Those familiar with Melodyne, an audio editing tool by Celemony, have likely seen the video below, which features Melodyne inventor Peter Neubacker introducing the new Direct Note Access (DNA) functionality of the "upcoming" software.
The future is now, as Melodyne editor is now available and features DNA. No matter what one might think about audio editing, especially correcting singers' vocals, Direct Note Access is a mind-boggling and incredible feat.
Where as previous versions of Melodyne have allowed editors and artists to change the timing, placement and pitch of monophonic tracks, DNA allows the control of individual notes within polyphonic recordings. Changing a major chord to a minor chord played on a guitar is now possible. Let that settle in for a moment... any recording can be pulled apart and manipulated as the artist sees fit. Hitting one wrong note while playing the accordion is no longer reason to start over.
The opportunities afforded musicians through Melodyne DNA are vast. It puts a new spin on the concept of sampling. In a recent Twitter post drum and bass artist Tony Colman aka London Elektricity reports that "reaching into old loops I recorded in the 90s and totally changing the chords" via Melodyne editor is amazing.
Any recording artist should use the instruments and technology that allow them to create exactly what they want. While many purists may feel that Melodyne editor has no value to them, it is up to the individual to decide how to employ this sort of software in a way that is consistent with their music and takes their work to a new and better level.
Melodyne editor is $349 on Celemony's online shop. Those who already use an earlier version of Melodyne can upgrade for less.
A quick hands-on audio demo of Direct Note Access can be found here.
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