ABSTRACT
ANOTHER VERSION OF THE SAME WORD THAT CAN BE COPIED AND PASTED ONTO THE OFFENDINGPARTOFTHEWORDFROMTHEUNAFFECTEDVERSIONBUTTHATSNOTOFTENTHE CASE!THIRDPOSSIBILITYISTOTRYTOEDITOUTSOMEOFTHENOTESFROMTHEPHRASE ANDLEAVEYOURSELFWITHONLYENOUGHTOlLLUPTHESPACEBUT)CANTELLYOUFROM EXPERIENCE THIS IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO BECAUSE VOCALISTS TEND TO hBENDv FROMONENOTETOTHENEXT)FYOUSIMPLYCUTAPARTOFITOUTTHETRANSITIONFROM ONENOTE TO THENEXT INYOURlNALVERSIONWILL SOUNDHORRIBLYUNNATURALAND WILLPROBABLYDRAWMOREATTENTIONTO ITSELF THANTHEPLAIN TIME STRETCHEDVER SIONWOULD
4HElNALSOLUTIONISTOSIMPLYDONOTHINGANDLEAVEITASITIS'IVENTHATITIS ONLY A RELATIVELYMINOR PART OF THEWHOLE VOCAL AND THAT HOPEFULLY AT LEAST ITDOESNTHAPPENTHATOFTENDURINGTHESONGYOUMIGHTJUSTGETAWAYWITHIT (OWEVER IFYOUDODECIDE TODO THISBEPREPARED TOHAVE TODEFENDYOURSELF AGAINST THE hIT SOUNDS TIME STRETCHEDv ARGUMENT FROM YOUR CLIENT 7HATEVER YOURCHOICEINTHISPARTICULARMATTERTHERESULTWILLALWAYSSOUNDLESSTHANPER FECT$ONTFEELBADTHOUGHTHEREREALLYISNTANYTHINGTHATYOUCOULDDOBETTER .OMATTERHOWMUCHTHETECHNOLOGYOFTIME STRETCHINGANDAUDIOMANIPULA TION IMPROVES THEREWILLNEVER REALLYBEANANSWER TO THISPARTICULAR ISSUEAS THEPROBLEMISNTTHETECHNOLOGYITSAPERFORMANCEISSUE
4HEPROBLEMOFTOOMANYNOTESINTOOSHORTASPACEOFTIMESHOULDNTDOGYOU IFYOURESLOWINGAVOCALDOWN)TMIGHTNOTSOUNDESPECIALLYNATURALBECAUSETHE TRANSITIONS FROMONENOTE TO THENEXTWILL SOUND RATHER LAZYBUTAT LEAST THERE WONTBETHETHOUGHTINTHELISTENERSMINDTHATTHEREISNOWAYONEARTHTHATTHE SINGERWASPHYSICALLYABLETOSINGTHATPART!LSOASWELLASNOTHAVINGASMUCH OFANISSUETODEALWITHINTHElRSTPLACETHEREAREALSOMOREOPTIONSAVAILABLE TOlX THINGS IFWECHOOSE TO4HEBIGGESTPROBLEMWITHA SPED UPVOCAL ISNOT BEINGABLETOSLOWTHEOFFENDINGSECTIONDOWNAGAINTOMAKEITSOUNDMORENAT URALBECAUSEITWILLOVERLAPWHATCOMESNEXT7HENWERESLOWINGDOWNAVOCAL HOWEVERWECANDOEXACTLYTHATWELLTHEOPPOSITE 7EcanSPEEDTHESECTIONIN QUESTIONBACKUPAGAINBECAUSETHEREWILLBEABIGGERGAPTHANWENEED
7ECOULDRUNINTOPROBLEMSIFTHEVOCALGYMNASTICSRUNFROMTHEENDOFONE NOTEINTOTHEBEGINNINGOFTHENEXTNOTEBECAUSETHEREWILLBEAGAPWHENWE SPEEDTHEDIFlCULTSECTIONUP)NTHATCASE)WOULDPROBABLYCHOOSETOLEAVEITAS THESTRETCHEDVERSIONANDTHENTRYTOlXANYISSUESWITHITSOUNDINGUNNATURAL THROUGHMESSINGWITHTHEPITCHTRANSITIONRATEALITTLEIN-ELODYNE4HISCOULD HELPTOATLEASTMINIMIZETHEUNNATURALSOUNDIFNOTGETRIDOFITCOMPLETELY
9OULL PROBABLY NEVER GET SOMETHING PERFECT .O SUBSTANTIALLY TIME STRETCHED VOCAL IS EVER GOING TO SOUND NATURAL A FACT THAT WORRYINGLY FEW !2 EXECS ARTISTS ANDMANAGEMENT SEEM TOUNDERSTAND ANDWHILE THERE IS A LOT WEcanDO THEREARESTILL THESEFEWLITTLEAREASTHATHOLDUSBACK0ERHAPS IF ) HADMUCHMORETIMETOSPEND)MIGHTBEABLETOlNDABETTERWAYTODEALWITH THIS ISSUEBUTAFTERYEARSOF TRYING THEBESTSOLUTION)HAVECOMEACROSS IS TOPRETTYMUCHLEAVEITASITISDOTHEBEST)CANIN-ELODYNETOMAKEITSOUND ASNATURALASPOSSIBLESPENDTHETIMEONDOINGABETTERJOBOFCLEANINGUPTHE
OFTHEVOCALTHAT)CANWORKONEFFECTIVELYANDTHENREADYMYSELFFORthat DISCUSSIONWITHTHECLIENTIFITCOMESUP
3OFAROURDISCUSSIONHASNTBEENESPECIALLYCONlDENCEBUILDINGBUTTHINGSARE ABOUTTOLOOKUP,ETSNOWCONSIDERTHEVOCALTIME STRETCHINGPROBLEMTHATWE canDOSOMETHINGABOUT
4HE TASK OF TRYING TO MAKE A HEAVILY TIME STRETCHED VOCAL SOUND not HEAVILY TIME STRETCHED IS THE TECHNICAL HOLY GRAIL OF THEMODERN REMIXER ) HAVE TRIED PRETTYMUCHEVERYMETHODANDPIECEOFSOFTWARETHEREISTOGETTHEBESTRESULTS) CAN!NDAFTERALLOFTHATRESEARCHANDEXPERIMENTATIONTHEBESTMETHOD)HAVE FOUNDISBASICALLYAFAIRLYTIME INTENSIVEANDLABORIOUSSEMI MANUALMETHOD ) SUGGEST THATYOUGIVE ITA TRYYOURSELF TO SEEHOWMUCHMOREEFFECTIVE IT CAN BE )WILLWARN YOU HOWEVER DONT EXPECT QUICK RESULTS )T REALLY DOES TAKE A WHILETOMAKETHISWORKESPECIALLYWHENYOUCONSIDERTHATYOUWILLHAVETORUN THROUGHTHEPROCESSWITHEACHINDIVIDUALTRACKOFVOCALS)NOTHERWORDSIFYOU HAVEALEADVOCALALEADVOCALDOUBLETRACKANDTHREEORFOURTRACKSOFBACKING VOCALS OR HARMONIES YOUWILL HAVE TO RUN THROUGH THE PROCEDURE ) AM ABOUT TODESCRIBEFOREACHANDEVERYLINEOFEACHANDEVERYONEOFTHOSEVOCALTRACKS )T ISNTUNCOMMON FORME TO SPENDA FULLDAY JUST SORTINGOUT THEVOCALS AND hPREPPINGvTHEMIFTHEORIGINALVOCALISAPARTICULARLYDIFlCULTONE(AVINGSAID THATDOREMEMBERTHATTHISFULLPROCESSISONLYREALLYNECESSARYIFTHESINGERHAS APRONOUNCEDVIBRATO)FTHESINGERHASASUBTLERVIBRATOITMIGHTNOTBENECES SARYATALL)FTHATISTHECASETHENCOUNTYOURSELFLUCKYANDMOVESWIFTLYALONG
,ETMESTARTBYEXPLAININGTHETHINKINGBEHINDTHISMETHOD4HETIME STRETCHED VOCALWILL FOR THEMOSTPARTBEACCEPTABLE4HEPARTSWEARE LOOKINGATHERE ARE THE LONG SUSTAINED VOCAL NOTES THAT HAVE A NOTICEABLE VIBRATO ON THEM (OWMANYOFTHESEANDHOWNOTICEABLETHEYWILLBEDEPENDSONTHEINDIVID UALSINGER)NTHEWORSTCASESANDESPECIALLYWITHMOREBALLAD TYPESONGSYOU COULDBELOOKINGATHAVINGONEORMOREOFTHESENOTESTOlXINEVERYSINGLELINE OFTHESONG"UTEVENTHENITSNOTTHEWHOLELINETHATYOUNEEDTOlXJUSTTHE PARTOFTHATLINETHATHASTHESUSTAINEDVIBRATO
At this point I should probably say that when you are time-stretching vocals (or any audio part for that matter), always-and I really cannot stress this enough-save a copy of all the original parts you were given so that you know you have a copy of the original files to go back to should you need them at any point.
