Melodyne 5 Is Here and Smarter Than Ever

Melodyne is one of those few products/technologies that really changed the way of working with audio over the past 20 years. Today Celemony announced the immediate availability of the new Melodyne Version 5, and the update seems worthwhile. When version 4 came out, some users complained that Celemony didn’t do enough to improve Melodyne’s core competence: the correction of poor intonation on vocal tracks. Well, the new version brings some welcome improvements in that regard, and then some.

The algorithm now detects – along with a host of other phenomena – the presence and extent of the unpitched (noise-like) components of the vocal sound as well as breaths, which it then processes separately from the pitched components. This leads to better results, less time spent editing, and a more natural sound.

The volume balance between the pitched and unpitched components can be adjusted – syllable by syllable if desired. This not only helps with double-tracking and vocal harmonies but gives you a perfect and precisely targeted de-esser into the bargain.

The Fade Tool and the Leveling Macro offer new possibilities for dynamic contouring, as they too work on a per-note basis – even with polyphonic audio material.

Harmonize Your Samples With Your Song

Melodyne 5 also supports new workflows that unleash your musical creativity: with the Chord Track (and the Pitch Grid configured accordingly), recordings and samples can be quickly adapted to the harmonic structure and chords of your own compositions and songs.
So any library sample now harmonizes instantly with your song. That’s perfect for songwriters but also for remixers. And thanks to the integrated chord recognition, no knowledge of music theory is required.

Price and Availability

Melodyne 5 runs in stand-alone mode as well as with 64-bit DAWs under MacOS and Windows – DAW integration via ARA, VST3, AU or AAX.

There are several versions of Melodyne, from the full-featured Studio one to the simplest of them all, Essential.

If you’re a new user, prices go from approx. $100 to $700. If money is n0t an issue, I would definitely recommend the Studio version, otherwise the Editor and Assistant can be a great starting point.

If you’re already a Melodyne user, the update costs 49 €/US$ for Melodyne assistant, 99 €/US$ for Melodyne editor and 149 €/US$ for Melodyne studio.
For Melodyne essential and users who registered Melodyne after 1 March 2020, it is free of charge. A 30-day trial version can be downloaded here.

More information on Melodyne 5 on the Celemony website.