[RICHARD HUTCHINS]

Good tips Terry, I often use melodyne for Octaves, once in the mix they dont sound too artificial. But often I tweak a note or too and yes it just sounds odd. An app to make my voice more "interesting" would be nice. And an app to stop my wife grimacing when she hears me sing would be priceless.