7 Tips for Transparent Vocal Tuning (2023)

FAQs

How do you tune your vocals perfectly? ›

A Retune Speed around 25 tends to work quite well for most melodic vocals if a natural sound is what you're looking for.

In general, effects like high pass/low cut filters, subtle EQ, de-essers, and gentle compression/dynamics should be used before Auto-Tune in the effects chain. All other processing such as delay, reverb, spatial effects, distortion, etc should be applied after Auto-Tune.

Autotune uses software algorithms to quickly change the current pitch of a note to the desired pitch. This is not something a human being can do, therefore it tends to sound quite unnatural, even robotic.

When working with a harsh vocal, you can typically tame it by attenuating frequencies above 2kHz and below 12kHz using a subtle bell filter via an EQ. Attenuating 3-5kHz will help significantly, as will using a de-esser on 5kHz to 12kHz to reduce harsh-sounding sibilance.

The first two are for, you guessed it, instruments, which you don't have to worry about if you're using Auto-Tune on vocals. Soprano is for singers in a higher register, while Alto/Tenor is a good middle ground for most voices. Setting the right input type will help Auto-Tune be more accurate and sound better overall.

Although some refer to it as the “Post Malone Effect” or “Post Malone Vibrato” — he has a natural vibrato but you can hear it infused with this feature on songs like “Circles” — it's also jokingly referred to as “Billy Goat Vibrato” or “Goat Vibrato,” used to describe anyone who may have a noticeably strong vibrato in ...

As a rule, using EQ in front of your compressor produces a warmer, rounder tone, while using EQ after your compressor produces a cleaner, clearer sound.

Where do I start Eqing? ›

To start, you need to find an EQ permitting you to manage the targeted frequency. To find it, increase one band to its highest level. Afterwards, play a sound and carefully check the frequency from top to bottom till you locate the spot where the tone you want sounds the loudest.

Dynamic EQ works well wherever you need an extra layer of control over your sound's frequency balance. Dynamic EQ works well wherever you need an extra layer of control over your sound's frequency balance.

Setting the Scene. The most essential setting to getting the Auto-Tune Effect sound is a fast Retune Speed. In Auto-Tune, Retune Speed refers to how quickly the plugin adjusts the pitch of an incoming note to correct it. So, naturally, the faster the Retune Speed, the more inhuman and apparent the effect.

Autotune will always be a 'hot-button' issue for some people, but it really doesn't have to be! If you don't feel like using it to improve your song, it's a great tool to improve your craft and help you become a better singer.

Often, you will find that cutting a harsh region, like 2.5kHz to 3.5kHz on a lead vocal and then slightly boosting just above that range, like 6kHz to 8kHz, will add back the shine so that the cut doesn't result in a dull tone.

600 Hz–3,000 Hz (Mids)—the range that humans can hear the best. The majority of the sound of vocals is here, so EQing this range represents the perfect equalizer settings to play with if you want to affect someone's voice. 3,000 Hz–8,000 Hz (Upper Mids)—most audiophiles handle this range with care.

If during the creative process of development in the music field you have a question, should I master my beat before vocals – the answer will be that there is no clear order and it is best to do it at the same time! The learning process will be much more lively and active if you do it at one time without delay.

Vocals are tricky. They're often the loudest thing in a mix, which leaves little room for error. And since we're so familiar with the sound of the human voice, we're quick to notice any imperfections.

What Auto-Tune do professionals use? ›

Antares Autotune Pro by Antares Audio Technologies

Considered by many to be the best autotune and pitch correction software, Antares has been at the top of the game for decades. Their software is used as the standard when it comes to the big leagues in many of the top recording studios worldwide.

“Self-tuning” refers to such procedures continuously executed while the controller is online regulating the process. “Autotuning” refers to on demand procedures executed while the controller is offline.

Auto-Tune can also be used during live performances on a singer's voice. While some may call this “cheating,” using autotune during a long, live show, can help the artist give a great vocal performance without worrying about their voice hitting too many sharp or flat notes.

Voice types in opera often differ to those in musical theatre, using much more vibrato – and are often much louder. This is because of the long history of the form, which was performed before microphones were created, so opera singers had to project over the orchestra without amplification.

Some people feel vibrato as a quivering of the pitch. Others feel little bursts of air hitting the back of their throat. There's no right or wrong answer. The only right way to learn vibrato is to find an exercise that works every time.

The key to vibrato (which comes from the Italian 'vibrare' – 'to vibrate') is about warming your voice up and helping it carry. It also makes a singer sound more human, and helps you identify with what they are singing.

Drink plenty of water, especially when exercising. If you drink caffeinated beverages or alcohol, balance your intake with plenty of water. Take vocal naps—rest your voice throughout the day. Use a humidifier in your home.

A more effective treatment might be medications that thin the mucus, such as guaifenesin or acetylcysteine. Singers are often told to clear mucus with a voiceless quick exhalation of air, so throat clearing without the grunt.

Hydrate your voice.

If you're wondering what to drink to sing better, the answer is simple: water. Water is one of the best drinks for your singing voice, with herbal teas (but not too hot) in second place. Drink water throughout the day, and keep a water bottle nearby during lessons and rehearsals.

Thus, it is best to record vocal renditions with an average of -18 dB, assuming you are using the standard definition 24-bit. However, louder parts such as screams or breakdowns should be -10dB. This works the other way around – the loudest and quietest recordings should be at least -24 dB.

Should vocals be louder then the beat? ›

Your vocals should sound louder than the beat between -10dB and -15dB. A reliable method would be to set your lead vocal track to -12dB, then push back your instrumental tracks accordingly.

Too much compression produces a flat, non-dynamic performance that doesn't have a “live” feel to it. An overly compressed vocal will feel unnatural and dull to the listener, so it's key to avoid this point if at all possible. Lead vocals should be consistent, but still, have a degree of dynamic fluctuation.

Why Is EQing Your Master So Important? Applying EQ as part of your mastering process is a really valuable tool. It can allow you to get way more out of your mastering process, and it's a huge help in finalizing your tracks and getting more of a sense of coherence across a body of work.

First, position speakers for best sound. Next, set equalizer controls to neutral or 0 before adjusting to your listening preference. For brighter treble, reduce mid-range and low-end frequencies. For more bass, tone down treble and mid-range frequencies.

The type of equalizer you're using for a mastering session will depend on what you're trying to accomplish; if you want broadband changes to your signal, an analog emulation EQ will work well. If you want to make surgical changes to your master, a digital-based EQ is best.

I also think it is necessary to clarify that if a person sings badly, Auto-tune will not fix their voice, as many people think. The voice can be significantly improved with many tricks, Auto-tune is just one of them, and it doesn't have as much scope for action as people think.

Natural Vibrato: This is independent of your pitch settings and is used solely to tame natural vibrato of a performance. Leaving it at it's default setting of 0, will not affect the original vibrato, but adjusting will minimize the amount of vibrato allowed. Once again, this is independent of pitch controls.

"I use it as a means to get onto pop radio, onto Top 40 radio," Bublé says. "It's kind of an effect, I guess, that you hear so much on modern radio that if you don't have it, you don't really get played." "People's ears are so tuned to it now. It's almost cosmetic surgery — you can fix little things.

How do you make Auto-Tune not sound robotic? ›

Autotune sounds robotic because it is a software algorithm that artificially changes the pitch of a note very quickly. This is not something a human can do, therefore it sounds unnatural. Autotune can be configured to sound less robotic, particularly by using a slower re-tune speed.

A Retune Speed around 25 tends to work quite well for most melodic vocals if a natural sound is what you're looking for.

You can hear it. If they have cranked it way up, the voice will sound robotic, like Cher in “Believe.” The less they cranked it up, the harder it is to tell. If the voice sounds too perfect it is probably autotuned.

The vocal cords are also only part of the singing mechanism. The vocal cords cause the vibrations; however, the passing of those vibrations through the rest of the body affects the sound. This is one reason why your voice sounds different to other people and on a recording than inside your head.

If you want a T-Pain-level of autotune (i.e. to sound like a robot), you can set the speed to 0, which is the fastest retune speed possible. But if you want something effective but less noticeable, you can set the speed between 20-150.

All audio vocal tracks apart from the intro have Antares Auto-Tune as the first plug-in. Uzi hears his Auto-Tuned vocals in his headphones while singing.

Auto-Tune can only be used on one track of a song at a time. So the first step is to isolate the track that you would like to pitch-correct and add an instance of Auto-Tune onto that track. If you want to correct multiple tracks, you can do that by creating multiple instances of Auto-Tune on each individual track.

For natural, realistic sounding autotune, you'll want a slower retune speed (set it to where you barely hear it and then back it off a bit more) and maybe 10% flex tune to allow some wavering. That's it.

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Auto-Tune was popularized by Cher's 1998 song "Believe". While Auto-Tune was designed to be used subtly to correct vocal performances, the "Believe" producers used extreme settings to create unnaturally rapid corrections in Cher's vocals, thereby removing portamento, the natural slide between pitches in singing.

Who invented autotune? ›

Andy Hildebrand is the inventor of the voice pitch-correcting software called Auto-Tune. The first song published using Auto-Tune on the vocals was the 1998 song "Believe" by Cher.

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Thankfully, YoungBoy has cut back on the weepy Autotuned cheese he slathered over past projects like 2020's Top. Here, he deploys it strategically on choruses and a few fully Autotuned tracks like “Home Ain't Home,” his duet with fellow trap crooner Rod Wave.

Artists like Travis Scott use Autotune with the retune speed on 100%. This basically means that there is no flexibility in the vocal tuning.

I also think it is necessary to clarify that if a person sings badly, Auto-tune will not fix their voice, as many people think. The voice can be significantly improved with many tricks, Auto-tune is just one of them, and it doesn't have as much scope for action as people think.