June 7, 2024
Charli XCX has opened up about her early struggles in the British music scene, revealing that she often felt like an outsider whose innovative ideas were dismissed as "silly or childish."
Read moreJune 7, 2024
Ticketmaster, a leading ticket sales and distribution company, is currently under legal scrutiny due to a reported data breach, which has led to a class action complaint...
Read moreJune 7, 2024
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, a prominent figure in the music industry and beyond, is potentially facing a significant legal challenge as reports indicate that the Department of Justice...
Read moreJune 7, 2024
The Pop Conference 2024 recently convened under the theme "Legacy, Music Collections, and Archives," offering attendees an in-depth exploration of the preservation and impact of musical legacies...
Read moreJune 7, 2024
House music, with its infectious beats and feel-good vibes, is more popular than ever, especially among young people. But what makes house music so damn good?...
Read moreJune 7, 2024
Halsey has courageously shared her private battle with illness, revealing her journey through a series of Instagram videos that document her receiving medical infusions...
Read moreJune 7, 2024
The hip-hop community is abuzz with renewed allegations that Drake uses ghostwriters, spurred by the recent leak of a reference track for his song "Mob Ties."
Read moreJune 2, 2024
Coca-Cola has a knack for mixing music with its brand, creating memorable moments that resonate globally. Remember the 1971 commercial where a group of young people sang...
Read moreJune 2, 2024
German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut, at 33, has no qualms about discussing her battles with depression and self-doubt in the public eye...
Read moreJune 2, 2024
The beats of reggaeton, known for their infectious rhythms and global appeal, are now at the center of a massive legal battle that could reshape the genre...
Read moreJune 2, 2024
Twenty One Pilots, the alternative pop-rock duo known for their introspective and often introspective themes, have released their concept album "Clancy...
Read moreJune 2, 2024
Apple Music has recently unveiled its highly anticipated list of the 10 greatest albums of all time, placing Lauryn Hill's seminal 1998 album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill...
Read moreVocal manipulation, such as pitching up/down or changing tempo, is a common practice in music production, especially in remixes. However, these changes can often lead to unwanted artifacts, distortion, or a loss of quality. While there are plenty of tutorials on how to alter pitch or tempo, few address how to make these altered samples sound great afterward. This article will provide you with actionable tips to enhance vocal samples and highlight how famous music creators have dealt with these challenges.
When you pitch or slow down/speed up vocals, the audio can sound unnatural or distorted due to changes in the sound's original characteristics. Common issues include:
Before diving into post-processing, ensure you're using a high-quality algorithm or software for pitch and tempo changes. Tools like Melodyne, iZotope RX, or Ableton Live's Complex Pro mode are designed to minimize artifacts.
After changing the pitch or tempo, use equalization to restore balance:
Compression can help smooth out any inconsistencies in volume that may arise due to pitch or tempo changes. A multiband compressor can be especially effective, allowing you to target specific frequency ranges that need control.
Pitching down or time-stretching can sometimes make vocals sound unnatural or flat. Adding a subtle reverb or delay can help recreate the original space and give the vocals more life:
Even if the original vocal was in tune, pitch-shifting can introduce slight pitch inaccuracies. Subtle use of pitch correction software, like Auto-Tune or Waves Tune, can help bring the vocal back in tune without sounding artificial.
Saturation plugins can help add harmonic content and warmth back into a vocal that has been pitched down. This can make the sample sound fuller and richer. Harmonic exciters can enhance specific frequencies, adding clarity and brightness to a vocal that sounds dull or flat.
Layering the altered vocal with a duplicate track can mask imperfections. For example, a pitched-down vocal can be layered with the original, pitched-up, or formant-shifted vocal to retain clarity while maintaining the desired effect.
Australian electronic producer Flume often manipulates vocals heavily, using techniques such as extreme pitch-shifting and time-stretching. However, he compensates for potential quality loss by layering multiple vocal tracks, using reverb and delay to create depth, and applying creative effects like bit-crushing and granular synthesis to make artifacts part of his sound design rather than hiding them.
When pitching vocals up or down, formant shifting allows you to change the pitch without affecting the character of the voice. This can help maintain a natural-sounding vocal even when the pitch is altered significantly.
Vocal manipulation is an art in itself, requiring both technical knowledge and creative intuition. By applying these post-processing tips and learning from innovative producers like Flume, you can achieve a professional, polished sound even after substantial pitch or tempo changes.