Wave Mechanics Pitch Doctor. Click image for larger view.

Review: Wave Mechanics UltraTools [continued]

Pitch Keys
The Pitch Key section of the interface is laid out like a vertical keyboard with intervals labeled to reflect a chromatic scale, and the unison key corresponding to middle C. A pitch-bend slider allows for microtonal pitch-shift options, and a set of keyboard shortcuts will quickly toggle through key centers.

PurePitch can shift the pitch using one of two different pitch shifting algorithms, depending on the setting in the Shift Mode control panel. The “conventional” mode is the cleanest of the two algorithms, but will result in the “chipmunk effect” with large amounts of pitch shift. The “formant preserving” mode attempts to maintain the original character of the source material for larger shift amounts than the conventional mode.

The Mixer Control Panel has separate controls for the wet/dry ratio, dry-signal delay time, wet-signal delay time and feedback (amount of pitch-shifted, delayed signal that is fed back into the input).

The Expression processor in PurePitch manipulates pitch inflections of vocal tracks by compressing or expanding the pitch envelope of the voice. In theory, it’s similar to what a dynamics processor does to the level of a signal, except the part of the signal effected is the pitch envelope. By compressing the pitch envelope, the pitch inflections are reduced, creating a more monotonous performance. By expanding the pitch envelope, the pitch inflections are enhanced, creating a more expressive track. A fairly complex, but easy to use group of settings include a ratio setting, rotation frequency and shift limit.

The Modulation Control panel accesses a scaled-down version of the modulation engine used in PitchBlender and SoundBlender. Various wave shapes can be used to modulate the signal. Pitch, rate, formant and level are also controllable. The Tweak Control panel provides a set of frequency-based controls designed to optimize (or mangle) the apparent quality of pitch-shifted vocal material.

I used PurePitch in a variety of vocal settings ranging from background vocals to lead vocals to dialog. It was quite successful in providing effects that ranged from the otherworldly to foreboding. As with SoundBlender, Wave Mechanics provides a number of presets. While PurePitch may have been designed for use primarily in vocal situations, I also used PurePitch on a variety of source material besides vocals, and sometimes the resulting artifacts worked in context of the current project (especially while pitch shifting some drum loops used within a remix). As an option for use as an effects plugin, it’s a good addition to a well-stocked TDM arsenal.

PitchDoctor
The evolution of pitch-correction hardware and software in the last few years is something that can’t be ignored, even by audio purists. PitchDoctor offers yet another option for correcting intonation problems in recorded vocal or instrument tracks. The interface is simple, intuitive and easy to use. It can be used in three different modes, depending on the type of material being corrected and the severity of the problems: Manual Correction, Note-Based Correction and Automatic Correction. If necessary, all three modes can be used at once.

The interface includes a chromatic representation of a keyboard, with the function of the keyboard depending on the setting of the auto-correct enable button. When auto-correct is enabled, the keyboard will display the notes corresponding to the selected scale and key, with notes in the scale appearing as green and notes outside of the scale showing up as gray. Global control of the key is set by the user.

The scale setting, together with the key, determine how the pitch of the input track can be altered. Manual correction allows you to use a slider control to alter the pitch manually in one-cent increments within a range of ±200 cents. The Correction Amount displays the total amount of pitch correction applied to the input signal within ±200 cents. The amount of pitch correction can be “quantized,” allowing for small deviations from perfect tuning. Other parameters include smoothing (used to limit the rate of change of the pitch correction amount), capture (used to control the range within which pitch correction affects the input signal), and sensitivity. As is the case with PurePitch, PitchDoctor provides two different pitch-shifting modes—conventional and formant-preserving.

I ran through some tests using PitchDoctor and another popular pitch correction plugin, Auto Tune by Antares. I tracked some vocals dry, duplicated the tracks and ran them through each respective plugin on two separate tracks, allowing us to A/B them side by side on the console. In this particular case, PitchDoctor tended to sound a bit more natural and unaffected, although an overall effect was definitely noticeable with both plugins—especially with the vocals soloed.

Conclusion
At $895, UltraTools is loaded with options for people who want a range of plugins in the same league with hardware such as Eventide’s Ultra Harmonizer series of outboard gear. As mentioned above, each plugin is available individually for users who don’t need all the features in the complete package. For my working environment, PitchBlender and TimeBlender offer top choices for out-of-this-world effects, with PurePitch as an option for tweaking around with pitch. PitchDoctor is a plugin I hope I won’t get to use, but I feel safe knowing that it is available when needed.

Wave Mechanics, P.O. Box 144, Montclair, NJ 07042; 877/COOL-EFX or 973/746-9417; fax 973/746-0762; http://www.wavemechanics.com.

Walt Szalva was born and raised in America.

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