If you've never edited formants... time to start
Nov 17, 2024 18:00:10 GMT -6
Johnkenn, frans, and 1 more like this
Post by gravesnumber9 on Nov 17, 2024 18:00:10 GMT -6
I surely can't be the only one that didn't edit formants because...
1) I didn't even know what the word meant.
2) I figured if there was a musical term that I had never heard or understood after being trained in music since seven years old, I probably didn't need to know for my uses. (Seems dumb writing that out but... I can be dumb.)
3) Seemed like a complicated thing for EDM nerds or sound design or something.
Oops.
What a game changer this is for me and is going to be in the future for others I mix for.
I finally upgraded Melodyne to the Editor suite to get access to the magical polyphonic features to tweak live guitar and piano takes. That also got me its formant editing tools. Hey, why not fiddle with those?
I have a track I'm mixing of my own music where we did some "live in the studio" stuff for a vlog that is featuring my band for a talent buying company. As sometimes happens with my voice in a live scenario and a dynamic mic, I'm straining my voice in a few spots and really thinning things out on a couple of the notes. Unfortunately those spots are often spots with the most important melody lines (e.g. the chorus).
This has been a weakness in my singing forever. Basically in a live performance I decided years ago to focus on the performance energy and not get overly hung up if the delivery gets nasally or strained in spots. Dynamic mics make this worse for me.
Anyway, taking Melodyne formant editing to those spots was like straight voodoo. It was like reaching back in time and telling the singer (me) "open your throat here, you're straining" and the singer actually listening.
Then I got the idea that I could probably use this in areas where I might do an event FX EQ or apply the Surfer EQ. Spots where the mic proximity makes the voice sound weird or some other such. And sure enough, worked a charm. Best of all with Melodyne it was very, very fast and didn't cause a cascade of intervention like dynamic EQ sometimes does.
Outcome?
Well for this track I got "your voice sounds incredible on this take, it sounds like you overdubbed the whole thing" from my wife who I can assure you does not give out compliments easily, particularly not on singing. I feel like I'm the housewife in one of those 50's commercials... "shhh, don't tell her it's Melodyne!"
New trick in the bag. Can't wait to blow some clients' minds!!!
1) I didn't even know what the word meant.
2) I figured if there was a musical term that I had never heard or understood after being trained in music since seven years old, I probably didn't need to know for my uses. (Seems dumb writing that out but... I can be dumb.)
3) Seemed like a complicated thing for EDM nerds or sound design or something.
Oops.
What a game changer this is for me and is going to be in the future for others I mix for.
I finally upgraded Melodyne to the Editor suite to get access to the magical polyphonic features to tweak live guitar and piano takes. That also got me its formant editing tools. Hey, why not fiddle with those?
I have a track I'm mixing of my own music where we did some "live in the studio" stuff for a vlog that is featuring my band for a talent buying company. As sometimes happens with my voice in a live scenario and a dynamic mic, I'm straining my voice in a few spots and really thinning things out on a couple of the notes. Unfortunately those spots are often spots with the most important melody lines (e.g. the chorus).
This has been a weakness in my singing forever. Basically in a live performance I decided years ago to focus on the performance energy and not get overly hung up if the delivery gets nasally or strained in spots. Dynamic mics make this worse for me.
Anyway, taking Melodyne formant editing to those spots was like straight voodoo. It was like reaching back in time and telling the singer (me) "open your throat here, you're straining" and the singer actually listening.
Then I got the idea that I could probably use this in areas where I might do an event FX EQ or apply the Surfer EQ. Spots where the mic proximity makes the voice sound weird or some other such. And sure enough, worked a charm. Best of all with Melodyne it was very, very fast and didn't cause a cascade of intervention like dynamic EQ sometimes does.
Outcome?
Well for this track I got "your voice sounds incredible on this take, it sounds like you overdubbed the whole thing" from my wife who I can assure you does not give out compliments easily, particularly not on singing. I feel like I'm the housewife in one of those 50's commercials... "shhh, don't tell her it's Melodyne!"
New trick in the bag. Can't wait to blow some clients' minds!!!
I haven't done a lot with formants in Melodyne but that sounds like a good trick - I'll have to remember that one. 
