Where to put a vocal correct unit?

[david.elsbury]

*headdesk*

There is no reason, once you have an auto-tuned signal, to want the (untuned) original. It defeats the purpose of having the unit to do a re-tune on the vocal.

 

I'll say it again... With an Autotune you do not need to keep the raw signal.

 

[jamienip]

The singer of my band likes to use a TC Helicon Vocal Correct unit for assistance mainly at the end of the night.

 

 

So not necessarily

[david.elsbury]

So not necessarily

Could you expand on this point please?

[kikabyte]

sound isnt normally my domain so tell me to "do one" if need be....

 

if you have a spare input on the desk, can you not take the direct out from the original mic source, feed it trough the autotune device, and back into the new input, then you have control of both from your desk, to send to wherever you like?

 

Yes, that was my first thoughts, use two channels on the desk, so the altered signal comes out FOH, and the dry can go back to the singer down his monitor feed. But my concern is, should I be relying on this device to power my mic and feed that back to the mixer, or do I want it patched in more like it in an effect...?

[jamienip]

So not necessarily

Could you expand on this point please?

Yes my point is that the thing isn't needed all of the time, so the two feeds could prove useful.

[mervaka]

I would agree a vocal split with the unit in the 'wet channel' insert would be my way of thinking. of course I wouldnt have both faders up at once, but it would let me feed a dry vocal to the mons, and as jamie says, let me choose between wet and dry with relative ease.

[kikabyte]

The reason I wish to keep the 'raw' signal, is because as a singer, if you only hear back your corrected vocals, you will begin to get lazy / reliant upon the correction device. But if the singer can hear the dry un-edited voice, they will be constantly striving for perfect tuning, oblivious to the correction happening for the audience?

 

Am I correct in my thoughts??

[stevegg]

I have one of these units for my lead singer. The manual is dreadful and contains errors. B-)

The unit itself cannot put out a dry signal in pitch correction mode.

The guide (monitor) output is always pitch corrected unless the pitch correction control is fully anticlockwise.

The main output is pitch corrected if the footswitch is on.

 

Tc Helicon recommend for high volume situations that the dry to guide switch is on this produces a mix of pitch corrected and dry voice in the monitors which they say is like singing with another singer who is in tune!

This seems to work for my singer!

 

If you want a dry signal in the monitors on its own you would have to split the mic input before the unit or connect the guide output to front of house and the main to monitors with the footswitch off. The disadvantage with this approach is that if you want to switch off pitch correction you have to use the knob not the footswitch.

[paulears]

It's interesting how the manufacturer says that you need to hear the pitch corrected signal to tune yourself properly - so perhaps it's trying to get people to sing in tune by letting them hear what the unit is doing? That certainly doesn't work with an Antares Autotune - the only time putting the treated sound into the monitors works is when somebody is doing a deliberate Cher or Craig David, when it's essential for them to hear the effect. Decent singers detect the slight shifts and try to 'sing them back down' making their pitch far worse and eventually out of control. really odd this product does this on pupose?

[johndenim]

I tend to agree there Paul.

 

I have never used one of these, but have used a vocal harmony unit in the past. And that took some getting used to. At least I could hear the 'dry' vocal as well.

Not sure if I could get on with an autotune unit for live work.

Studio yes, but I think I would always be trying to sing in pitch against the autotune unit, if that makes sense.

I suppose I will have to have a play with one!

[stevegg]

It's interesting how the manufacturer says that you need to hear the pitch corrected signal to tune yourself properly - so perhaps it's trying to get people to sing in tune by letting them hear what the unit is doing? That certainly doesn't work with an Antares Autotune - the only time putting the treated sound into the monitors works is when somebody is doing a deliberate Cher or Craig David, when it's essential for them to hear the effect. Decent singers detect the slight shifts and try to 'sing them back down' making their pitch far worse and eventually out of control. really odd this product does this on pupose?

 

 

I don't disagree, but I dont think the unit is designed for "decent singers". <_< In my choir days I met lots of amateur singers who could sing in tune in an ensemble but couldn't sing in tune solo. I think the corrected vocal mixed with the uncorrected vocal in the monitor is meant to replicate singing with someone who you know is in tune. The singer then adjusts their slightly out of tune vocal to the corrected pitch. If they are in tune the unit does nothing

 

Steve

[mervaka]

out of control.

 

that's exactly the problem. it takes pitch control out of the vocalist's hands, which is a very dangerous thing to do live imo.