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BLOG: Why Melodyne's Direct Note Access could be bad for music
New technology could discourage creativity
Ben Rogerson, Tue 18 Mar 2008, 4:44 pm UTC
The ability to edit the notes in polyphonic audio files opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
Like so many others, it was with a mixture of fascination and amazement that I watched the promo video for Celemony Software's new Direct Note Access technology. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should check it out.
In theory, the implementation of Direct Note Access into Celemony's Melodyne Plugin 2 will enable users to take a polyphonic audio file, blow it apart and then edit the individual notes. It could be revolutionary.
But although Direct Note Access certainly seems to represent an amazing technological achievement, it's worth taking a moment to think about the implications of its release. Impressive it may be, but you could argue that it will be bad for music.
Too easy?
If guitarists and pianists (to give just a couple of examples) can record a take in the knowledge that any mistakes can be rectified with a click or two of a mouse, there's a chance that standards of musicianship will start to fall. Just as Antares Auto-Tune has made it possible to turn tone-deaf starlets into chart-topping singers, Direct Note Access could breed a generation of players who can't actually play.
And that's assuming that producers will bother to hire musicians at all. As well as being a corrective tool, Celemony's new technology will also enable you to adapt existing material to suit your needs. So, you could, for example, take a pre-recorded guitar riff that sounds similar to the one you want for your track, then tweak the pitch and timing of a few notes to come up with something 'new'.
Thinking on a broader scale, this could have copyright implications: if someone samples a riff and then substantially changed the way it sounds, does what's left belong to the original artist or the person who created the reworked version?
As I said at the top, I'm fascinated and amazed by what Celemony seems to have done with Direct Note Access, and I can't wait to try it for myself. But although it has the potential to inspire, it may also breed laziness, and could actively discourage musicians to create new material.
User comments (6)
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I don't see what makes this so different than altering midi tracks after you play. Ever since music has been recorded we have tried to change the final result to make it as good as possible. From the point of view that recording music is in and of itself unnatural, I don't see the difference in punching in on a taped audio track, altering a midi performance or in this case changing an audio file after you play. When people see a live performance it's a one time only event. When they purchase a recording, they get to play it over and over. Because the listener has paid a premium for a recording, that is a permanent record of a musical presentation, I would think that it behoves us to try and give our audience the absolute finest example possible of what we are trying to do. Also because a recording can be played over and over, it is possible for the listener to examine our music in a way that is impossible with a live performance. What I'm saying is live is live and recording are recordings. They are two different things and should be viewed that way.
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It just reinforces in my mind that live music performance (ie gigs as opposed to recording sessions) will be regarded more and more as the yardstick of a musician's true worth.
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I think it's only right to approach this with some trepidation. This will open up creative possibilities but let's hope it doesn't encourage laziness. I've personally been very happy with Melodyne, using it now and again to correct things but only where I can't (for whatever reason, be it financial or time-constraint) go back and re-record the vocal.
I'd much rather use something like direct note access to create new parts that are impossible to play, just to see what it sounds like. -
I suppose it all depends on your point of view. From a creative standpoint I think it could be mind-bogglingly brilliant. And so what if a guitarist fluffs dozens of notes, then goes back and corrects them? Isn't comping (recording multiple takes and choosing the best bits for the final edit) another means of achieving this end? Worked pretty well for Dave Gilmour and I don't hear anybody calling him a cheat or a fraud. In music production terms this is akin to cracking the DNA code. However, it's natural that there will be a degree of fear and trepidation from some quarters.
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Very interesting, it's kind of midi and audio all in one and takes the process out of manually pitching audio and tuning it, which could be handy but I'm sure I've thought of this idea 4 years ago but didn't think it was possible then but now it is which i will try this one day!
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Celemony is a tool....and as with all tools, they can be used or abused. A hammer can build a house or be a murder weapon.
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RobZantay
Thu 20 Mar 2008, 5:31 pm UTC