Formant Correction with Music Speed iOS
Formant correction is used to make the vocals in music sound natural when the pitch is shifted and it can also create interesting audio effects.
This article has two parts. The first explains how to manipulate formants using the Music Speed iOS formant controls. The second explains formants and formant correction. If you want to skip to learn about formants tap here.
Music Speed iOS Formant Controls Explained
Music Speed Changer Pro has the ability to control pitch, speed, and formants independently. Here is the Music Speed formant manipulation in action:
Formant Controls
- Microphone Button in the Pitch Controls: This turns on and off the formant correction. When it is on and you shift the pitch of a track up or down the formants are kept stable, preventing the vocals from sounding too high-pitched or too deep.
Autocorrect Vocals Slider: This turns on and off the automatic adjusting of the formant to match the pitch change and opens the independent formant controls.
Formant Controls: These allow for changing the formant independent of the pitch and the tempo. This can be used for tweaking vocals and creating audio effects.
If you want to try the formant correction but don't have the Pro version, you can sign up for a subscription and use it free for a week. You can cancel it any time. Info on how to upgrade to Pro here
Understanding Formants and Formant Correction
Vocal Formant Correction in Music
When producing music, sometimes the pitch needs to be adjusted. Pitch shifting makes a singers voice sound off and unnatural. To remedy this producers and audio engineers use vocal formant correction. Formant correction offers a powerful way to adjust the character of a voice or any other sound in their music tracks.
But what exactly is vocal formant correction? Let's dive deeper into what it is, how it works, and how it can be used to enhance your music.
What Are Vocal Formants?
To understand formant correction, we first need to understand what formants are.
Formants are the resonant frequencies produced by the human vocal tract, which shape the unique tonal qualities of our voices. They are essentially frequency peaks that determine the timbre of the sound without affecting its pitch. For example, two singers may sing the same note, but their voices will sound distinct because of different formants. These formants define the overall character of a voice, helping us distinguish between different vowels and vocal qualities.
When you modify the pitch of a sound (for example, when making a voice sound higher or lower), the formants also change naturally. This is why speeding up a voice tends to make it sound like a "chipmunk," while slowing it down makes it sound unusually deep.
What Is Vocal Formant Correction?
Vocal formant correction is a process that allows you to alter the pitch of a sound without significantly changing its formants. In other words, it lets you change the musical note or the speed of a voice or instrument while maintaining its natural tonal characteristics.
Without formant correction, shifting the pitch of a sound higher or lower would also shift the formants, leading to unnatural tonal changes. For example:
- Increasing the pitch of a voice without formant correction would make it sound squeaky or "chipmunky."
- Lowering the pitch would make the voice sound excessively deep, almost like it's in slow motion.
With formant correction, you can avoid these artifacts and preserve the natural vocal quality, regardless of how much you alter the pitch.
How Is Vocal Formant Correction Used?
Formant correction is especially useful in several audio manipulation scenarios:
1. Pitch Shifting Without Timbre Distortion
One of the most common uses of formant correction is in pitch shifting. Let’s say you want to adjust the key of a song or a vocal recording without affecting the way the voice sounds. With formant correction, you can raise or lower the pitch of the audio while maintaining the voice’s natural characteristics. This makes the voice sound more natural, even when the music’s key or tempo is changed.
2. Adjusting Vocal Timbre
Formant correction can also be used creatively to slightly modify the timbre or color of a voice without altering its pitch. For example, adjusting formants can make a voice sound more masculine or feminine, youthful or mature, without affecting the pitch.
3. Time-Stretching Audio Without Distortion
Formant correction is invaluable when it comes to time-stretching. In apps like Music Speed Changer, when you slow down or speed up a track, the pitch and timbre are usually affected. However, with formant correction, you can change the tempo of the track without distorting the vocal timbre, allowing the voice to sound natural at different speeds.
4. Maintaining Consistent Audio Quality in Remixes
DJs and producers often need to adjust tracks to fit into different sets, keys, or tempos. By using formant correction, they can seamlessly shift a song's key or tempo without making the vocals sound unnatural or out of place, making it an essential tool for remixing and mashups.
In summary, vocal formant correction is a powerful tool in modern music production and is particularly useful in applications where the manipulation of pitch and speed is common. Format correction allows for greater control over the sound of your tracks, whether you're slowing down a song, changing its pitch, or simply adjusting its vocal tone to fit your creative vision.
By utilizing formant correction, you can ensure that your vocals and instruments retain their natural, rich tonal qualities while giving you the freedom to manipulate your music in exciting new ways.
How to use Music Speed Formant controls.
