Two New Vocal Processing Plug-Ins from Waves

Oct 13, 2005

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Waves announced the introduction of Tune, an advanced pitch-correction plug-in, and DeBreath, a plug-in that can separate and remove unwanted breathing sounds from vocal tracks. Both are included in Waves new Vocal Bundle.

Tune performs pitch correction of vocals and other instruments with a new level of transparency. In addition, Tune allows users to change individual notes or entire melodies as easily as manipulating MIDI notes, while Tune's formant correction provides completely natural-sounding results. Tune features a familiar "piano-roll" interface which displays the original pitch, the corrected pitch and individual notes, offering intuitive and flexible operation.

Unlike other solutions, Tune gives users automatic pitch correction and surgical graphic control without being bound to a limited playback section, allowing users to audition changes with music at any time. Tune is powered by ReWire, a technology of Propellerhead Software, so users always have direct control and sync with the host system.

Tune performs a first pass in which it evaluates correction possibilities according to a set of initial criteria. Users can set the reference pitch, root note, key, type of scale and range of the singer (alto, tenor, soprano, etc) -- and even create custom scales. Natural vibrato is identified, and can be increased or reduced; synthetic vibrato can be added as well. Using defaults or personalized settings, Tune is able to automatically tune a vocal track, making changes and transitions as smooth or aggressive as required.

Tune also offers sophisticated editing tools that can be applied at a nearly microscopic level. A Line tool allows glissandi and other transition effects to be drawn on-screen, while the Curve tool moves the correction curve up or down. The curve itself can be redrawn with the Pencil tool. Editing is non-destructive and saved with the session so that no track-bouncing is necessary.

Tune also enables users to move notes that were sung into more desirable notes. Notes can be selected and transposed; the Scissors tool separates notes for independent manipulation while the Glue tool groups notes together to be manipulated as a single entity. The final vocal line can be exported as a MIDI file so the user can have other instruments tracking it exactly, or create perfect harmonies and counter-melodies.

DeBreath is a unique new processor that automatically removes or reduces breathing sounds from a vocal track, notably the inhalation at the start of a line. DeBreath is not simply a noise gate but instead actually detects breath segments and separates them out using a template-matching algorithm. This allows their level to be altered without affecting the rest of the signal. Room tone can also be added to compensate for its loss where breaths are removed or reduced.

Because DeBreath can be used to separate a vocal track into two elements, one containing only the voice and the other only the breaths, each can be processed differently, allowing for the emotional effects of breathing to be enhanced with additional processing if desired. In addition to being used to clean up singers' tracks, DeBreath will be an especially effective timesaving tool for engineers working with voice-over and spoken-word recordings.

Tune and DeBreath are included in the new Waves Vocal Bundle, which also features Renaissance Channel, the acclaimed equalizer/compressor/gate; Renaissance DeEsser, for intelligent sibilance removal; and Doubler, for superior double-tracking effects. Together, the five plug-ins constitute a complete toolkit for producing world-class vocal tracks.

Tune is available for $600 (MSRP); DeBreath is available for $350 (MSRP), and the Vocal Bundle is available for $1,000 (MSRP); all are in Native format.

A version of Tune with fewer features, Tune LT, is now included in Waves' Gold, Broadcast & Production, Platinum, and Diamond Bundles. Registered users of those bundles who are currently covered by the Waves Update Plan (WUP) receive Tune LT at no charge. An upgrade to the full version of Tune is available for $300.