Waves Tune Real-Time
Waves Tune Real-Time
Waves Tune Real-Time
This plugin provides tight, natural-sounding, pitch correction by combining formant-corrected pitch shifting with smooth, controlled note transitions. A
singers natural vibrato can be preserved or manipulated, depending on your needs. You can also use Waves Tune Real-Time to manipulate the vocal
sound and create a synthetic-sounding quantized effect.
Controls are laid out in a way that provides a clear, intuitive, and efficient workflow. Waves Tune Real-Time can easily be programmed per song and
customized to suit a singer's articulation and style for an optimal performance. You can control the plugin's sensitivity, choose a scale, range, and
octave, and mark in advance the specific notes to fix or to let pass.
Waves Tune Real-Time is compatible with all Waves SoundGrid applications and eMotion mixers, and will work with any console via MultiRack
SoundGrid.
Waves Tune Real-Time User Guide
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1.3 Concepts and Overview
When Waves Tune Real-Time is inserted into a track of an audio sequencer or editor, it detects the signals pitch, determines what the target pitch
should be, and then corrects to the nearest legal note.
The plugin detects and corrects pitch very effectively and offers powerful controls to bring the best results. But it cant offer a one-size-fits-all solution
thats good for every condition. It cannot predict a vocalists intentions or make wise choices if it doesnt know something about the music. Improperly
set, the plugin may correct to notes that are perfectly legal, but are not in the desired scale. The more youre familiar with the song and the vocalists
abilities, and the more youre involved in the process, the better you can use Waves Tune Real-Time to get the desired results.
1.4 Latency
Waves Tune Real-Time reports zero latency to any host. However, delay can be imposed by the detection/correction process. The latency is dynamic,
from 0 ms to 4 ms, based on the pitch/frequency of the current input note. Lower-pitched sounds have longer periods than do higher-pitched sounds,
so their latency is longer.
1.5 Components
WaveShell technology enables us to split Waves processors into smaller plugins, which we call components. Having a choice of components for a
particular processor gives you the flexibility to choose the configuration best suited to your material.
For best results, start by selecting a Key and Scale and using the associated controls. Then use correction techniques that suit your vocalist and bring
you to the sound youre after.
1. Insert the Waves Tune Real-Time plugin onto the vocal track.
1. Audition the incoming vocal and adjust the Note Transition control. Begin by setting Note Transition to the lowest value that does not result in
quantization between notes. You may then want to back off a bit from this setting.
2. Adjust the Speed in the same manner. Under normal circumstances, set Speed to the lowest value that does not produce quantization artifacts.
1. To create a quantization effect, youll usually turn off the Vibrato control. But if the incoming vocal contains wide vibrato, turn on the Vibrato
control and set the Vibrato Depth to 0.
2. Set the Speed and Note Transition controls to their minimum values.
Global Settings
Correction Control
The Correction Control section sets the characteristics of the pitch correction. It also lets you determine how to treat vibrato.
Speed
Sets the correction speed, in milliseconds. It defines the attack in correcting a sustained pitch thats drifting out of tune. Faster values result in rapid
corrections that can flatten most of the pitch contours from the original source. With slower values, Waves Tune Real-Time takes longer to correct to
the target note.
Range: 0.1800 ms
Default: 120 ms
Link ties together the movement of the Speed and Note Transition controls.
Range: On/Off
Default: Off
Tolerance
Two controls set the threshold and delay for Note Transition to take place: Cents and Time. Until the Tolerance threshold is met, the (internally
detected) target pitch doesnt change. These threshold criteria apply only when transitioning from one note to another. Once either threshold is
crossed, the Note Transition begins. The controls can work independently or together.
The primary purpose of these controls is to eliminate note transition glitches caused by small irregularities in a singers performance. Due to the
accuracy of the internal pitch detector, even the smallest pitch variation outside the legal boundaries of an intended pitch will result in correction to the
next legal note. The Cents and Time controls allow you to set how much pitch variance, and for how long, you want to allow the singer before
correction begins.
When a Scale is defined or chosen, the intervals between legal notes may become wider. Tolerance settings can be used to locally increase this width
even more.
With a well-trained vocalist, you would want to keep these values low or off most of the time.
With a less stable, or fatigued, vocalist you may want to use higher values.
Generally, tolerance prevents correction to a different target from the previously detected note, either by increasing the range from the previously
detected note, or waiting the desired amount of time outside the stipulated range.
IMPORTANT: Defining the correct scale of the song will make most legal notes wider and protect them from glitches between neighboring notes. Set
the Scale and Note Transition first, and only then address the Tolerance settings, if necessary. Increased Tolerance settings do, essentially, make a note
wider, since Cents and Time can delay the start of note correction.
Beware of very high Tolerance Cents and Tolerance Time settings. Large Tolerance settings may yield unwanted results in a section of a
scale where two consecutive half notes are legal. Often a singer adds short nuances in pitch. Setting values that are too high might
enforce or flatten correction, and defeat what the singer had intended. When there are large intervals between legal notes, higher
settings probably will not affect the performance.
Vibrato On/Off
The presence of vibrato can create undesirable effects in a pitch-correction algorithm so its handled separately.
Vibrato On Note transition will not affect natural vibrato. This will preserve, enhance, or decrease the frequency modulation between pitches,
depending on the Vibrato Depth settings.
Vibrato Off - Note transition will affect natural vibrato. Fast Speed and Note Transitions settings will result in a fast pitch quantization effect, eliminating
vibrato.
Range: Off/On
Default: Off
Vibrato Depth
This control determines whether natural vibrato is preserved, diminished, or exaggerated, and by how much. When Vibrato is On and Depth is set to
100%, the natural vibrato will be preserved, even at fast Note Transition values. When Vibrato Depth is set lower than 100%, vibrato is reduced. A zero
value will flatten pitch. Values higher than 100% exaggerate the frequency modulation aspects of the vibrato. Waves Tune Real-Time does not affect
amplitude modulation in the vibrato.
IMPORTANT: Vibrato relates not only to distinctive vibrato, but also to flutter in the Voice, which keeps the correction very natural even at a Speed
value of 0.1.
Range: 0200%
Default: 100%
Waves Tune Real-Time User Guide
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Pitch Correction Ratio Control and Meter
The Pitch Correction Section controls the amount of corrected signal that will be applied to the original sound. The target note and the amount
of correction applied are indicated by the Correction meter. In the two examples below, vocal pitch is 40 cents above A.
Example 1: Correction knob is set to 100%. The meter shows 40 Example 2: Correction knob is set to 50%. The meter shows 20
cents pitch down. cents pitch down.
Correction On/Off
Activates or deactivates the pitch correction algorithm.
Range: On/Off
Default: On
Correction Meter
Shows the target note and indicates how much correction is applied to the detected pitch (see Examples 1 and 2 above).
Formant Correction
Turns Formant Correction On and Off.
Formants are acoustical resonant frequencies that define the characteristics of a voice or instrument. Formant correction preserves the natural
characteristics of a voice while pitch shifting. Pitch shifts without formant correction may not preserve the natural attributes of the voiceespecially
with large pitch shiftssince these resonances are not maintained.
For quantizing effects, you may choose to not use formant correction. This can create the artifact sounds often associated with pitch shifters.
Range: Corrected /Non-Corrected
Default value: Corrected
Meters
The plugin includes the input (IN) and output (OUT) meters standard to Waves plugins.
Range: -28 to 0 dBFS
Global settings establish the scale for a song. They provide information necessary for the pitch-correction process to make correct assumptions and
enable you to limit correction to a desired range.
Reference Frequency
Similar to the calibration adjustment on a standard guitar/instrument tuner, the Reference Frequency control adjusts the overall tuning offset for any
scale.
Range: +/- 100 cents (415.3Hz 466.16Hz.)
Default: A4 = 440 Hz;
Range
Restricts Waves Tune Real-Times detection/correction to a specified range (bass, baritone, tenor, soprano etc.), bypassing correction of notes outside
that range. This avoids unnecessary vocal processing beyond the desired notes. Its also useful in excluding extraneous ambient sounds from the
detection/correction process. We recommend that you set Range to the narrowest value that meets your needs.
You can change the range of detection simply by narrowing or enlarging the grayed-out area on the on-screen keyboard. This is done by placing the
mouse over the current range border until the pointer changes into a resize tool. Click-drag to adjust the detection range boundary.
Important: Any Note detected outside the Range (in the grey area) will be bypassed. No correction will be applied.
The onscreen keyboard represents a Yamaha-standard MIDI keyboard that follows the norms of most popular hosts.
Correction Rules
Correction Rules
When&an&input&pitch&is&detected&it&will&be&corrected&to&the&closest&Legal¬e,&in&real&time,&according&to&your&Speed&settings.&By&clicking&the&grid&above&
When&an&input&pitch&is&detected&it&will&be&corrected&to&the&closest&Legal¬e,&in&real&time,&according&to&your&Speed&settings.&By&clicking&the&grid&above&
the&keyboard&you&can&toggle¬es&between&five&status&states.&This&allows&you&to&customize&the&correction&to&your&needs.&
the&keyboard&you&can&toggle¬es&between&five&status&states.&This&allows&you&to&customize&the&correction&to&your&needs.&
Correction Rules
Legal!Note:&Can&correct&to&this¬e.&
Legal!Note:&Can&correct&to&this¬e.&
Legal Note: Can correct to this note.
Illegal!Note:&The¬e&is&illegal&and&the&output&should&be&tuned&to&the&nearest&legal¬e.&
Illegal!Note:&The¬e&is&illegal&and&the&output&should&be&tuned&to&the&nearest&legal¬e.&
Illegal Note: The note is illegal and the output should be tuned to the nearest legal note.
Illegal!Note,!Pitch!Up:&Corrects&to&the&nearest&legal¬e&above&this¬e.&
Illegal!Note,!Pitch!Up:&Corrects&to&the&nearest&legal¬e&above&this¬e.&
Illegal Note, Pitch Up: Corrects to the nearest legal note above this note.
Illegal!Note,!Pitch!Down:&Corrects&to&the&nearest&legal¬e&below&this¬e.&
&
Illegal!Note,!Pitch!Down:&Corrects&to&the&nearest&legal¬e&below&this¬e.&
Illegal Note, Pitch Down: Corrects to the nearest legal note below this note.
& Bypass!Note,!Legal!Note:&Bypass&the&fix&(no&pitch&correction).&
Bypass!Note,!Legal!Note:&Bypass&the&fix&(no&pitch&correction).&
Bypass Note, Legal Note: Bypass the fix (no pitch correction).
Waves&Tune&Real,Time&User&Guide&
Waves&Tune&Real,Time&User&Guide&
17&
Once a Key and Scale are selected, the keyboard will display a legend of legal and Illegal Notes. When an input pitch is detected it will be corrected to
17& &
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the closest Legal note, in real time, according to your Speed settings. By clicking the grid above the keyboard you can toggle notes between five status
states. This allows you to customize the correction to your needs.
Waves Tune Real-Time User Guide
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Group Octaves
When this button is active, any edit to a note in a scale will be applied similarly to the corresponding note in all octaves. When the button is disengaged,
an edit will apply to a specific note on a specific octave.
The Chromatic Scale selection is the opposite of the User Scale. When Chromatic Scale is selected, all notes are legal. The user can then declare notes
illegal as needed.
There are many, many more scales available from the drop-down menu.
Target Pitch
When Target Pitch is selected, a note played from the on-screen keyboard, MIDI track, or MIDI keyboard forces the target pitch of the vocal note. You
can actually play the pitch of the vocalists performance. Target Pitch can be used in real time for correcting or as an artistic effect. This is true even if
the note is in Bypass mode.
An example: If the plugin detects A4, and you play C4, then the vocal will be shifted up. The speed of the correction is determined by the Speed and
Note Transition controls. An incoming note that is not within the Range cannot be pitched shifted.
Default: Off