Celemony has announced the release of Melodyne editor, the company’s first release featuring DNA (Direct Note Access) technology – technology that lets you access and edit individual notes within polyphonic material.

This means you can now:

• Correct wrong notes in a piano recording;
• change the chords in a guitar accompaniment after the recording is over;
• refashion a sample lick;
• Change a track from major to minor; or
• Change the mode of a recording.

Features:

• Single-track audio editing environment with Melodyne technology.
• Suitable for monophonic, polyphonic and rhythmic/complex audio material.
• Offers with DNA direct access to individual notes within chords.
• Works as a plug-in (VST, AU, RTAS) in compatible DAWs under Mac OS X and Windows.
• Can also be used in stand-alone mode.
• Activation on up to two computers or via iLok.
• User interface and manual in English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese.

Melodyne editor is available for PC and Mac for $349 USD / 349 EUR.

Celemony ’s updated product line:

• Melodyne assistant (equivalent to Melodyne editor but without DNA: $249 USD / 199 EUR).
• Melodyne studio bundle (contains Melodyne studio 3 as well as Melodyne editor: $699 USD / 699 EUR).
• Melodyne essential RTAS (the new version of Melodyne essential, which is only available in the Digidesign bundle).

• Melodyne assistant, which offers the Melodyne technology for the editing of vocals and monophonic instruments in a more affordable format, and
• Version 2 of the bundle edition Melodyne essential, which now runs directly as a plug-in in the Pro Tools environment and brings with it numerous improvements over the previous incarnation.

Melodyne essential 2 is scheduled to appear at the beginning of November. It will be available only as part of Digidesign’s Ignition Pack software bundle and cannot be acquired separately.

Celemony Software Melodyne assistant will bow in November and will cost $249 / €199. More information on Celemony Software Melodyne.

Details below.

Melodyne assistant is the most affordable entry into the world of Melodyne and ideal for the correction and optimization of monophonic and rhythmic audio material. The user can use Melodyne assistant to correct intonation or timing problems by hand, transposing notes, moving them forwards or backwards in time, deleting them, adjusting their amplitude and their formants, as well as copying them to new locations.

Melodyne assistant works as a plug-in directly in compatible hosts, allowing you to use Melodyne’s possibilities in a particularly convenient manner, and the user can conduct all editing in the context of the other tracks of his project. For the swift editing of a sample between times, Melodyne assistant can also be used as a stand-alone application.

Also new is Version 2 of Melodyne essential, which offers the basic Melodyne functions for the editing of monophonic or rhythmic audio material. It is intuitive and simple to operate as well as offering the same sound quality as the new Melodyne editions editor and assistant.

Version 2 now operates directly in Pro Tools as an RTAS plug-in. That makes it still easier to enjoy the rewarding editing possibilities Celemony affords. And not only that: in Melodyne essential 2 you will also find the tried-and-tested Melodyne macros for pitch and time correction.

Non Eric´s erste Tests mit Celemony Melodyne DNA!

via musotalk:

Ich habe meine ersten Minuten mit der Beta des neuen Melodyne Editors mit DNA für euch als Screencast ins Netz gestellt.Für mich die absolute Softwaresensation der letzten 2 Jahre.Mehr in Kürze nach ausgiebigeren Tests,

Celemony product designer Stefan Lindlahr introduces the beta test for Melodyne Editor and DNA (Direct Note Access).

DNA technology is designed to allow the editing of individual chord tones in audio recordings. This will let you do things like change a track from major to minor, edit one instrument out of a mix and, in general, edit notes in polyphonic recorded audio.

Lindlahr shows you how to download and install the beta version of Melodyne editor, how to load audio files and how they are organized on your hard disk.

More information on the Celemony Melodyne Editor beta program is available at the Celemony site.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 2: Basic operation of the new features

In this part, Stefan guides you through some of the new features that have been introduced with Melodyne editor, such as navigation and zooming techniques, playback options, monitoring, etc.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 3: Advanced operation: Editing and Note Assignment

The beta test for Melodyne editor and DNA (Direct Note Access) has started! In this third part, Stefan edits polyphonic recordings with the groundbreaking DNA technology. This includes Copy & Paste as well as the new Note Assignment mode. And a little bit of theory …

Celemony Software is presenting at the 2009 NAMM Show the Melodyne editor, the first product with Direct Note Access (DNA).

DNA technology lets you, for the first time, edit individual chord tones in audio recordings.

Melodyne editor offers for single audio tracks all the possibilities that have made Melodyne legendary, and, with DNA, opens up in addition to these unique new possibilities for the correction and refashioning of audio material. Melodyne editor can run as a plug-in or stand-alone and will be available from spring 2009 for 349 US$/€.

This opens up reams of creative possibilities for audio editing. At the most obvious level, imagine automatically changing a audio mix from major to minor. At a more advanced level, DNA makes it possible to reharmonized fully arranged recorded material.

Details:

Melodyne editor is designed for the editing of individual instrumental recordings such as vocals, guitar, saxophone or piano, but good results can also be obtained with more complex material such as string quartets. If two instruments sound the same note at the same time, Melodyne editor offers one note for editing. The user can alter the pitch, position and duration of the note detected, make it louder or quieter, copy or cut it and paste it in some other position, and so on. Adjustments can also be made to the formant register, vibrato and drift of the notes as well as any pitch, volume or formant transitions. Special copying functions also allow the transfer of selected attributes from one note to another.

The new software base offers among other things optimized multi-threading that fully exploits the advantages of modern multicore processors. In addition, it allows many improvements in plug-in operation including freely selectable window size, the monitoring of pitch editing, scrubbing, and ‘Edit Play’ (playback not tied to the host).

“Our first product with DNA was intended to be an update to Melodyne plugin 2. Since, however, we have ended up developing a new product around DNA, with new technology and fully new application possibilities, and one that furthermore can also be used as a stand-alone application, we decided to give it a new name. Melodyne editor sums it up nicely: a Melodyne editing environment for individual tracks,” says Carsten Gehle, Technical Director of Celemony Software GmbH.

When it appears in spring 2009, Melodyne editor will replace Melodyne plugin and be available for 349 US$/€ from the Celemony web shop as well as from music dealers. In addition, Melodyne editor will also be a part of the Melodyne studio bundle. The update options already announced for existing users of Melodyne plugin will still be valid: the switch to Melodyne editor will cost 129 US$/€, and anyone who registered Melodyne plugin after the 12th March 2008 will even receive Melodyne editor free of charge.

Musikmesse Update: Celemony has introduced Direct Note Access for Melodyne, which lets you edit individual notes within polyphonic audio material.

With Direct Note Access, Celemony is now offering access (including the full range of editing possibilities) to individual notes within recordings of polyphonic instruments.

“The access to, and ability to edit, individual notes within polyphonic audio material is the logical continuation of something that has always been our aim with Melodyne: to offer users a musical form of access to the content of their audio material that is as intuitive and far-reaching as possible and that can serve equally well for making corrections as for the creative refashioning of material,” said Celemony’s Peter Neubäcker.

The first Celemony product to include Direct Note Access will be Version 2 of Melodyne plugin.

Melodyne essential forms part of the Digidesign Pro Tools Ignition bundle as well as E-mu’s Production Tools software bundle and offers many users a simple introduction to Melodyne’s pitch correction, vocal production and melody editing functions.

The most important improvement offered by essential 1.8 is the new “Percussive2″ algorithm for the editing of percussive material. In terms of sound quality, when applied to drum loops and similar material, the results delivered by this algorithm are considerably better than those of its predecessor.

Among the other new features of Melodyne essential 1.8 are the combined scroll/zoom bars introduced by Melodyne plugin, an alternative grey colour scheme for the user interface, various improvements in the display and handling of percussive material, and a more user-friendly implementation of the copy protection.

“The playback algorithms along with the efficient audio detection form the basis for the unique editing possibilities of Melodyne software, which is used and much prized all over the world in professional productions,” says Peter Neubäcker, the founder of the firm and developer of the Melodyne algorithms. “We are improving and further developing both the detection and the playback algorithms on a permanent basis, and we didn’t want to deprive the users of our free bundled version of Melodyne, Melodyne essential, of the benefit of these improvements.”

The update to Melodyne essential 1.8 is free of charge to all registered users of essential and will be available for download from the end of April onwards from www.celemony.com.

Melodyne essential for Windows XP and Mac OS X forms part of Digidesign’s Ignition bundle as well as E-mu’s Production Tools bundle.

Among the other new features of Melodyne cre8/studio 3.2 are the combined scroll/zoom beams that were introduced by Melodyne plugin, an alternative grey colour scheme for the user interface, various improvements in the display and handling of percussive material, and a more user-friendly implementation of the copy protection.

“The playback algorithms along with the efficient audio detection form the basis for the unique editing possibilities of Melodyne software, which is used and much prized all over the world in professional productions,” says Peter Neubäcker, the founder of the firm and developer of the Melodyne algorithms. “We are improving and further developing both the detection and the playback algorithms on a permanent basis. The new versions (cre8 3.2 and studio 3.2) represent the most recent step along this path and bring users the latest improvements in the form of free updates.”

The updates to Melodyne cre8/studio 3.2 are available free of charge to all registered 3.x customers and will be ready for download from www.celemony.com from the beginning of March onwards. Melodyne cre8 for Windows XP and Mac OS X costs 319 euros (US$369), whilst the large Melodyne studio edition, with its additional algorithms for polyphonic material, costs 699 euros (US$699). Both are available from music dealers as well as from the Celemony Web Shop.

The libraries are unique: choral samples with which each voice can be edited individually and independently of the others as well as adapted to the particular musical context. You have complete freedom to determine the harmonies and the voice-leading, the rhythm and the phrasing, as well as the tonality and the expression of each phrase. This is made possible by the combination of eight vocal tracks with Melodyne technology. The 300 or so first-class, two- to eight-bar choral phrases per DVD were specially conceived, and have been painstakingly optimized, for use with Melodyne. Each phrase was sung by one male and one female vocalist eight times in all, so the eight separate recordings can be combined to create a realistic choral sound. Thanks to Melodyne technology, you can take each voice in the choir in turn and assign to it a different vocal line.

Vol. 1 of this unique collection contains phrases with lyrics such as “listen to the groove”, “keep me movin’ on”, “liftin’ me higher”, “party everybody”, “you make me wanna dance”, “universal love”, “feel so high”, “when will you stop playing” and many more. In Vol. 2, the choir sings non-verbal lines, from the straightforward to the way-out, and from simple “Ah”s, “Oh”s and “Schupdhuah”s to complex vocal arrangements.

Each of the two “the voice” titles in the Melodyne Sound Library contains more than 3 gigabytes of phrases recorded by renowned studio singers using the finest equipment. The recordings are of the highest quality from both a musical and a technical standpoint. No effects or dynamic processing were applied to the samples during recording to leave users maximum freedom during post production. The Melodyne Sound Library is the ideal complement to Melodyne for all users wishing to edit something more than just their own material. It provides the perfect raw material for productions of all kinds – material that is infinitely malleable and can be adapted to fit the context without losing its musicality in the process.

The Melodyne Sound Library currently comprises six titles: “saxophone”, “electric bass”, “guitar” and “horns” plus the two new releases: “the voice vol. 1″ and “the voice vol. 2″. All titles run with Melodyne cre8 and studio from Version 3.1 onwards and are available from music dealers as well as the Celemony Web Shop for 139 euro (US$159) each. For more information, visit www.celemony.com

Pack shots, images, screens, logos and texts can be found in the press area of our web site at www.celemony.com/press

Contact

Celemony Software GmbH, Valleystr. 25, 81371 München, Germany
Phone: +49 700 2353 6669, press@celemony.com, www.celemony.com

ASK’s resident software genius, Morgan Pottruff (aka Morg) is back to host this informative DVD on one of the most unique and acclaimed music software applications on the market.

“This is one of our most comprehensive titles to date,” states Steve Kostrey, CEO of ASK Video. “Morg has a gift for showing a user from beginner to advanced how to not only how to use the software, but apply tricks and techniques to make better music.”

Based on Melodyne 3, the intuitive interface and menus guide users through the 34 ultra-high-quality videos, packed with real-time screen animations, audio examples, and techniques that can be immediately applied in real-life situations. Users of Melodyne studio, cre8, uno, and essential will also benefit from the hours of instruction.

The Melodyne DVD Tutorial begins with a basic introduction to the program with chapters on Installation and First Run, Audio and MIDI Setup, and a Guided Tour. Next come chapters on navigating the program; The Transport, The Mixer, The Menus, Quick Run Through and so on. From there, Morg takes users through Editing, Tuning, Pitch and Time Correction, and Recording. The final chapters are devoted to advanced concepts such as Detecting Audio, ReWire, MIDI and Synchronization.

System Requirements:

This product includes QuickTime 7.x Mac/PC which is required for video playback. DVD-Rom drive required. Minimum screen resolution 1024 x 768.

• PC: Windows XP Home or Professional, Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon 800 MHz or faster, 256 MB RAM. Windows MME or DirectSound Sound Card.
• MAC: Requires Mac OS X v10.2 or higher, Power Mac G4 867 MHz, 256 MB RAM, Sound Card.

Pricing and Availability:

The Melodyne DVD Tutorial is available in September, 2006 for $55 USD.

Video examples and ordering information are available at the Ask Video site..

With the Update to 1.5 at the end of January, Melodyne uno and essential will be compatible with the new Intel Macs, as will the multi-track Melodyne cre8 and studio with Version 3.1 in the spring.

The unique audio software Melodyne also profits from the considerably faster Apple computers by offering more tracks and more fluid operation. The adaptations to the Universal Binary technology required by the Core Duo’s architecture was tested last autumn and will now be integrated into future program versions.

Melodyne itself will then run without limitations, exploiting the new reserves of power. How the integration into other programs via ReWire and the plug-in interfaces will function is naturally dependent upon the adaptation of the corresponding host programs. Further information will be appearing shortly on the Celemony web site.

The updates offering Intel Core Duo compatibility will be free for registered Melodyne users. The updates for Melodyne uno and Melodyne essential will appear at the end of January and those for the multi-track Melodyne cre8 and Melodyne studio in the spring.

More information is available at the Celemony site.

Melodyne3 offers a new algorithm that allows any type of audio material to profit from Melodyne’s unique editing functions and sound quality; in other words, Melodyne is no longer limited to the editing of melodies but can handle homophonic and polyphonic textures. Melodyne3 also offers fully automatic analysis of the audio material, powerful macros for the correction of intonation and timing errors, and numerous improvements in the user interface. Melodyne3 is not only capable of doing far more than its predecessors; it is also faster and easier to use.

With Version 3, Melodyne is no longer limited to melodies but offers a unique algorithm that can perform high quality time stretching on full chords and complex audio signals; so now harmonic material (such as rhythm guitar or piano parts) — whether homophonic or polyphonic — can be transposed (without altering the tempo), slowed down or sped up (without altering the pitch) and even quantized. This can be done in real time with the sound quality for which Melodyne is known.

Melodyne3 employs the same audio analysis engine as Melodyne uno: the process of note recognition is therefore fully automatic and the results more reliable and delivered more swiftly than heretofore. That’s one way in which Melodyne3 makes working with audio files easier. Others are the Correct Pitch and Quantize Time macros, which allow the most common flaws in vocal and instrumental recordings to be removed with a few mouse clicks.

Context-sensitive combi-tools, logically arranged menus and intuitive new methods of operating in the arrange and edit windows streamline the workflow as well as reducing the time taken to master the program. There are also improvements in the way Melodyne integrates into other sequencing applications and Melodyne3 can read sound libraries created using Melodyne technology such as those of Ueberschall’s Liquid Instruments, thereby obtaining access to an almost inexhaustible supply of licks and phrases.

“The ability at last to apply Melodyne’s unique editing functions to any type of audio material is certainly the main argument for Melodyne3,” says Peter Neubäcker, the founder and mastermind of Celemony. “This uniquely flexible way of handling audio material will lead to a whole new style of working in the studio: with Melodyne3, the note-based rearrangement and remixing of songs are child’s play, and we’ve streamlined the workflow in numerous ways in response to requests from users. As a result, Melodyne is far simpler and more practice-oriented than ever before.”

Melodyne3 studio (the full edition with the new polyphonic time stretching) costs 699 euros; the smaller Melodyne 3 cre8 319 euros. The upgrade to Melodyne3 costs registered cre8 users 99 euros and users of the studio edition 149 euros. It will be available from music dealers or the Celemony web site. For purchases registered after the 1st September 2005, the upgrade will be free.

More information and samples are available at the Celemony site.

Celemony Software

New Features

Very high quality time stretching and pitch shifting — even for polyphonic and complex audio material (Melodyne studio only)

Whether the material contains block chords (homophony) or parts that are melodically and rhythmically independent (polyphony), Melodyne 3 is able to apply pitch shifting, time stretching and quantization to it in real time — and the sound quality is all you would expect from Melodyne. This uniquely flexible way of handling audio material will lead to a whole new style of working in the studio: with Melodyne 3, the note-based rearrangement and remixing of songs are child’s play, offering producers new creative options when dealing with harmonic tracks.

Far more reliable note recognition

The analysis now takes account automatically of the type of audio material, obviating the need for further programming. If you are batch processing a set of files of the same type, you can also create and store your own recognition templates.

Macros for the correction of intonation and timing errors

The macros introduced by Melodyne uno for the swift correction of notes that are out of tune or mistimed as well as for creative requantization are now also available in the multi-track versions.

Simpler arrangement editing

• New global tempo parameters in the Transport pane
• New intuitive tempo control using the ‘Auto-stretch’ function
• More efficient tempo control making the existing arrangement tools superfluous
• Context-sensitive Move Notes tool
• Tempo/Time signature changes can be typed in quickly in the Bar/Time ruler

More powerful editing functions

• When you load a single audio file, the Editor opens automatically
• Simpler export of edited audio files – all export parameters are set automatically to the correct values
• Efficient combi-tools streamline the editing of pitch, formants, amplitude and time, making the existing tools superfluous
• You can now access the commands in the tool-based action menus directly from the Edit menu, without needing to change tools
• Blobs can be transposed using Local Sound Synthesis audition control
• You can toggle between the two most recently used tools using a user-definable keyboard shortcut

Data-related improvements

• Batch processing in the Melody Manager
• Compatibility with Liquid Sounds from Ueberschall

Improvements in the layout and workflow

• New navigation and zoom shortcuts in the Arranger and Editor
• Grid size for editing can be set quickly in the Bar/Time ruler
• Easy scrubbing with the Bar ruler in the Arranger and Editor
• Track name boxes can be widened to make them more legible
• Menu structure rationalized and expanded
• Audio-to-MIDI and Play Algorithm parameters are in clearly laid out inspectors and always visible (if desired)

Other improvements

• Improved integration into host sequencers thanks to new Bridge and ReWire interfaces
• Improved track sorting
• Improved plug-in hosting
• Improved drag & drop functionality

Recording artists and engineers have known about Melodyne for years. Until now, though, it was only monophonic vocal and instrumental parts that could benefit from Melodyne’s much-admired editing algorithms: algorithms capable of everything from minor corrections of intonation to extreme pitch shifting and from the subtle modification of grooves to drastic time stretching. With Version 3, Melodyne is no longer limited to melodies but offers a unique algorithm that can perform high quality time stretching on full chords and complex audio signals; so now harmonic material (such as rhythm guitar or piano parts) — whether homophonic or polyphonic — can be transposed (without altering the tempo), slowed down or sped up (without altering the pitch) and even quantized. What’s more, all this can be done in real time with the sound quality for which Melodyne is famous.

Melodyne3 employs the same audio analysis engine as Melodyne uno: the process of note recognition is therefore fully automatic and the results more reliable and delivered more swiftly than heretofore. That’s one way in which Melodyne3 makes working with audio files easier. Others are the Correct Pitch and Quantize Time macros, which allow the most common flaws in vocal and instrumental recordings to be removed with a few mouse clicks.

Melodyne3 is not just far easier to operate and better attuned to the working practices of musicians and recording engineers than its predecessors but also better structured. Context-sensitive combi-tools, logically arranged menus and intuitive new methods of operating in the arrange and edit windows streamline the workflow as well as reducing the time taken to master the program. There are also notable improvements in the way Melodyne integrates into other sequencing applications and Melodyne3 can read sound libraries created using Melodyne technology such as those of Ueberschall’s Liquid Instruments, thereby obtaining access to an almost inexhaustible supply of licks and phrases.

“The ability at last to apply Melodyne’s unique editing functions to any type of audio material is certainly the main argument for Melodyne3,” says Peter Neubäcker, the founder and mastermind of Celemony. “This uniquely flexible way of handling audio material will lead to a whole new style of working in the studio: with Melodyne3, the note-based rearrangement and remixing of songs are child’s play, and we’ve streamlined the workflow in numerous ways in response to requests from users. As a result, Melodyne is far simpler and more practice-oriented than ever before.”

Melodyne3 is scheduled for release in November 2005. Melodyne3 studio (the full edition with the new polyphonic time stretching) will cost 699 euros; but anyone buying Melodyne 2 now (for 599 euros) will be able to upgrade to v.3 free — saving 100 euros. The price of the smaller Melodyne 3 cre8 will remain 319 euros.

The upgrade to Melodyne3 will cost registered cre8 users 99 euros and users of the studio edition 149 euros. It will be available from music dealers or the Celemony web site: http://www.celemony.com. For purchases registered after the 1st September 2005, the upgrade will be free.

Melodyne uno offers the tried-and-tested Melodyne functions for audio editing affording a new type of access to audio data and one with far greater creative possibilities. Melodyne uno is very intuitive in its operation, without complex recognition procedures or arrange levels. Like a sample editor, it permits the direct and uncomplicated editing of the pitch, tempo, phrasing, formants and timing of mono audio files.

What’s more, radical variation of these parameters is possible and in award-winning sound quality. At all times, Melodyne uno reacts in a very musical way. When it corrects the intonation of a vocal performance, for example, all the phrasing — including any vibrato — is retained. It is also capable of recognizing the tonality and mode implicit in a melody as well as transposing in a musical way.

The program is easy to learn and use. There are macros for the two most often used editing functions, Correct Pitch and Quantize Time, which make it possible correct a melody with a single key press. Melodyne uno can handle all commonly encountered audio formats as well as integrating smoothly into all conventional MIDI/Audio sequencers.

“Melodyne uno is a simple and uncomplicated tool for mono audio editing,” says Technical Director Carsten Gehle. “Just drag-and-drop an audio file into the program and you can edit the intonation and timing of the melodic line with a click of the mouse and even refashion it completely. A large number of musicians and producers have been waiting a long time for a melodic tool that simple and intuitive to use. Here it is.”

Melodyne uno for Windows and Mac OS X costs 169 Euro ($US199) and is available from dealers as well as from http://www.celemony.com. Purchasers will be offered a special price if they later wish to upgrade to either of the larger versions of Melodyne, the Studio Edition and Cre8.

Celemony Software

The Liquid Player is not just capable of playing back audio phrases and licks, but also allows you to edit them using Melodyne’s unique function set, matching the tempo of a phrase automatically to that of the sequencer, for example, or to its tonality or mode.

Every note in a phrase can have its pitch, timing or duration modified, whether this means the correction of minor errors of intonation or the radical reshaping of the phrase, discreet quantization or 100% time-stretching. In this way, the phrases can be adapted to a vast range of musical contexts and used creatively. When you’re working with audio, you can’t get any simpler and more flexible than that.

Each Liquid instrument comes stocked with over a gigabyte of phrases and licks played by renowned studio musicians; both musically and technically, these are raw materials of the highest quality. The samples are recorded without effects or any dynamic processing whatsoever, leaving you a completely free hand to apply whatever processing or effects you like later.

The phrases and licks provided are also ideal sample material for the normal version of Melodyne. Using the Melody Manager, you can integrate them simply and in a highly musical fashion into your own work.

The first Liquid instruments, the Liquid Saxophone and the Liquid Electric Bass, are scheduled for release in March 2005, and they will retail at $199 US (169 euros).

Melodyne uno offers the tried-and-tested Melodyne functions for audio editing affording a new type of access to audio data and one with far greater creative possibilities. Melodyne uno is very intuitive in its operation, without complex recognition procedures or arrange levels. Like a sample editor, it permits the direct and uncomplicated editing of the pitch, tempo, phrasing, formants and timing of mono audio files. What’s more, radical variation of these parameters is possible and in award-winning sound quality.

Melodyne uno is designed to react in a very musical way. When it corrects the intonation of a vocal performance, for example, all the phrasing — including any vibrato — is retained. It is also capable of recognizing the tonality and mode implicit in a melody as well as transposing in a musical way.

The program is also designed to be easy to learn and use. There are macros for the two most often used editing functions, Correct Pitch and Quantize Timing, which make it possible correct a melody with a single key press.

Melodyne uno can handle all commonly encountered audio formats as well as integrating smoothly into all conventional MIDI/Audio sequencers.

“Melodyne uno is a simple and uncomplicated tool for mono audio editing,” says Technical Director Carsten Gehle. “Just drag-and-drop an audio file into the program and you can edit the intonation and timing of the melodic line with a click of the mouse and even refashion it completely. A large number of musicians and producers have been waiting a long time for a melodic tool that simple and intuitive to use. Here it is.”

Melodyne uno for Windows and Mac OS X costs around $199 US (169 euros). Purchasers will be offered a special price if they later wish to upgrade to either of the larger versions of Melodyne, the Studio Edition and Cre8.

Melodyne 2.6 is mainly notable for the provision of far more powerful functions for the handling of keys and scales as well as the editing of diatonic and chromatic notes — with far more musical results from both correction and transposition operations. Version 2.6 distinguishes between notes belonging to the current key or mode and notes foreign to it (such as chromatic passing notes) so that the musical content of the phrase is not altered when the melody is transposed or the mode changed. This also helps the program to achieve still better results when generating two- or three-part vocal harmonies.

The handling of trills and other ornaments has also been optimized and the ability to group notes added to the function set. These measures make the editing of phrases considerably more intuitive.

The Melodyne Bridge, which facilitates the integration of Melodyne into sequencing applications, now supports the current versions of Apple Logic 7 and MotU Digital Performer 4.5.

The program’s ability to analyse and play back rough-sounding audio material has also been improved considerably. The new update also contains a host of detailed enhancements — many of them suggested by our users.

With this update, the recommended retail prices have also been adjusted. The large Melodyne Studio Edition now costs $599 US (599 euro) and the smaller Cre8 version $369 US (319 euro).

“This is very much a musical update,” according to Celemony mastermind Peter Neubäcker, “since Melodyne better understands now the harmonic context of melodies and is able to react accordingly. This makes the handling of tonalities and modes as well as vocal harmonies and transposition considerably simpler and achieves more musical results.”

The update to Version 2.6 for Windows and Mac is free for registered users of the Studio Edition and Cre8 from version 2.0 upwards and is available for immediate download from http://www.celemony.com.

Celemony Software GmbH

RTAS integration allows Melodyne to operate efficiently and simply within the Pro Tools production environment. This gives Pro Tools users with Melodyne the perfect tool for pitch and timing correction, the formation of harmonies and the radical reshaping of melodies.

The new Melody Manager helps with the organisation of audio files, offering auditioning functions and a variety of display options – from notes to the characteristic Melodyne blobs. What makes the Melody Manager a particularly spontaneous creative tool is the ability to drag & drop files (or parts of files) to the application, which gives you instant access to Melodyne’s unique range of functions.

Another new feature with Version 2.5 is the ability to route the internal MIDI output directly to VST instruments hosted by Melodyne. That offers possibilities hitherto undreamed of for the combination of natural and synthesized sounds. The AudioUnit, VST and ASIO software interfaces have also been improved, navigation and operation optimised, file handling made easier and many other improvements of detail undertaken – often in response to suggestions we have received from users.

All new Melodyne packages come with an improved and updated handbook and the CD ROM ‘Ueberschall Sample Preview’, which contains over 130 MB of Melodyne-ready audio material. The first class vocal licks, instrumental phrases and loops can be loaded directly using the Melody Manager. Melodyne users and others interested can order the CD for a nominal price (designed to cover the cost of postage) from the Celemony Web Shop.

Comments Celemony CTO Carsten Gehle: “In addition to the two major new features, RTAS integration and the Melody Manager, we have optimised the program in many other areas to improve its operation, satisfy the wishes of customers and generally make Melodyne faster. That, too, will please many users.”

The update to Version 2.5 for Windows and Mac is free for registered users of Melodyne 2.x and will be available for download from the 21st June 2004 onwards from the Celemony site.