# Melodyne assistant and acoustic guitar?



## PeterN (Jul 22, 2020)

Hi,

Does it sound like an idea to clean up a recording of an acoustic guitar with Melodyne 5 assistant? To put it in more perfect pitch and even change some notes. Say move a C note to a D? Maybe even add a note by cutting and copying?

I always thought of Melodyne as only for vocals, but why wouldnt it work for acoustic guitar pick too?

I got the Melodyne 5 essential, but thinking about upgrade for this reason. Does anyone have experience using Melodyne on acoustic guitar picks?
Thanx in advance.


----------



## PatrickS (Jul 22, 2020)

[IMG alt="Mike Enjo"]https://vi-control.net/community/data/avatars/m/20/20081.jpg?1580700952[/IMG]  


*Mike Enjo
Member*





 Jul 3, 2020  


 
   
 
 Add bookmark 
 
  #1  
 
 


Hi folks! I've been trying out the new Melodyne 5, not only on vocals, but also guitar. I gotta say, I'm mighty impressed, and I made a video explaining why!

WATCH HERE:






 Like Reply 

Report Bookmark 




 


 
 Reactions: Simeon, LHall, Rich4747 and 5 others


----------



## PatrickS (Jul 22, 2020)

Sorry, hit the wrong button. Just search for Mike's post and I think you will find it helpful.


----------



## Marsen (Jul 22, 2020)

It´s here:


----------



## Tim_Wells (Jul 22, 2020)

PeterN said:


> Hi,
> 
> Does it sound like an idea to clean up a recording of an acoustic guitar with Melodyne 5 assistant? To put it in more perfect pitch and even change some notes. Say move a C note to a D? Maybe even add a note by cutting and copying?
> 
> I always thought of Melodyne as only for vocals, but why wouldnt it work for acoustic guitar pick too?


I don't have Melodyne 5 Assistant, but I do have Studio 4. As far as your questions go, I don't think there is any significant difference between versions 4 and 5. I've also done some acoustic guitar stuff with it.

Melodyne can do all the things (and more) that you are asking about. It's quite remarkable. BUT... and this is a BIG BUT, the more complex the instrument and the more changes you make... MORE and MORE ARTIFACTS will be introduced to the sound. It doesn't take long before you can ruin the track.

You can can get away with some guitar stuff in Melodyne. If the part is simple and doesn't have too many harmonic overtones. But if the part is complex, with thick sustained notes or chords, it only takes 2 or 3 changes in Melodyne before the quality of the track is compromised.


----------



## thebob (Jul 22, 2020)

@Tim_Wells did you try on electric guitar (say chords with overdrive ?)
I have V4 and wondered if 5 could help me more with the separate treatment of transient (I have to change the chords a bit)


----------



## PeterN (Jul 22, 2020)

Great and informative video. Thanks to all for comments. 

Guy in video did not say which version he was using, but most features probably in Melodyne 5 Assistant.

How can anyone resist it. Melodyne has had summer sales, I could hold for a few weeks if there is any anniversary sale or August sale coming up. Please pass information if you know any Melodyne sale in near future.


----------



## PeterN (Jul 22, 2020)

Tim_Wells said:


> I don't have Melodyne 5 Assistant, but I do have Studio 4. As far as your questions go, I don't think there is any significant difference between versions 4 and 5. I've also done some acoustic guitar stuff with it.
> 
> Melodyne can do all the things (and more) that you are asking about. It's quite remarkable. BUT... and this is a BIG BUT, the more complex the instrument and the more changes you make... MORE and MORE ARTIFACTS will be introduced to the sound. It doesn't take long before you can ruin the track.
> 
> You can can get away with some guitar stuff in Melodyne. If the part is simple and doesn't have too many harmonic overtones. But if the part is complex, with thick sustained notes or chords, it only takes 2 or 3 changes in Melodyne before the quality of the track is compromised.




Yea, but then again for vocals. After seeing that video, I have to add vocals on the list too, not only guitar. Sorry I expanded the interest now. Especially that de-esser function. And leveling of certain notes in volume. Thats the difference to Melodyne 4 (end the essential 5). This is unresistable.


----------



## Marsen (Jul 22, 2020)

PeterN said:


> Great and informative video. Thanks to all for comments.
> 
> Guy in video did not say which version he was using, but most features probably in Melodyne 5 Assistant.
> 
> How can anyone resist it. Melodyne has had summer sales, I could hold for a few weeks if there is any anniversary sale or August sale coming up. Please pass information if you know any Melodyne sale in near future.



He uses Melodyne Studio 5.
If think you will need Editor, as you´re talking ´bout editing a guitar. Unless you are using Solo lines, Only editor and studio can handle polyphonic editing.


----------



## PeterN (Jul 22, 2020)

Marsen said:


> He uses Melodyne Studio 5.
> If think you will need Editor, as you´re talking ´bout editing a guitar. Unless you are using Solo lines, Only editor and studio can handle polyphonic editing.



You are so right. I finally found the chart of functions on Celemony website. Its quite expensive toy, when it gets polyphonic functions, now in virus times, for 400 bucks you also get plenty provision. I could get food for my chickens for 2 years instead of a polyphonic Melodyne editor. Maybe wait Black Friday and then realise theres no sale on it. 

Heres the chart.









What can Melodyne do?


Vocals, instruments, sound design – the most important Melodyne applications at a glance



www.celemony.com


----------



## Marsen (Jul 22, 2020)

I think with owning Essentials, you should get a lower upgrade-price to editor, no?


----------



## PeterN (Jul 22, 2020)

Marsen said:


> I think with owning Essentials, you should get a lower upgrade-price to editor, no?



The Sweetwater shows up with 399 USD, https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ne-5-editor-upgrade-from-melodyne-5-essential

...when you search essentials to editor upgrade, but digging further other websites go lower, including Celemony. On personal login page there was no upgrade price from essentials to editor. So thats what first came up when searched upgrade price. But its there, so basically its down to 300 EUR for upgrade, sure that can be digged from the pocket, but there is an invisible threshold to pay that much (when u also got Autotunes, Waves tune, Carillon etc).

Anyway the tool is fancy, and different from the crowd, no question about it. Waiting for a sale.


----------



## Tim_Wells (Jul 23, 2020)

thebob said:


> @Tim_Wells did you try on electric guitar (say chords with overdrive ?)
> I have V4 and wondered if 5 could help me more with the separate treatment of transient (I have to change the chords a bit)


It's tricky business. It might work well on adjusting the trainsients of a electric guitar track. But if the chords are thick and complex and you are making significant tuning/timing modifications in Melodyne, it's not going to sound good in my opinion. 

However, I did just use it to correcting the timing and pitch on a fast "thunking" Telecaster part. Moderately overdriven, quick short notes, picked one at a time. It worked pretty well for that. 

It really depends on the material.


----------



## Tim_Wells (Jul 23, 2020)

Correct me if I'm wrong here. But I don't believe there is any significant difference in the audio quality between versions 4 and 5. In other words, tuning and timing changes that gave you artifacts in version 4... will also give you artifacts in version 5. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not dissing Melodyne. It's an AMAZING tool that I would not be without. I will probably upgrade to version 5 at some point. It's just not a magic box that allows you to manipulate audio any way you want. Not without compromise, sometime significant compromise.


----------



## PeterN (Jul 24, 2020)

Im starting to suspect it would work out as well as in that video posted here. Maybe on a very dry guitar - like in that video - but on a piano or acoustic with metal strings its a nope. Now Im suspecting it to the point I wonder if that video is marketing. The harmony is so tight and wide so you simply cant succeed in switching a note here and there. Maybe after 3 years, say, in Melodine 7 pro, but I really doubt it would work out yet. More videos needed. So anyway, there seems to be a 30 days trial, and definitely worth a try. Nonetheless, when it comes to working with vocals its worth the price. I can find that sibliance detector in the essential version and its spot on.


----------



## Saxer (Jul 24, 2020)

You need the Melodyne version with polyphonic mode (I don't know which version that is).
I used Melodyne on a multi track that started with a detuned guitar and everything on top (jazz double bass, more guitars, vocals) didn't make it better. With melodyne it was just a few clicks to retune everything! And changing a C to D in a chord is no problem at all.


----------



## PeterN (Jul 24, 2020)

Saxer said:


> You need the Melodyne version with polyphonic mode (I don't know which version that is).
> I used Melodyne on a multi track that started with a detuned guitar and everything on top (jazz double bass, more guitars, vocals) didn't make it better. With melodyne it was just a few clicks to retune everything! And changing a C to D in a chord is no problem at all.



Yea, I know. Im just saying I dont believe its that smooth yet, but probably in future. Im suspecting its a marketing video very well produced, but I can very well be wrong. I upgraded to Melodyne 5 assistant just now, and I love it. The editor 5 upgrade will take place when there is a sale. Then can try polyphonic. I could also download the trial and do a test. Will do one day. When there is time on the hand, its very time consuming for someone with short patience to learn all these tools. Thanks for the info anyway. Great it worked out.


----------



## Daniel (Jul 24, 2020)

What I love about Melodyne, Melodyne is the one and only can edit pitch with DNA,,, nothing plugins can do that.
Maybe someday I will buy Melodyne with DNA,.. with a big discount  *I hope


----------



## Tim_Wells (Jul 24, 2020)

PeterN said:


> Im starting to suspect it would work out as well as in that video posted here. Maybe on a very dry guitar - like in that video - but on a piano or acoustic with metal strings its a nope. Now Im suspecting it to the point I wonder if that video is marketing. The harmony is so tight and wide so you simply cant succeed in switching a note here and there. Maybe after 3 years, say, in Melodine 7 pro, but I really doubt it would work out yet. More videos needed. So anyway, there seems to be a 30 days trial, and definitely worth a try. Nonetheless, when it comes to working with vocals its worth the price. I can find that sibliance detector in the essential version and its spot on.


I think your suspicions are spot on. Melodyne is a wonderful program and I personally wouldn't be with out it. But it's a tool like any other and it has it's limitations. It's not a panacea for all things audio. 

Lord, I wish it was...


----------



## PeterN (Jul 24, 2020)

Tim_Wells said:


> I think your suspicions are spot on. Melodyne is a wonderful program and I personally wouldn't be with out it. But it's a tool like any other and it has it's limitations. It's not a panacea for all things audio.
> 
> Lord, I wish it was...



Sir, are you by any chance using Melodyne with Logic? Or anyone else here? Theres the ARA version, (if I understand it correctly), which is optimised for Logic. Would it not make sense - trying to save time here - to immediately focus on ARA version? ...(and forget about the other one which is not ARA). Sounds like common sense, but theres a lot not common sense around. Any input pls?


----------



## Tim_Wells (Jul 25, 2020)

Sorry, I'm using it with Cubase in Windows. My versions of Melodyne and Cubase have ARA, but to be honest, I haven't spent any time focusing on that aspect. ARA doesn't change the sound, just the workflow possibilities. I'm not sure if it helps with the way I work.


----------



## PeterN (Jul 25, 2020)

Tim_Wells said:


> Sorry, I'm using it with Cubase in Windows. My versions of Melodyne and Cubase have ARA, but to be honest, I haven't spent any time focusing on that aspect. ARA doesn't change the sound, just the workflow possibilities. I'm not sure if it helps with the way I work.



Thanks for reply.

Sometimes the fancier things get, the more complicated they get too. I could have worked with Windows Word 95 until, say, 2030, but they needed to change it, so that every year when you open it, you have no fukin idea how you even save the file. I wanted tp buy an MP3 player last year, and the clerk did not even know what it is. I remember MP3 players as convenient, I dont know wtf theyve been replaced with now. I doubt its more convenient. Anyway, I watched Eli Krantzbergs Melodyne 5 tutorial (I bought it, from Groove, yesterday, Eli, its good teaching skills) and he seems to recommend ARA for Logic, so I guess I go with that.


----------

