DNA Direct Note Access
Edit individual notes in polyphonic audio recordings
DNA Direct Note Access is a technology that makes the impossible possible: for the first time in audio recording history you can identify and edit individual notes within polyphonic audio material. The unique access that Melodyne affords to pitch, timing, note lengths and other parameters of melodic notes will now also be afforded to individual notes within chords.
Like Melodyne itself, Direct Note Access is a development that changes forever the way we handle audio. In digital photo editing, it has long been possible with the right software not only to correct the tiniest blemishes but also literally to create new realities: pictures that are utterly believable but show us something that in fact never existed. Direct Note Access gives Melodyne users comparable freedom in the field of audio. With Direct Note Access, Melodyne allows forms of access to audio material that were unthinkable before – ranging from subtle correction to recomposition. | |
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The film: Behind the Scenes – an interview with DNA inventor Peter Neubäcker
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In 2008, Celemony introduced the new Direct Note Access technology, followed by a huge echo in the public. A few months later a film team came to visit Melodyne inventor Peter Neubäcker in his laboratory for a preview to this groundbreaking technology. Their result is a 14-minute interview that gives you a deep insight into the possibilites of Direct Note Access.
The questions
- How did the idea for Direct Note Access come about?
- How does Direct Note Access work in practice?
- Direct Note Access – a question of computing power?
- How easy is it to handle Direct Note Access?
- Which material works best with Direct Note Access?
- What can you do with Direct Note Access – musically?
Minor blemishes and the Melodyne effect
Melodyne users already enjoy the privilege of being that much closer to perfect recordings. A note sung slightly off key or with too much vibrato can be corrected effortlessly in Melodyne. This type of cosmetic intervention in a recording is virtually inaudible; the results sound authentic and real – only closer to perfection than the original. While such enhancements were previously only possible with monophonic material (voice, saxophone, flute …), Direct Note Access makes the same thing possible with polyphonic material.
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Why DNA already helps you during recording
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Have you ever thought you could correct a wrong note in a piano recording or in a chord simply by moving it to the correct pitch? Obviously not. In such cases, you’ve just repeated the recording hoping to recapture the same quality of expression as in the first take – only without the mistake.
The alternative now is Melodyne with Direct Note Access. Today, you know in advance that with Melodyne you can remove minor mistakes from vocal recordings. Knowing that makes for a far more relaxed atmosphere in the studio and therefore better results. With Direct Note Access, Melodyne will offer you the same effect for virtually all instruments. You will know in advance that you can correct a wrong piano note or retune a guitar after the recording. You’ll be able to work more quickly and choose the take that is the most convincing musically rather than the one with no mistakes. Seen in these terms, Direct Note Access is not just a technical innovation but above all a profoundly musical one. The moment of genius is given its chance!
Audio as a building material and the new freedom
Fortunately there’s more to making music than the avoidance of errors. It’s nice to know, of course, that you can correct errors. But once you’ve done so, more interesting, more creative, tasks await you.
Because Direct Note Access makes it possible to change the harmonies within a recording, now you are able to modify the DNA (so to speak) of your audio material: to take any guitar track, for instance, transpose it from C major to F# minor and integrate it into the song you’re working on now. Naturally, the tempo and timing of polyphonic material will also be variable. You’ll be able to move the notes of a chord not only in pitch but also in time. With Direct Note Access, you won’t believe how flexible your audio material has become.
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How you can apply DNA
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Using the familiar Melodyne tools, you will be able to modify the pitch, timing, vibrato, pitch drift, formant spectrum, and volume of each note. That gives you unheard-of freedom to create new acoustic realities: You can make individual notes within a chord louder or softer or change their tone color by shifting their formants. You can copy a note on the marimba and use it to replace the notes in a piano chord: the music remains the same but it’s a whole new sound. And imagine the extent to which Direct Note Access will enhance the value of your sample libraries. You’ll no longer be restricted to samples that match the harmony of your song, but will be able to base your choice of samples upon sonic, rhythmic or musical criteria – and then transform the harmonies of the sample with total freedom to obtain the effect desired.
Questions and Answers
A new and groundbreaking technology like DNA raises questions. Here we have listed the most important questions and answers for you.
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Learn more about DNA Direct Note Access
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Q: Is it possible with Direct Note Access to change individual notes in existing multi-voice (polyphonic) audio recordings e.g. to turn a major chord into a minor?
A: Yes. That’s exactly what Direct Note Access makes possible. You can take a piano or guitar recording, for example, and change any note you wish – even if it forms part of a chord. And the sound is of the highest Melodyne quality!
Q: How should I visualize this intervention in the audio material?
A: The notes are displayed, as is customary with Melodyne, as blobs in an editor. The x-axis represents time; the y-axis represents pitch. Multi-voice (polyphonic) material, which was previously all displayed at a single pitch, is now split up into individual notes by Direct Note Access and these notes are then displayed spread out as separate blobs – each at its own pitch.
Q: What editing possibilities are available for the notes in polyphonic audio material?
A: With Direct Note Access, after detection, polyphonic audio material appears ‘exploded’ in Melodyne in such a way as to let you see the individual notes of each chord at their actual pitches and edit them using the familiar Melodyne tools. As parameters, you therefore have access to the pitch and timing of each note as well as its vibrato, pitch drift, formant spectrum and volume.
Q: What applications does Direct Note Access have?
A: Just as with the editing of melodies, the possibilities range from subtle correction to creative refashioning. You can, for example, correct a wrong note within a piano recording, tidy up the timing of the individual notes of a chord and even retune an out-of-tune guitar after the recording has already taken place. You can also transform the entire harmony of a recording, transpose it in accordance with a given scale, or replace individual notes in a chord by others found in a different part of the recording or even played by a different instrument. The ability to change the formants as well as modify the internal evolution of notes yields additionally far-reaching FX possibilities. Finally, Melodyne with DNA is a great tool for transcribing music and ear training as well as for musical analyses and education.
Q: For what type of material is Direct Note Access suitable?
A: Direct Note Access is designed for single polyphonic tracks. You can use it for the quality targeted editing of a piano, a guitar or a string quartet. Optimum results are obtained with cleanly recorded signals to which as few effects have been added as possible.
Q: How about mixed signals i.e. where you have a piano and a guitar on the same track?
A: Direct Note Access recognizes notes in their harmonic and temporal contexts. It cannot detect which instrument has played which note. So if a piano and a guitar play the same note at the same time, you cannot edit the guitar separately. With Direct Note Access, you can access the note itself, which in this case means the signal of both instruments.
Q: Can I also edit entire songs with Direct Note Access?
A: You can load whatever you like and experiment. Doing so can be interesting and even fun. With complex signals or entire mixes, the note detection can however reach its limits and perhaps not all the notes will be identified correctly. Direct Note Access is designed for the editing of individual instrument tracks in the course of a typical multi-track music production. In this context, the sound quality of the results is outstanding.
Q: Is Direct Note Access also suitable for transcriptions and polyphonic Audio-to-MIDI?
A: Yes. Once the notes have been detected in this way, MIDI export of the audio file with a view to printing out the notes or for further use in another program is naturally an option.
Q: Which Melodyne edition comes with Direct Note Access?
A: Direct Note Access is currently available in Melodyne editor. Naturally Direct Note Access will also be available in the large multi-track version of Melodyne i.e. Melodyne studio, where the musical possibilities will be far-reaching. However no concrete release date has yet been set.
5 years of DNA
It’s five years now since DNA Direct Note Access was first introduced at Frankfurt Musikmesse in 2008. See how media and artists responded back then. More
