Your Melodyne 5 essential

Welcome! As a user of Universal Audio products, you appreciate the value of high-quality tools for music production. That’s why we’re delighted to be putting just such a tool in your hands: Melodyne!

Many producers consider Melodyne not only unrivalled in terms of musicality and the naturalness of its sound but also indispensable – especially when it comes to correcting intonation and editing vocals. Melodyne 5 essential opens up these possibilities to you and helps you make your productions even better.

You can register and set up your user account on this page. The serial number for Melodyne 5 essential that you received from Universal Audio is entered automatically. After registering, you will receive your installation program.

By the way, if you already have Melodyne, you can use the Melodyne essential serial number as a coupon in our web shop when purchasing an update or upgrade. Find out more about this here.

The Grammy Award-winning world of Melodyne

Melodyne 5 essential offers you the most important Melodyne functions for intonation and timing. It is simple to operate and sounds just as good as the larger Melodyne editions.

If you enjoy working with the “Melodyne blobs”, you can upgrade at any time to any of the larger editions at a special price. By doing so, you will obtain, for example, tools for editing the vibrato, formants and volume of your recordings, as well as the ability to correct even polyphonic parts (e.g. guitar or piano) and display and edit multiple tracks simultaneously in the Melodyne plug-in window.

You can explore the entire world of Melodyne right now: Just choose “License” from Melodyne’s “Help” menu and activate your free, no-strings-attached, 30-day trial period for the larger editions.

Overview of the various Melodyne editions

Melodyne 5 essential – how it works

Just select and alter. Melodyne 5 essential works using ARA or as a plug-in in your DAW, shows your recordings and samples in a very clear and easily understood way, and lets you make changes fast and easily using macros or tools. There is no more intuitive way of working with audio. Here we show you how it’s done.

Guidance and inspiration

Getting started is easy! In the Melodyne Help Center, you’ll find loads of videos about Melodyne, ranging from a step-by-step launch guide to professional tips on optimal vocal editing. Concise and easy to understand, they’ll teach you in the shortest possible time how to get the best out of your Melodyne. You can access the Help Center directly at any time from the Help menu inside Melodyne.

To the videos in the Melodyne Help Center

System requirements

For Melodyne 5 essential, assistant, editor and studio

macOS	Intel Dual Core processor (Quad Core or better recommended), 4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended), macOS 10.12 (64-bit) or higher. Melodyne 5.2 or higher runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs.
Windows	Intel or AMD Dual Core processor (Quad Core or better recommended), 4 GB RAM (8 GB or more recommended), Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 11, ASIO-compatible audio hardware.
Activation	Computer-based or iLok USB dongle (2nd or 3rd generation), Melodyne essential only computer-based. Internet access is required for the first activation.
Interfaces	Plug-in operation via VST3, AU or AAX. ARA integration with compatible DAWs, as set out in the section on DAW compatibility.

The system requirements listed above apply when Melodyne is running as a stand-alone program. When it is running as a plug-in, however, the system requirements of the DAW must also be met. You will find further information regarding DAW compatibility in the following frame.

Melodyne in your DAW

Melodyne runs in your DAW either as a plug-in or under ARA. ARA Audio Random Access is the ideal form of integration: With ARA, you can open and edit tracks directly in Melodyne and also exploit to the full with maximum ease the advantages of Melodyne when comping. In the absence of ARA, the desired passage must first be transferred to the Melodyne plug-in via one of the normal VST3, AU or AAX interfaces. This takes a little time, though it is worth the wait. To discover which DAWs currently support ARA, please consult the following overview. Just click on the DAW that interests you.

Since the manufacturers of the various DAWs support ARA in different ways, the range of ARA functions offered varies from DAW to DAW. You will find details of the ARA support offered in each case in the documentation of the DAW in question.

The overview also shows you the configurations in which we have tested Melodyne with the various DAWs. Naturally, we only test using versions of each operating system that have been cleared for use by the manufacturer of the DAW in question. If you wish to use some other configuration, please check with the manufacturer of your DAW whether it is compatible with your operating system.

See also the tips and information on DAWs in the online manual as well as in the FAQ.

Pro Tools

Avid Pro Tools

Pro Tools, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Pro Tools 2025.10 (ARA-AAX) under:

Windows 11
macOS 15.7 (Intel)
macOS 15.7 (Apple Silicon native)

Please also take note of the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Pro Tools in the Help Center and in the FAQ.

Logic Pro

Apple Logic Pro X

Logic, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Logic Pro 11.2.2 under:

macOS 26.1 (Intel)
macOS 26.1 (Apple Silicon under Rosetta)

ARA in Logic on Apple Silicon: Melodyne 5.2 runs natively on Macs with Apple Silicon processors. In the case of ARA operation in Logic Pro, however, there’s a special point to bear in mind:

When Apple Logic Pro is run natively on Apple Silicon, it runs Audio Unit plug-ins outside Logic’s own process space. This is actually an important advantage for users, as it prevents Logic from quitting whenever a plug-in crashes. Unfortunately, although this method of hosting AU plug-ins enhances stability, it does not yet fully support third-party extensions like ARA.

If you want to enjoy the advantages of ARA despite this, you can open Logic under the Rosetta emulation layer (using the Finder, locate Logic in your Applications folder and right-click on it, choose “Get Info” and check the option “Open using Rosetta”). This will allow plug-ins to run directly within Logic, as they did formerly on Intel Macs, making it possible once again for you to work with ARA.

We are working closely with Apple on this issue and will let you know immediately as soon as there is any news.

Please also take note of the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Logic Pro in the Help Center and in the FAQ.

Cubase

Steinberg Cubase

Cubase, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Cubase 15.0.20 (ARA-VST3) under:

Windows 11
macOS 26.3 (Intel)
macOS 26.3 (Apple Silicon native)

Please also take note of the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Cubase in the Help Center and in the FAQ.

Studio Pro

Fender Studio Pro

Studio Pro, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Studio Pro 8.0 (ARA-VST3) under:

Windows 11
macOS 26.1 (Intel)
macOS 26.1 (Apple Silicon native)

Please also take note of the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Studio Pro in the Help Center and in the FAQ.

Live

Ableton Live

We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Live 12.2 (VST3) under:

Windows 11
macOS 15.7 (Intel)
macOS 15.7 (Apple Silicon native)

Please also take note of the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Live in the Help Center and in the FAQ.

Luna Pro

Universal Audio Luna Pro

Luna Pro, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Luna Pro 2.0.1 (ARA-VST3) under:

Windows 11
macOS 26 (Intel)
macOS 26 (Apple Silicon native)

Please also take note of the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Luna Pro in the Help Center.

Digital Performer

MOTU Digital Performer

We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

DP 11.34 (ARA-VST3) under:

Windows 11
macOS 26.1 (Intel)
macOS 26.1 (Apple Silicon native)

In the Help Center, you will find detailed information and tips on the use of Melodyne in Digital Performer.

Nuendo

Steinberg Nuendo

Nuendo, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Nuendo 14.0.40 (ARA-VST3) under:

Windows 11
macOS 26.1 (Intel)
macOS 26.1 (Apple Silicon native)

In the Help Center you will find detailed instructions and tips on the use of Melodyne in Cubase/Nuendo.

Samplitude

Boris FX Samplitude

Samplitude, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Samplitude Pro X8 19.0.0.23112 (ARA-VST3) under Windows 11

In the Help Center you will find detailed instructions and tips on the use of Melodyne in Samplitude.

Sequoia

Boris FX Sequoia

Sequoia, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Sequoia 15.4.2 (ARA-VST3) under Windows 10

In the Help Center you will find detailed instructions and tips on the use of Melodyne in Sequoia.

Mixcraft

Acoustica Mixcraft

Mixcraft, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Mixcraft 10.5.596 (ARA-VST3) under Windows 11

In the Help Center you will find detailed instructions and tips on the use of Melodyne in Mixcraft.

Reaper

Cockos Reaper

Reaper, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Reaper 7.52 (ARA-VST3) under:

Windows 11
macOS 15.7 (Intel)
macOS 15.7 (Apple Silicon native)

Please also take note of the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Reaper in the Help Center and in the FAQ.

Cakewalk Sonar

Cakewalk Sonar by Bandlab

Cakewalk Sonar, thanks to its support for our ARA Audio Random Access technology, integrates Melodyne in a way that is particularly user friendly. We have tested the latest versions of Melodyne 5 with the following configurations:

Cakewalk Sonar 2025.11 (ARA-VST3) under:

Windows 11

See also the information and tips on the operation of Melodyne in Cakewalk in the Help Center and in the FAQ.

Please select a DAW on the left.