Why would you want to do this????

While listening to your instrumental, and using autotune in realtime/live, you will be able to sing along with the instrumental, in "Key". Dont forget you have to set autotune to the key of the instrumental. Is the instrumental in the key of Aminor, or Gmajor....What key is the instrumental???If you cannot figure this out yourself, they do have some software that can help. "Mixed In Key"..."MixMeister".....Others.... They are not always 100% acurate as to the key of the song. So sometimes you may have to do 2 things...

 

NOTE: Set loop points and loop playback of a certain timeframe. This will allow you to come up with a vocal melody/riff. Also, we are using Autotune in Automatic Mode, NOT Graphical....

 

 

OR

 

2) Come up with a 1 bar vocal riff, sing something that sounds in key to you. Without using autotune in realtime. Just listen to the instrumental, and sing something simple, that sounds allright. Now, enable Autotune as an insert effect on that track, and go through each Key in Major, then Minor.

So for example: Youve laid your vocal phrase/riff. Now play back the audio, with Autotune on the track with the vocal.

You will hear autotune correcting the vocal, to the key that you have set. If the key is incorrect, you will hear it(hopefully). It will sound "off". Keep going through each key, listening, until the performance sounds good. When it sounds right, that is the right key.

 

NOTE:enharmoic equivilency....If Cmajor sounds good, then so will Aminor, which is the enharmonic equivilent. Every key has one. GOOGLE IT MY FRIENDS....

 

TIP: Now, so you know the correct key... Great...

Now do this...We will call this your Rough Draft Vocals Session

For this, you dont have to use your best mic, and its best done in a project studio, so you can sit down in front of your computer screen. Dont worry about audio quality for this part of the process.

In your audio sequencer/recording program..

Create 3 audio tracks.

1 Stereo Track: For Instrumental

2 Mono Tracks: For vocals

 

On the 2 Mono Tracks, put Autotune Plugin as in insert.

Now, using instructions from the Realtime Autotune video, enable 1 of the vocal tracks to monitor your vocals with Autotune in realtime.

Now, you dont have to do the whole perfomance. Chances are, you dont even have lyrics, or a vocal melody thought of.

So before you actually even start recording, loop playback of the first part. Now sing along with the instrumental, and come up with the first part of your vocal riff. Once you know what you are going to sing....Record that peice.

Then, jump down to the other mono vocal track, and enable that track for live monitoring. Now, during playback, you will hear the first part you just recorded. Simply continue on singing after the first riff has played, to come up with more lyrics and vocal melody. Then once you get something you like. Record that. Continue doing this until you are done.

The goal during this "Rough Draft" recording, is to work your voice and autotune, to sound as smooth as possible. The least amount of erratic pitch(jerkyness/wobbly sound). You will still hear some erratic pitch. If you want to learn how to smooth that out of the "REAL Recording"(below), then that is where my Smooth Autotune video tutorial comes in.

 

What now???

Well, now its time to listen and listen and listen to what you have done. And if you like it, keep listening, and singing along. This way you will learn the lyrics, and the melody. This way, when its time to record the real performance, you can record more of the "REAL" performance in one go.

 

Now, when recording the real performance. Go for quality of course. IF you are going for an autotuned vocal effect, then once again, record your performance while monitoring your vocals with autotune. This will allow you to "work that autotune". And you dont have to record the whole performance in one go/pass. You can split the performance up.

 

What else does all this do....

Remember when you were listening to your rough draft, over and over. Learning the melody.....

This also teaches you how to sing the performance....

And how to sing in that key....

So its also a learning tool also....

 

Now imagine if you had to do a live performance, and you didn't have the Antares Autotune AV1 Hardware unit hooked up to your microphone.....Well, you better be able to perform that vocal. This is one reason you will not hear alot of songs performed live. Because sometimes the artist has no real vocal talent. Only AUTOTUNE talent.....