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• Correction Amount display: Indicates the amount of pitch change. The red marker
indicates the average correction amount over a longer time period. You can use the
display when discussing (and optimizing) the vocal intonation with a singer during a
recording session.
• Response slider and field: Determines how quickly the voice reaches the corrected
destination pitch. Singers use portamenti and other gliding techniques. If you choose
a Response value that’s too high, seamless portamenti turn into semitone-stepped
glissandi, but the intonation will be perfect. If the Response value is too low, the pitch
of the output signal won’t change quickly enough. The optimum setting for this
parameter depends on the singing style, tempo, vibrato, and accuracy of the original
performance.
• Detune slider and field: Detunes the output signal by the set value.
• Input Detune slider and field (Extended Parameters area): Detunes the input signal by
the set value, thus affecting it before any pitch correction takes place. This parameter
is of particular benefit when automated.
Defining the Pitch Correction Effect’s Quantization Grid
Use the Pitch Correction effect’s Normal and Low buttons to determine the pitch range
that you want to scan for notes that need correction. Normal is the default range and
works for most audio material. Low should be used only for audio material that contains
extremely low frequencies (below 100 Hz), which may result in inaccurate pitch detection.
These parameters have no effect on the sound; they are simply optimized tracking options
for the chosen target pitch range.
The Scale pop-up menu allows you to choose different pitch quantization grids. The scale
that is set manually (with the keyboard graphic in the plug-in window) is called the User
Scale. The default setting is the chromatic scale. If you’re unsure of the intervals used in
any given scale, choose it in the Scale menu and look at the keyboard graphic. You can
alter any note in the chosen scale by clicking the keyboard keys. Any such adjustments
overwrite the existing user scale settings.
There is only one user scale per project. You can, however, create multiple user scales
and save them as Pitch Correction plug-in settings files.
Tip: The drone scale uses a fifth as a quantization grid, and the single scale defines a single
note. Neither of these scales is meant to result in realistic singing voices, so if you’re after
interesting effects, you should give them both a try.
Open the Root pop-up menu to choose the root note of the scale. (If you chose user scale
or chromatic in the Scale pop-up menu, the Root pop-up menu is non-functional.) You
may freely transpose the major and minor scales, and scales named after chords.
159Chapter 10 Pitch Effects