Techniques
There’s a number of techniques one can use as a mixer, producer, or editor when it comes to pitch correction. I’ll share a few of the things I’ve done and hopefully you will comment below and share some of the things you’ve done.
First, there’s really two applications of pitch correction.
1) As a subtle way to lock in an off-pitch in a performance
2) As a special effect to make someone or something sound like a robot from Cydonia.
To be subtle, it helps to understand that pitch is the perception of frequency. Meaning, to be on pitch, one does not have to actually be exactly on the frequency – the sound just needs to center around that frequency. You really don’t need to be heavy handed with the tightness (speed). A little nudge will at least lock the sound in enough to perhaps be “pitchy” for a moment, but not “off pitch.”
For a natural performance, pitchy is not the end of the world. Also, don’t rely on the pitch corrector as your only tool in the arsenal. If there’s a really out moment, you might be able to clip a snippet of a similar note or phrase from elsewhere in the song and paste it in, or cut out the off moment and time stretch the moment before it to reconnect the sound.
It’s better to use a variety of approaches in subtle ways then to rely heavily on just one technique. Also, listen closely to how legato phrased notes slide together – they shouldn’t sound like distinct glisses, but also shouldn’t sound like sudden jumps either – unless it was done purposefully or is a distinct part of the performer’s style.
For a natural performance, really assess the player’s/vocalist’s vibrato. String players and vocalists who are classically trained but still developing as musicians tend to be a little less controlled when it comes to vibrato – or they go the other way and get too stiff. A long sustained note generally falls into a vibrato as the muscles of the throat and diaphragm tire.
If the vibrato is swinging more than a quarter tone in either direction, I would tuck it in a bit. If you have a performer or singer who is just super controlled and doesn’t waiver a drop – give it just a hint of quiver and see if that opens up the moment a bit.
Now, for the fun stuff. Here’s a few fun ways to mangle up a vocal and turn it into something weird – while straying from being totally cliche.
Fun Stuff!
Let’s say you want that “tuned” effect on a vocal, but you still want the vocalist to sound like a human being. The trick here is to have natural note transitions, but unnatural pitch tightness. Use graphic mode to make sure your vocalists voice moves like a human being’s, but sustains robo style.
Or, do the opposite – hard tune the transitions, but keep the actual sustain of the voice loose. This will add just a glimmer of synthy harmonic distortion – just something slightly surreal.
Here’s a fun one I learned from Chris Athens. Copy a track and take the cadences at the end of each phrase. Tune those cadences up to a different note that is still relevant to the chord the vocalist is on. Now your vocalist is harmonizing with her/himself. Tuck that harmony vocal way down, or mute it’s output but send the signal off to the main vocal’s reverb/delay. This will reinforce the implied harmonies and add a little excitement.
One thing I like to do with strings when working with a dance or modern hip-hop track is to hard tune them, sometimes twice, even using different tuning programs. Strings have a natural waver that occurs from the push of the bow changing the tension on the string. It happens really subtly and really fast, so it’s not really heard, it’s just part of the sound.
But with pitch correctors you can take that waver out. You’ve made the natural string now sound like the best synth string patch ever heard. This can also be effective with horn instruments. Antares Auto-Tune has a specific “instrument” mode that you can experiment with, and I’ve heard great results from even tuning a fretless bass on an electronic style dance track to get that “perfect” pitch.
One last fun one I recommend playing with: Copy the track you are working with. Hard tune one track to the pitch, but go a couple cents sharp (just one or two). On the copy, hard tune to a couple of cents flat. Set at equal volumes and pan slightly apart. Suddenly your sound is very wide. It’s a unique chorus-type effect. The more they overlap, the more of the “swishies” you will get from the two versions going in and out of phase with each other – which can be cool. The more they are apart the exponentially wider the vocal will stretch, because those quick phase conflicts will trick the ear when they come from different directions.
Conclusion
Since pitch correction became popular, there has been a divergent rise in the appreciation, as well as distaste, for tuning. Pitch Correction, like any other tool, is all about what you do with it.
Matthew Weiss is the head engineer for Studio E, located in Philadelphia. Recent credits include Ronnie Spector, Uri Caine, Royce Da 5’9” and Philadelphia Slick.
Be sure to visit the Pro Audio Files for more great recording content. To comment or ask questions about this article go here.