Melodyne FAQ

For all Melodyne editions:-

Additionally, Melodyne editor or Melodyne assistant, when being used as a plug-in, require an RTAS, VST or AU host (e.g. Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase ...). See the list of compatible hosts.

When using Melodyne in plug-in mode, please note that the RAM recommendation relates to a minimal combination of host and Melodyne. If you are working within your host with additional effects and/or other plug-ins or multiple instances of Melodyne, your computer needs a sufficient amount of RAM. As is always the case, having more RAM helps a great deal, making audio software function more smoothly and reliably.

Yes. Although the current Melodyne editions are 32-bit applications, they can be used with Vista 64 or Windows 7. They cannot make use of more RAM than 2 GB though, but there are no restrictions regarding sound quality or processing speed compared to situations where they run under Win XP or Vista 32.

[editor, assistant, plugin]

In order to run 32-bit plug-ins in a 64-bit host sequencer, such as Cubase 5 or Sonar 8 x64, these sequencers take care of the conversion between 32 and 64 bit with their built-in "bit map" or "bit bridge" functionality. Currently Melodyne is showing some problems with these bit conversions. For users of Sonar or Cubase we therefore recommend to use the 32-bit version of their program (even when using Vista 64 or Windows 7).

All editions of Melodyne are compatible with the formats AIFF (Mac/PC), WAV (Mac/PC) and SD II (Mac), in each case in 8-, 16- or 24-bit resolution at sampling rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2 or 96 kHz.

Melodyne studio can also read and write files using sampling rates of 176.4 and 196 kHz as well as 32-bit AIFF/WAV formats. Depending on their host, the plug-in versions of Melodyne editor and Melodyne assistant also support up to 192 kHz and 32 bit.

Melodyne editor and Melodyne assistant are stand-alone programs, but they can also run as plug-ins (VST, AU, RTAS) in your compatible DAW. Melodyne essential RTAS runs as an RTAS plug-in in Pro Tools.

Melodyne studio does not have a generic plug-in mode; it is a stand-alone program. With the help of the MelodyneBridge, however, it can also be integrated into a host DAW as though it was a plug-in.

How do I connect Melodyne to other audio programs?

It depends which driver your audio interface is accessing. Melodyne supports interfaces with the following driver formats:-

[editor, assistant, essential RTAS, plugin]

The RAM consumption of Melodyne editor, Melodyne assistant and Melodyne essential RTAS strongly depends on the files you are using. With melodic or percussive files you will notice that these editions need even less RAM than Melodyne plugin. On the other hand, with polyphonic files in Melodyne editor the RAM usage can be higher – this is depending on the musical content of the files and can therefore not be foreseen in any MB-per-minute calculation.

Whenever you encounter any RAM shortage on your system, there are a few strategies you can use to minimize the RAM consumption. First off you need to know that during and shortly after each transfer the RAM consumption is much higher than a while after the process. Therefore multiple simultaneous transfers temporarily increase the RAM usage a lot. A workaround for this would be to transfer tracks one after the other.

Often there is no need to transfer a track from the very beginning to its very end. Instead it is much more efficient to transfer only the part you currently want to edit. Even when you end up with having transferred the whole track in the end, you will have lower peak values of RAM consumption when you do it part by part and track by track.

And one last tip on saving RAM: certain DAWs will have a growing RAM usage simply because you are using them over hours. Therefore it's a good idea to save, quit, and restart your DAW from time to time.

[studio, plugin]

With Melodyne studio, Melodyne plugin and other older Melodyne editions, the amount of available RAM affects the speed of the detection process and in this way has a bearing upon the maximum overall length of an audio file. The precise amount of RAM needed for this detection process depends upon the playing time of the file and its sample rate. It is NOT dependent upon the wordlength of the samples (16, 24 or 32 bits); NOR is it dependent upon the number of channels (mono or stereo).

For this reason, any calculation of the amount of RAM needed has to be based not on the size of the file but upon its duration and sample rate.

The following table offers an overview:-

The lengths given refer to the length of one file (not the total time of all the files used in an arrangement). If, according to this table, your computer possesses insufficient RAM for a given file, it will need to use your hard disk to make up for the shortage of RAM, and do so perhaps several times for individual segments. This will result in the detection process being drawn out to an inordinate extent.

As you approach the maximum values listed in this table, there will be a tendency for the system to slow down and even become unstable and crash. To avoid this, we recommend breaking up long files into smaller units that can then be detected one after the other. This will make the entire procedure more fluid as well as more secure.

To remove Melodyne from your computer, please make use of the Windows uninstaller (Control Panel > Software). On a Mac, drag any files into the trash bin which have “Melodyne” in their name and which are located in these folders:

• Applications
• Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
• Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST
• Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
• Library/Application Support/Digidesign/Plug-Ins

In most cases, however, it is not necessary to uninstall the program. For example, if you wish to run Melodyne on another computer and you need a spare activation for this, it is sufficient to deactivate the program on your previous computer.

Deactivation – How can I transfer my activation to a new computer?

To »activate« means to unlock your copy of Melodyne on a particular computer. You must activate Melodyne before you can use it. There are two alternative options for activation. Both of them work either online from your music computer or offline (i.e. from a different computer with internet access).

1. Computer-based activation

This is the standard method for activation, which unlocks Melodyne on a particular computer without the need for a hardware dongle. The activation is bound to this computer. You may activate and use Melodyne on up to two computers, and you can deactivate Melodyne on a particular computer at any time in order to activate it on a different computer with the spare activation. In short: With this method you obtain two computer-based activations which you may use at the same time or transfer to further computers as you like.

For the products Melodyne editor and Melodyne studio, you can purchase additional licenses at a privileged price from our Web Shop in case you wish to activate more than two computers (if, for example, you are operating a recording studio with several workstations).

Please note that if, using Boot Camp on a Mac, you are running both Mac OS X and Windows and want to activate Melodyne under both operating systems, you require a separate activation for each of the two operating systems. The same applies if you want to activate Melodyne under a second operating system that is running on a virtual machine (e.g. Parallels, VMware, …).

2. iLok

As an alternative to computer-based activation, you can activate Melodyne (with the exception of Melodyne essential RTAS) by means of an iLok USB copy protection dongle from PACE. With this type of activation, your Melodyne license is transferred to your iLok, which permits you to run the software on a variety of computers and under a variety of operating systems. Please note, however, that you only receive one licence for one iLok and that after changing to iLok you cannot obtain any further computer-based activations for Celemony.

How does the iLok dongle work?

An activation assistant integrated into Melodyne offers you all the options mentioned above and guides you through all the steps necessary for registration and activation. The assistant runs automatically the first time you launch Melodyne.

If you have no access to the Internet, you can request an activation from Celemony by post. Choose the Offline Activation in the Activation assistant inside Melodyne and export the request file for the activation. Burn the file onto a CD and send us the CD. You will then receive from us an activation file on CD, which you will then be able to import exactly as though you had downloaded it from myCelemony. Please do not forget to send us your address! Our address is:

Celemony Software GmbH

Valleystrasse 25

81371 Munich

Germany

Registration means opening a user account in the myCelemony area of the Celemony web site. This happens in conjunction with the activation of Melodyne. You can then access this account from any computer hooked up to the Internet by entering your user name and password.

Your myCelemony account consists of a customer profile and a product overview. There you can:-

• see all the Celemony products you have activated as well as their activation status;
• download the latest installation programs for your products as well as the corresponding updates;
• in some cases, download other Celemony products at a favorable price or else free of charge;
• choose which type of Celemony newsletter you wish to receive and edit your other user data.

You can find your Melodyne Serial Number either in the printed Melodyne manual or in the the e-mail we sent you as a receipt when you purchased Melodyne from our online store. If your Melodyne has already been activated, you will also find your serial number in the About… or the License window. Finally, your myCelemony account lists the serial numbers of all your registered products.

This depends on how you activate Melodyne. See here:

How do I activate Melodyne?

If you have previously used the computer-based activation, you can deactivate Melodyne on your old computer with the built-in activation assistant. The released activation can then be used to activate Melodyne on your new computer.

If, on the other hand, you have previously used the iLok-based activation, you simply plug your iLok dongle into another computer.

How do I activate Melodyne?

If you are selling a registered version of Melodyne, you need to report the sale to registration@celemony.com giving your own postal and e-mail addresses, your Serial Number and the name, postal address and e-mail address of the purchaser. Then be sure to deactivate the software completely from your computer. Once the verification procedure has been successfully completed, Celemony will alter the customer registration.

How can I transfer my activation to a new computer?

How can I remove Melodyne from my computer?

Attention: If you have used an iLok dongle for activating Melodyne, please be aware that you must not transfer your iLok license to the new owner.

Note: You can only transfer the ownership of normal registered versions of Melodyne — not of press or NFR versions.

No. If you obtained Melodyne editor or Melodyne plugin as part of the Melodyne studio bundle, you may only sell this product bundled with Melodyne studio and vice versa.

Second-hand versions of Melodyne have to be registered with us and activated just like new ones. Since, however, the versions will already have been registered once, the registration will have to be transferred by the original owner before you - as the new owner - can apply to re-register it.

To do this, you will have to contact Celemony with written proof of the purchase of the copy of Melodyne in question either by sending an e-mail to registration@celemony.com or by writing to:

Celemony Software GmbH

Valleystrasse 25

81371 Munich

Germany

Note: For unregistered copies of Melodyne that have never been installed, no transfer of ownership is necessary.

Naturally — that's what they're there for. You can use the sounds (whether altered drastically or not at all) in your production and publish it without any restrictions.

Another thing you cannot do is sell the sounds in the Melodyne Sound Library or copy them and pass them on to someone else.

To sum up, then: Making music with the samples and publishing or selling it is allowed. Copying or selling the samples is not.

The iLok dongle is a copy-protection device capable of storing licenses for the software of various manufacturers; this allows the programs and plug-ins covered by the licenses to be installed on multiple computers and used whenever the iLok dongle is inserted in the USB port.

To use Melodyne, it is not necessary to use an iLok; you can activate Melodyne equally well without one using the normal activation procedure, but the activation is then tied to the computer in question, which does not allow you to move easily from computer to computer taking Melodyne with you, as you can with the dongle.

All Melodyne versions come with a free iLok option. Melodyne essential RTAS does not have the iLok option.

Please note:

• Once you have opted for iLok activation, you can no longer request any computer-specific activations from myCelemony. Your iLok, in other words, becomes the exclusive 'access key' to Melodyne.
• Celemony can accept no liability in the case of loss or damage for a license that has been transferred to an iLok. Please make sure that your iLok is suitably insured. You will find information about this, too, at www.ilok.com.

Please read the Melodyne manual for more details regarding the activation via iLok.

You can induce the transfer of your Melodyne license to an iLok at any time. To do so, use the activation assistant in Melodyne (Help > License) or find the corresponding option in your myCelemony account. Please look up any details in your Melodyne manual.

Please note that there is no iLok option for Melodyne essential RTAS.

No. When you purchase Melodyne, you acquire one license to use the program. If you are using iLok, you can run Melodyne on several different computers, but not simultaneously; only one after the other; and always on the computer in which the iLok dongle is currently inserted, since this is your current workplace.

After purchasing your iLok dongle from a music store, you have to register it. Visit www.ilok.com and select Sign up, where you will be asked to submit various details and choose a User ID.

If ever you forget your User ID, you will have to contact iLok.com and ask to be reminded of it.

The iLok works for all applications and plug-ins for which it carries a license, but these licenses are not transferred automatically to the dongle. In fact, when you buy it, the dongle is empty. So, first you have to buy the licenses, and then transfer them to the dongle. To learn more about this license transfer see the Melodyne manual or follow this link:

How does the iLok dongle work?

Also make sure you are using the latest version of the iLok software — i.e. the driver provided by the manufacturer, PACE, which you can download from the PACE site http://www.paceap.com/download.html. Select Download Drivers from the list box in the END USERS pane at the top and commence the download from the window that appears.

Obviously Melodyne is correctly activated on your iLok (otherwise you wouldn't be able to use Melodyne at home either). The problem must lie with the computer in the other studio. Please make sure the same edition of Melodyne is installed on both computers.

Tip: You can log in to your myCelemony account from the computer in the other studio and download the latest installation program of your Melodyne edition.

If you have used an iLok dongle for Melodyne activation, please be aware that you must not transfer your iLok license to the new owner yourself. Please contact our support team.

You can check for updates per Internet right from within your Melodyne edition. In Melodyne editor, Melodyne assistant and Melodyne essential RTAS, you will find this option in the preferences, in older Melodyne editions see the Help menu.

If the computer you use for music is not connected to the Internet, here's how to find out whether or not an update is available for your copy of Melodyne:-

• Note down the version number of your Melodyne edition by choosing About ... from the menu.
• At a computer with Internet access, log in to your myCelemony account and see whether a newer version is available for your Melodyne.
• Download the latest installation program.

Major updates (for example from Version 2 to Version 3) must be purchased from a music dealer or from our web shop.

You can upgrade from any edition of Melodyne to any of the larger versions i.e. you are not limited to upgrading to the version immediately above the one you already have (e.g. from Melodyne essential to Melodyne assistant); you can go from one of the smallest versions to the largest in one bound (e.g. from Melodyne essential to Melodyne studio), the cost being simply the difference between the recommended retail prices of the two versions.

Learn more about all upgrade options on this page.

Upgrades are available not only from music stores but also from our Web Shop. If you are ordering an upgrade from the Web Shop, you must enter your registered Serial Number, so have it ready before you begin. If purchasing your update from a music store, you will not need your Serial Number until you come to activate the studio version.

Where can I find my Serial Number?

Don't worry – you have purchased Melodyne studio, but before you can use it you have to delete the old license file first and then do a new activation.

To do so, proceed like this:

• After the upgrade please delete the file:

/Library/Application Support/Celemony/Licenses/
MelodyneStudioCre8.license

[Win XP]

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Celemony Software GmbH\Licenses\MelodyneStudioCre8.license

[Vista]

C:\ProgramData\Celemony Software GmbH\Licenses\
MelodyneStudioCre8.license

• Now, activate Melodyne studio using the built-in assistant.
• By the way: you can delete the license file and renew it with a new activation as many times as you like. As long as this is done on the same computer, you won't be charged any extra activation credit from your my Celemony account.

No. When you purchase an upgrade, you register with the current edition and a new Serial Number, at which point the old Serial Number is deactivated.

If you purchased your copy of Melodyne studio bundle after 16th November 2009:

• Register and activate your copy of Melodyne, if you have not already done so.
  How do I activate Melodyne?
• Log in to myCelemony.
• You will see Melodyne editor listed directly in your product overview. Download the latest installation program for Mac or PC (use the Load installer or update link next to Melodyne editor).
• Doubleclick the file to install Melodyne editor on your system.

Before 16th November 2009, Melodyne studio used to be bundled with Melodyne plugin. If you have registered such a plug-in for the first time after 12th March 2008, then you are also entitled to a free update to Melodyne editor. In your product overview in myCelemony, you will see a hint and instructions for the free update.

Natually, you can also upgrade a copy of Melodyne plugin, that you have already registered before 12th March 2008, but then a fee is required for the upgrade:

• In your local music store or our web shop, purchase the upgrade.
• In your product overview in myCelemony, navigate to the options for Melodyne plugin.
• Click on Perform Update/Upgrade and follow the instructions.

Tip: As a user of Melodyne studio 2.6 you might want to upgrade to Melodyne studio 3.x, after which you are also entitled to obtain a free Melodyne editor copy.

At the end of 2009, we launched our new products. For some older Melodyne editions we offer a few free upgrade options. For instance from Melodyne plugin to Melodyne editor (if registered after 12th March 2008), from Melodyne uno to Melodyne assistant (if registered after 1st June 2009), from Melodyne cre8 to Melodyne studio (if registered after 1st June 2009), or from Melodyne essential to Melodyne essential RTAS (if registered after 1st June 2009). Please see all upgrade options and conditions.

If you are entitled to obtain such a free upgrade:

• Log in to your myCelemony account.
• In your product overview, you will find a hint and instructions for the free upgrade.

This is probably the result of a transmission failure in the course of the order. First, though, make sure the confirmation e-mail from shop@celemony.com hasn't found its way into your spam folder.

If you still can't find it, please send an e-mail to shop@celemony.com and we will contact you as soon as possible and resolve the problem without delay.

All current Melodyne editions come with an option to correct all notes, or selected notes only, by using a Correct Pitch macro. You can apply this automatic correction in addition to or instead of the manual correction.

• Select the notes the pitch of which you want corrected automatically
  Note: Not selecting any notes is equivalent in this case to selecting the entire track
• with Edit > Correct Pitch you open the corresponding pitch correction window:
   
  
  
  
   
• using the sliders, determine the intensity of the automatic pitch correction. Different levels of intensity can be selected for the correction of the Pitch Center and Pitch Drift.

No. Melodyne does not support recording in Loop mode. Loop mode cycles the playback but is deactivated when recording.

Yes. But you should first copy the piece of music in question from the CD onto your hard disk and convert it to the WAV or AIF format.

No. Our Direct Note Access technology isolates polyphonic notes by pitch, not by instruments. If two instruments are playing the same note at the same time, you will see one blob only that includes the sound of both instruments.

Plug-ins can only be used in Melodyne studio.

Open the Mixer window. Every track of your song has got its own mixer channel. In every channel you have insert fields located beneath the EQ section, where you can choose a plug-in from the list of all the plug-ins which are installed on your system.

Melodyne supports the VST plug-in format under Windows and the formats VST and AudioUnits under Mac OS X. In every case, both effects and instruments are supported.

Note: Owing to the large number of plug-ins available, Celemony cannot offer a general guarantee that all plug-ins will function correctly. We do, however, take care to observe the plug-in hosting guidelines and exchange notes on a regular basis with the most important manufacturers of plug-ins. If ever, despite this, you do discover malfunctions, please send an e-mail to: plugin@celemony.com.

No, there is no latency compensation in Melodyne studio 3, but this is planned for future releases.

Plug-ins can only be used in Melodyne after they have been scanned. If, therefore, a plug-in fails to appear in the pop-up window of the Melodyne mixer, you have to make Melodyne conduct a new scan.

To do this, choose Settings > Plug-ins and then select the missing plug-in; now choose Rescan selected plug-ins. If the problematic plug-in is not listed, you have to search for it.

Some or all of my plug-ins are missing from the Melodyne Mixer.

Note: if you want to install a new plug-in on your computer, quit Melodyne first and only relaunch it once you have completed the installation of the plug-in.

If plug-ins with which you have previously been working are suddenly no longer available from the Mixer, you have to do a little research.

First open the Preferences window from the Melodyne menu and choose Plug-ins

There you will see all the plug-ins that Melodyne studio 'knows about'. If a plug-in with which you have worked in the past is no longer on this list, there can be one of two reasons:-

• either the missing plug-in has been moved to a different folder (or else removed altogether), in which case you need to return it to the correct folder (or re-install it)
• or you've just updated Melodyne studio after uninstalling the older version (which you were quite right to do), in which case you are working with a 'fresh' version of the program that is not yet familiar with the plug-ins on your hard disk.

In either case, you need to conduct a new search for the missing plug-in. To do this, in the window displayed above, activate the AudioUnit Effects and/or VST Effects fields (Mac) or check the box below the Plug-ins text field (Windows).

A new window will appear showing the progress of the search

Once Melodyne has located the missing plug-ins, the Preferences window should look like this:-

The plug-ins will now once again be available for use in the mixer.

Melodyne editor and Melodyne assistant can be used as stand-alone programs, but also as plug-ins. For this purpose they are placed directly in a DAW (e.g. Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools) capable of hosting VST, RTAS or AU plug-ins.

List of compatible DAWs

Melodyne essential RTAS can be integrated as an RTAS plug-in in Pro Tools.

Melodyne studio does not have a generic plug-in mode; it is a stand-alone program. Nevertheless, you can run Melodyne studio parallel to other audio applications. For this purpose you connect both programs either via ReWire or via the MelodyneBridge.

If two hosts, such as Melodyne studio and a DAW such as Cubase are running in parallel, they have to be in sync and (ideally) capable of exchanging audio data. For this to happen, they need to be connected using the ReWire protocol

How do I work with ReWire?

Another way of synchronizing and exchanging data between Melodyne studio and a host DAW is through the use of the MelodyneBridge.

What is the MelodyneBridge?

If it's simply a question of getting Melodyne studio and another program to run in sync (i.e. without exchanging data), the MIDI interface can be used.

Can I synchronize Melodyne via MIDI?

The ReWire protocol governs the tempo synchronization and exchange of audio between two or more ReWire-compatible programs, whereby one program fills the role of 'Host' and the others that of 'Clients'. The host is the boss, so to speak: it is the program that lays down the tempo, with the rest 'slavishly' following its lead, and it alone has access to the audio interface. For the audio signals of the clients to be heard, they have to be routed to the mixer of the host application, where they can profit from all the host's plug-ins; however in their own mixers, client applications no longer have access to VST or AudioUnits plug-ins, since these are now the exclusive property of the ReWire host.

To run Melodyne in ReWire mode, you need first to establish a ReWire connection. See the following question.

Melodyne studio is capable of operating as either ReWire host or ReWire client.

For this to happen, obviously enough, you must have at least one other ReWire-compatible application on your computer with which to establish a connection.

Melodyne as ReWire client

• First launch the ReWire host and select in the ReWire configuration dialog of this program the necessary Melodyne ReWire channels. (You may have to consult the user manual of the host to find out what steps are needed here).
• Now launch Melodyne studio. Melodyne will recognize the already active ReWire host right away. A dialog box will appear offering you the option of connecting Melodyne to the host.
   
  

  

  
   
• Click on ReWire
• Open an existing arrangement or create a new one
• The output channels of the Melodyne Mixer are routed via the corresponding ReWire channels to the host application, as shown in the illustration (in which Ableton Live is used as an example).

Note: There are no input channels when Melodyne is used in the manner just described as ReWire client.

Unlike other implementations of the ReWire interface, it is not necessary when using Melodyne to quit the programs in a set order; if, for example, you quit Live and then relaunch it without having quit Melodyne in the meantime, the connection between the two applications will be re-established automatically.

[Technical Notes]

• Melodyne studio does not load its entire audio engine into the host application, using instead the technology of the MelodyneBridge to send the audio signal from Melodyne to the host.

Melodyne as ReWire Host

• Launch Melodyne studio
• Open an existing arrangement (or create a new one)
• Open the ReWire Devices configuration panel from the Windows menu
   
  

  

  
   
• If there is more than one ReWire client on your computer, select the application you wish to use from the list box at the top left of the ReWire devices window
• Launch the ReWire application. (The simplest way of doing this is by clicking the Start Application button in the ReWire Devices window)
• Select the channels you wish to use. For each ReWire channel activated, Melodyne will add a new channel strip to the mixer to carry the corresponding output channel of the selected application. Depending upon whether the client is outputting mono or stereo signals, the requisite number of mono or stereo channels will be created for them in the Melodyne mixer. The connection is now established.
• Press the Start button in Melodyne to hear the combined audio signals of both programs

[N.B.]

• Always quit the client application before quitting Melodyne studio
• The ReWire settings you have chosen invariably apply to the current arrangement — in Melodyne studio, it is possible to have several arrangements open at the same time, only one of which, however, is ever active (i.e. the current arrangement) at a given moment. The ReWire Devices window therefore displays the ReWire settings applicable to the current arrangement only.
• It is also possible to connect several applications to Melodyne at once as ReWire clients

No. Neither ReWire nor the MelodyneBridge function in the demo version.

If Melodyne studio is running as ReWire host, the number of ReWire data streams that can be received depends solely upon the ReWire client.

In ReWire client mode, Melodyne studio can transmit eight audio data streams.

Please choose your platform:     |  

All the files needed for ReWire mode are installed along with Melodyne. They are:-

• C:\WINDOWS\system32\ReWire.dll

Here you should always use the most current version. All your computer's hosts will access this file.

To act as a ReWire client any application must have its own so called ReWire device file (see the manual of the individual sequencer for details). Melodyne studio for example needs the file

• C:\Program Files\Celemony\Melodyne\MelodyneReWireDevice.dll

Note: Make sure the version numbers of these files correspond to that of your copy of Melodyne.

In order to be found by ReWire, the ReWire device files (of Melodyne or any other potential client) is usually entered in the Windows Registry under:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Propellerhead Software\ReWire

Whenever you come across any ReWire problems under Windows this is mostly due to a mismatch in version numbers of more then one ReWire.dll (delete any doublets which might be found somewhere else than in the System32 directory). Or you have wrong entries in the Registry.

All the files needed for ReWire mode are installed along with Melodyne. To establish a ReWire connection you need:

• /Library/Application Support/Propellerhead Software/ReWire/
  ReWire.bundle (Version ...)

To act as a ReWire client every application needs its own ReWire device file. In case of Melodyne studio this is:

• /Library/Application Support/Propellerhead Software/ReWire/
  MelodyneRewireDevice.plugin

Note: Make sure the version numbers of these files correspond to that of your copy of Melodyne.

On the Mac the following additional files will be installed, just in case you are planning to connect a newer program (like Melodyne) to some older program (or version of a program, like PT 6.x). These files are named very similar to the files above, but this time without the extensions ".bundle" or ".plugin"):

• /Library/Application Support/Propellerhead Software/ReWire/ReWire

and an Alias to this file, called:

• /Library/Application Support/ReWire

Furthermore you need:

• /Library/Application Support/Propellerhead Software/ReWire/
  MelodyneRewireDevice

and an Alias to this file, called:

• /Library/Application Support/MelodyneRewireDevice

Whenever you come across any ReWire problems under Mac OS this is mostly due to a mismatch in version numbers of ReWire files. Please visit the manual of your other programs to find out how their ReWire Device files are named and where they are located. Also take care not to have any doublets – sometimes you have ReWire related files in the directory:

<your User name>/Library/Application Support/…

Here, in case of doubt, there should be no ReWire files at all – not even in the Propellerhead Software/ReWire sub-directory.

Each potential ReWire host or client creates ReWire-related files when it is installed. If you have installed several hosts or clients, you may find you have multiple versions of the same files and such like, in which case the only thing to do is to tidy up the mess by hand. As far as Melodyne is concerned, you will find the requisite files listed under What files are needed for ReWire operation with Melodyne and where are they located? If, in fact, files other than these are present and you are experiencing problems, here's how to identify the 'culprit'.

Move all the files other than those listed under What files are needed for ReWire operation with Melodyne and where are they located? to the desktop or some other folder (remembering from which original folders they were taken) and then test Melodyne in ReWire mode. If everything seems to be working as it should, begin moving the files one by one back to the folders from which they were taken, testing the ReWire functionality as you go. There will come a point, obviously, where the problems reappear and you will know that the file most recently returned to its original location is the one that is causing the trouble. Move this a second time to the desktop and try out your other ReWire hosts to see whether or not these can function without the problem file. If not, contact the manufacturer of the host in question to discover whether or not a new version of the file in question is available.

Each host creates ReWire files when it is installed, which is why you may find you have multiple versions of the same files — some in their latest versions, others not — with the result that not all programs will be accessing the latest versions. To obtain a clearer picture, follow the instructions given under What files are needed for ReWire operation with Melodyne and where are they located?

Old ReWire files can also be left lying around by updates and upgrades, which is why we recommend that before installing an upgrade, you delete the previous version (and in particular, its ReWire files) manually. When updating or upgrading other hosts, you should proceed in like manner (at least, as regards their ReWire files).

How can I remove Melodyne from my computer?

The MelodyneBridge is an effect plug-in that creates and maintains the connection to Melodyne studio when invoked from the host program. In this way, Melodyne studio can be used pretty much like a plug-in, although the program in fact runs independently of the host DAW.

For more details on the MelodyneBridge please see your manual.

The MelodyneBridge is only part of Melodyne studio. To connect Melodyne editor, Melodyne assistant or Melodyne essential RTAS to other programs, please use their plug-in variants.

How do I connect Melodyne to other audio programs?

Due to performance aspects the maximum count of channels to be transmitted from Melodyne to a DAW (and vice versa) via the MelodyneBridge is set to 8 channels (containing either mono or stereo signals).

If you want to work with more tracks, you first have to "print" the result of the first 8 tracks by using the bounce function of your DAW (also called "render" or "audio mixdown") before you start to transfer and edit a second set of eight tracks.

When Melodyne editor, Melodyne assistant or Melodyne essential RTAS are running as a plug-in in your DAW, or when Melodyne studio is running in ReWire Client Mode or else integrated into the DAW using the MelodyneBridge, their audio material is available in the DAW's mixer. Use the 'Render' function (sometimes called 'Bounce' or 'Audio Mixdown') to create a new audio file of the signal coming from Melodyne. A distinction has to be made here between offline and real-time rendering. The real-time version always works but is slow. Whether or not the offline variation is available depends upon the plug-in implementation of the DAW. We recommend, however, the use of the real-time version.

For Pro Tools, you can use the Spot to Pro Tools function. See the following question.

Communication between Pro Tools and Melodyne studio is also implemented using ReWire and the MelodyneBridge, with one special feature: Pro Tools time-stamps its audio files, so the time at which each recording within a song was made is always known, even though the file itself may have been moved about a good deal since.

Melodyne studio's Spot to Pro Tools function takes advantage of this feature, of which you will find a detailed explanation in our forum.

In Bridge mode, because of the special routing of audio from Melodyne to the DAW, the audition (pre-listen) function of the Melody Manager is not available. Conceptually, what is happening here is the elegant transfer of individual DAW tracks to Melodyne. For the combination of two arrangements, ReWire mode is recommended, in which case the audition function can be used.

Technical Note: The fact that certain hosts such as Logic and Digital Performer only process plug-ins when the sequencer is running is in any case enough to preclude the audition function of the MelodyneBridge being available when playback has stopped.

That depends on the host DAW. With Sonar, use the DXi version; with Pro Tools, use the RTAS version; with other DAWs, we recommend the VSTi.

Yes. Melodyne studio supports MIDI Clock and MTC, in each case as either master or slave. The plug-in variants of Melodyne editor, Melodyne assistant and Melodyne essential RTAS Melodyne plugin are synchronized via the host DAW. Melodyne editor Stand-Alone and Melodyne assistant Stand-Alone are not capable of MIDI synchronization.

No. Melodyne studio is not a MIDI sequencer and it is therefore impossible to record MIDI tracks.

Keyboards and controllers connected to the MIDI input can nonetheless influence the playback of the tracks to a considerable extent: from the MIDI menu, for example, you can decide whether the MIDI keyboard should transpose the notes of a track in real time or whether they should conform to the pitch played by hand.

From the MIDI menu, you can access the MIDI Remote Control Preferences window; this can be used to assign connected MIDI controllers to many of Melodyne's functions, from the control of windows and the Transport panel to the remote control of the Mixer and dynamic control of the real-time parameters.

Software instruments are used in Melodyne studio to double the recorded audio material. With Melodyne's Audio-to-MIDI functions, it is possible, for example, to sing a melody, record it and then have it played by a software synthesizer. The phrasing of this melody can be modified using Melodyne's tried-and-tested editing functions, with the changes reflected immediately in the performance of the software instruments. See also the following question.

To get an instrument plug-in to play a recorded melody, proceed as follows:-

Display the MIDI parameters in the track's Edit window by choosing Show Audio-to-MIDI Parameters from the MIDI menu.

The MIDI parameters determine whether the track should send MIDI messages in realtime (check the Realtime MIDI Send option) and which software instrument should be used to play the melody (using the list box beneath the Realtime MIDI Send checkbox).

If no plug-ins are available for selection, you have to furnish a mixer channel with a software instrument.

How do I use software instruments?

Once you can hear your software instrument, it is possible to optimize the degree of precision with which it doubles the vocal track, using the Velocity, Pitch Bend and Envelope parameters. Aside from this, the performance delivered by the software instrument can also be modified by editing the blobs in the Edit window.

Note: By selecting a MIDI channel instead of a software instrument from the list box beneath the Realtime MIDI Send checkbox, you can use Melodyne to play any hardware MIDI synthesizer you like.

Note: The Pitch Bend wheel delivers authentic results in this context but you must first make sure that the Pitch Bend range (as displayed in the small box beneath the Pitch Bend checkbox) corresponds to the equivalent parameter of your input keyboard — the best results being obtained for the most part with a setting of +/- 12 semitones.

Yes. With Melodyne editor it is indeed possible to detect single notes in a polyphonic recording and to export them as a MIDI file.

This is not yet possible, however, in Melodyne studio or Melodyne assistant. Here, the source audio file must be monophonic.

The playing technique is crucial, too: Sustained notes, coming from open strings on a guitar for example, have to be damped to maintain a monophonic signal.

Melodyne essential RTAS doesn't have the Audio-to-MIDI feature.

Audio-to-MIDI with software instruments or with direct MIDI output is only available in Melodyne studio. In Melodyne editor Stand-Alone and Melodyne assistant Stand-Alone, notes can be saved as a Standard MIDI File via File > Save as…. This Standard MIDI File can be imported to a MIDI track in your DAW to make it trigger a hardware or software instrument.

Melodyne studio allows the use of software instruments. To take advantage of this feature, proceed as follows:-

• Open the Mixer window (Window > Mixer)
• From the Configure list box select Instrument Tracks > Add Instrument Track
   
  

  

  
   
• A new channel strip, named "Inst 1", will appear to the right of the existing mixer channels. Select the instrument you wish to use from the list box immediately beneath the new channel strip's EQ section, which should display a list of all the plug-in instruments installed on your computer.

Note: If no instrument plug-ins are displayed, it may be that the folder in which Melodyne is expecting to find them. If you are using Windows, you will select the correct path under Edit > Preferences > Plug-ins. If you are using a Mac, Melodyne scans automatically all the relevant plug-in folders. Whichever operating system you are using, you can trigger a new scan for plug-ins by clearing the VST effects or AudioUnit effects checkbox and then checking it again.