System Requirements and Compatibility

The current version of the singletrack family (i.e. Melodyne editor, assistant and essential) is tested and supported by us in the following constellations:

• Logic Pro 9.1.8 on OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.5 and 10.8.3, in both 64-bit (recommended) and 32-bit

If your personal Logic configuration differs from what we have tested, we encourage you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

That's what you need to know in Logic:

[I/O buffer size]

In Settings > Audio we recommend that you set the I/O buffer size to 1,024 samples. Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load.

Should you need to set smaller values, e.g. when doing the headphone mix directly in your computer and not via an external channel strip or mixer, bypass all Melodyne instances while tracking. Switch Melodyne back on when you start editing your new tracks.

[mute and solo]

Melodyne will continue to play back its audio signal even when the underlying region is muted in the arrangement. While this behavior is a common thing in any other host, it is new to users of previous Logic versions and it has some consequences on other features, too: when you use the solo tool (or global solo), Melodyne will still play, even when its underlying regions are not part of the solo selection. To avoid this problem you need to use the corresponding buttons in the channel strip, instead of muting or soloing the regions. This way you can mute or solo Melodyne, too.

Alternatively you can use the mute or solo buttons in the track header, but you have to configure them first:

Go to Preferences > Audio > General. In the field Track Mute/Solo you have two choices:

• CPU-saving (Slow Response): This will make the track mute/solo buttons perform a mute/solo of all regions within the particular track. This will NOT affect Melodyne.
• Fast (Remote Channel Strips): This will make the track mute/solo buttons double the action of the respective channel buttons, and therefore they will affect Melodyne.

Logic Bounce

In Logic's bounce dialog, when having checked the option Include Audio Tail, bouncing a Melodyne passage will continue endlessly. To avoid the problem turn off the audio tail option. Or, instead of bouncing via the Bounce command in the File menu (or via the corresponding Bnce button in the output channel), choose Bounce in Place from the right-click menu of an audio region. With Bounce in Place the Audio Tail option does work as expected.

Should you ever run into the problem of a never ending bounce, don't abort Logic, since you would then lose your latest changes. Instead hit Cmd + "." (period) to cancel the bounce.

The current version of the singletrack family (i.e. Melodyne editor, assistant and essential) is tested and supported by us in the following constellations:

• Pro Tools 10.3.4 on Windows 7 or Mac OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.5, or 10.8.3 on Intel Macs* (no G5 support anymore)
  
• Pro Tools 9.0.5 on Windows XP (SP3), Windows 7 or OS X 10.6.8 or 10.7.3 on Intel Macs* (no G5 support anymore)

*Please see also Avid’s hardware recommendations.

If your personal Pro Tools configuration differs from what we have tested, we encourage you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

That's what you need to know in Pro Tools:

[Buffer Size]

In Setup > Playback Engine we recommend that you set the H/W Buffer Size to 1,024 samples. Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load.

Should you need to set smaller values, e.g. when doing the headphone mix directly in your computer and not via an external channel strip or mixer, deactivate all Melodyne instances while tracking. Switch Melodyne back on when you start editing your new tracks.

[Window Resizing]

To resize the Melodyne window, drag its bottom right corner. In the RTAS plug-in version, the window will resize after releasing the mouse button, not while moving the mouse (as it is the case in the stand-alone version).

[MP3 export]

In Pro Tools, exporting audio as MP3 can lead to a crash with the error message: Set ENV Var KMP_Duplicate_Lib_ok = True. If this happens, proceed as follows:

• Right-click My computer and choose Properties.
• In the System Properties window, click on the Advanced tab and select Environment Variables.
• In the User Variables section, select New.
• Enter KMP_DUPLICATE_LIB_OK into the Variable Name field.
• Enter TRUE into the Variable Value field.
• Click OK to exit first the New User Variable, then Environment Variables, then System Properties windows.
• Restart Pro Tools

The current version of the singletrack family (i.e. Melodyne editor, assistant and essential) is tested and supported by us in the following constellations:

• Cubase 7/Nuendo 6 on Windows 7/8 or Mac OS X 10.7.5 and 10.8.3 on Intel Macs (no G5 support anymore). We tested with both 64-bit (recommended) and 32-bit.
• Cubase 6.0/Nuendo 5.5 were also tested with Windows XP SP3 (32-bit), Windows 7 and Mac OS X up to 10.7.4.

If your personal Cubase or Nuendo configuration differs from what we have tested, we encourage you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

That's what you need to know in Cubase and Nuendo

[Buffer Size]

We recommend that you set the I/O buffer size of your audio driver to 1,024 samples. Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load. In order to change the buffer size in Cubase or Nuendo, call up Device > Device Setup. In the left part of the window select your audio device under VST Audio System. This will change the content on the right side of the window, where you then click on Control Panel. In the following new window you can change the setting for the buffer size. 

Should you need to set smaller values, e.g. when doing the headphone mix directly in your computer and not via an external channel strip or mixer, deactivate all Melodyne instances while tracking. Switch Melodyne back on when you start editing your new tracks.

[32/64 bit]

When running Cubase/Nuendo as 64-bit it's not recommended that you run the 32-bit version of Melodyne via Bit Bridge. Use the 64-bit version of Melodyne. It's much more powerful.

[Sync offset by cycle length]

Activating the cycle in Cubase or Nuendo, but starting the playback at any position behind the cycle will offset Melodyne.

Workaround: when you want to play back at some later point in the song, turn cycle off in Cubase/Nuendo.

[Cubase 7: Local Playback and Blob Monitoring]

To enable constant blob monitoring and local playback, please deactivate the following option in Cubase:

Preferences > VST > Plug-ins >Suspend VST3 plug-in processing when no audio signals are received

The current version of the singletrack family (i.e. Melodyne editor, assistant and essential) is tested and supported by us in the following constellations:

• Live 9.01 (64-bit) on Windows 7/8 or Mac OS X 10.7.5, 10.8.3 on Intel Macs (no G5 support anymore)
• Live 8.2.8 (32-bit) on Windows XP SP3 (32-bit), Vista (32-bit), Windows 7 or Mac OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.4, 10.8.3 on Intel Macs (no G5 support anymore)

If your personal Live configuration differs from what we have tested, we encourage you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

That's what you need to know in Live

[Buffer Size]

We recommend that you set the audio buffer size to 1,024 samples. Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load.

Should you need to set smaller values, e.g. when doing the headphone mix directly in your computer and not via an external channel strip or mixer, deactivate all Melodyne instances while tracking. Switch Melodyne back on when you start editing your new tracks.

[Session view]

Melodyne seems to play wrong parts when working in the session view. That's because of Live's handling of time: The clips in Live's session view represent shorter loops within the linear progressing timeline of the arrangement. Melodyne is following this (arrangement-)timeline. Pretty much simplified it looks like this:

If you want to use Melodyne within the session view, you must activate the (arrangement-)loop in Live and set it to the length of the clip that you want to use Melodyne for. Then the loop is the same in the clip and in the linear arrangement (and therefore in the plug-in):

This means, you would prefer to bring in Melodyne when you're working in the arrangement—which is most likely what you would do anyway when you are for example correcting vocals or other instruments. And remember: in Live it is very easy to make clips become part of the arrangement, use the plug-in, render it and make new clips out of it.

[Change of time signature]

Melodyne follows not only the time, as we have just described, but also the bar ruler of the Live arrangement. In this place, however, Live knows no change of time signature, so Melodyne, too, is obliged to operate with a fixed time signature. If you are working on the level of the clips, however, with changes of time signature, discrepancies can arise between the time signature displayed and that heard. The problem, however, is purely an optical one; the audio output and the editing functions of Melodyne, including the quantization, are in no way impaired.

[Tempo Automation]

When automating the song tempo in the master track of Live's arrangement view, Melodyne won't play in sync. A workaround for this would be to render the melodyned track before using tempo automation.

You can, however, change the tempo manually in Live by dragging the tempo field to a new constant song tempo and use the tempo dialog in Melodyne (which is accessed by the broken chain symbol) to learn the new constant tempo.

The current version of the singletrack family (i.e. Melodyne editor, assistant and essential) is tested and supported by us in the following constellations:

• Sonar X2 and X2a, Producer Edition (64-bit) on Windows 7 or 8

If your personal Sonar configuration differs from what we have tested, we encourage you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

That's what you need to know in Sonar

[ASIO and Buffer Size]

Please make sure that you use a dedicated ASIO-compatible audio hardware and select the corresponding driver type in Sonar (see: Preferences/Driver Settings; Preferences/Playback and Recording).

Also, set the buffer size to 1,024 samples (see: Preferences/Driver Settings/ASIO Panel). Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load. Should you need to set smaller values, e.g. when doing the headphone mix directly in your computer and not via an external channel strip or mixer, bypass all Melodyne instances while tracking. Switch Melodyne back on when you start editing your new tracks.

[32/64 bit]

Sonar is most powerful when being used in 64-bit. So is Melodyne. Make sure to use the 64-bit version of Melodyne. No need to bridge the 32-bit version.

[Finding the 64-bit plug-in]

The location of the Melodyne 64-bit VST2 plug-in can be freely selected upon installation. Please select the path which you might have already set with Sonar to look for 64-bit VSTs.

Sonar X2 defaults to:

• C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\vstplugins

You may well use this path, or – if you prefer a dedicated path for all your VST plug-ins – use the default path for VST plug-in installations:

• C:\Program Files\Common Files\Steinberg\VST2\Celemony

If the Steinberg folder does not exist, Melodyne looks for an existing path here:

• C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST2\Celemony

If this path does not exist, Melodyne will create it.

In any case, you need to add this location to your VST scan in Sonar by following these steps:

• Call up the Tools menu
• Call up the Cakewalk Plug-in Manager and select VST Audio Effects (VST) in the left column
• Now, press Options in the VST Configuration section. This panel allows you to add new paths for Sonar's search for plug-ins. Press Add to set the folder where you installed your Melodyne.

[Configure as tempo-based effect]

You need to configure Melodyne as a tempo based effect. You will find this option under: Utilities > Cakewalk Plug-in manager > VST Audio Effects > Melodyne ... > Plug-in Properties

[Track Insert vs. Clip Based]

Melodyne works as a track insert. Operation as a clip based effect or calling it up in the Process menu are not supported. Only use Melodyne editor, assistant or essential in the FX Bin of an audio track. This will give you the benefit of a tested feature set including blob monitoring.

[Blob Monitoring, Scrubbing and Local Playback]

To use these powerful Melodyne functions in Sonar, you need to take one of the following actions (choose the one you prefer):

• Activate Input Echo in the track header, or
• Enable Preferences > Playback and Recording [Advanced] > Play Effect Tails after Stopping. (Sonar X1: Audio-Options > Advanced > Audio Play Effect Tails).

[Playback Cycle]

In Sonar, an active playback cycle will not terminate the transfer in Melodyne. Instead, the transfer is continued and filled with the repeated audio. You should therefore deactivate any cycle before the transfer.

Also, in playback mode, Melodyne won't sync to the cycle which is set up in Sonar. While Sonar is running in a loop, Melodyne will rush ahead without looping.

[Bypass]

If in the course of playback you switch Melodyne to bypass mode and then back, Sonar and Melodyne may in some situations be no longer in sync. If that happens, you should stop Sonar briefly before restarting it.

[Resizing the plug-in window]

Use the lower right corner to resize the plug-in window. Make sure you grab the inner square here, not the edge of the corner.

[Render]

When rendering tracks to a new file, we recommend disabling the Fast Bounce option in the Export menu window.

[Rewire]

Sonar X2 supports Rewire but will not allow Rewire clients in different bit depths, i.e. the recommended 64-bit version of Sonar X2 will only rewire the 64-bit variant of Melodyne editor, assistant and essential. Melodyne studio cannot be run as a Rewire client since it is 32-bit.

[Sonar X1: Timeline Jump]

If you click in the timeline while playback is running, Sonar unfortunately does not pass this information on to Melodyne. As a result, Sonar and Melodyne will cease to play in sync. To avoid this, you should stop Sonar first, if you want to jump to a different part of the song.

The current version of the singletrack family (i.e. Melodyne editor, assistant and essential) is tested and supported by us in the following constellations:

• Studio One 2.5 (64-bit) on Windows 7/8, Mac OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.5, or 10.8.3 on Intel Macs (no G5 support anymore)

If your personal Studio One configuration differs from what we have tested, we encourage you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

That's what you need to know in Studio One

[Buffer Size]

We recommend that you set your audio buffer size to 1,024 samples. Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load.

Should you need to set smaller values, e.g. when doing the headphone mix directly in your computer and not via an external channel strip or mixer, deactivate all Melodyne instances while tracking. Switch Melodyne back on when you start editing your new tracks.

The current version of the singletrack family (i.e. Melodyne editor, assistant and essential) is tested and supported by us in the following constellations:

• DP 8.0 (64-bit, AU) on Mac OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.5 or 10.8.3 on Intel Macs (no G5 support anymore)

If your personal DP configuration differs from what we have tested, we encourage you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

That's what you need to know in DP:

[AU recommended]

We strongly recommend to use Melodyne as an AU plug-in instead of VST. The VST variant has a few disadvantages:

• You can't open older DP7 projects in DP8.
• Melodyne only works in 32-bit and does not accept any key commands.
• You will need to click the topbar of the Melodyne window to move it to the front.
• A memory cycle in Digital Performer won't be seen by the VST plug-in.
• Graphical issues while resizing.
• DP won't mark a song as edited when you edit tracks in Melodyne VST; therefore some edits might not be saved.

[Buffer Size]

We recommend that you set your buffer size to 1,024 samples. Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load.

Should you need to set smaller values, e.g. when doing the headphone mix directly in your computer and not via an external channel strip or mixer, deactivate all Melodyne instances while tracking. Switch Melodyne back on when you start editing your new tracks.

[Blob Monitoring, Scrubbing and Local Playback]

To use these powerful Melodyne functions in DP you need to activate Input Monitoring on the respective track. Furthermore the track has to have a physical input assigned.

We constantly perform tests with the DAWs listed above to assure a flawless functionality of Melodyne inside them. While we cannot guarantee full functionality in other DAWs, Melodyne may still run flawlessly with them. So, if your DAW isn't on the list above or your personal configuration differs from what we have tested, we invite you to test Melodyne editor for 30 days free of charge. If Melodyne performs well on your system during the test period, it will still do so after you purchased it.

Please note: the G5 is not supported anymore since Version 2 of Melodyne editor, assistant and essential.

As an alternative to using Melodyne as a plug-in you can also run it as a Rewire slave to your DAW on up to 4 stereo channels.

On a general note: When trying out Melodyne in any DAW, we do recommend that you set the buffer size to 1,024 samples. Smaller values lead to a significantly higher CPU load.

Please note: with sample editors like Steinberg Wavelab, Sony Sound Forge, or Bias Peak the plug-in variants of Melodyne cannot be used. Please use the stand-alone variant instead.