| BACK
IN 1998, Antares introduced the ATR-1
and made the unlikely claim of "perfect
pitch in a box" a solid reality.
Based on the technology of our ground-breaking
Auto-Tune plug-in, the ATR-1 corrected
the pitch of vocals or solo instruments,
in real time, without distortion or artifacts,
while preserving all of the expressive
nuance of the original performance. Since
then, thousands of ATR-1s have found their
way into touring racks, live performance
rigs, and recording studios of artists
and producers like Cher, Reba, Everclear,
Al Schmitt and many, many more.
Now,
Antares (never willing to leave a good
thing alone) introduces the ATR-1a. Preserving
the great sound quality and ease of use
of the ATR-1, the ATR-1a adds some significant
new features as well as a snazzy new appearance
inspired by our AMM-1 Microphone Modeler.
How
low can you go?
Looking
to do some pitch correction in the lower
depths of the frequency range? The ATR-1a's
new Bass Mode lowers the lowest detectable
pitch by a full octave to 25Hz. Since
the lowest E string on a bass guitar is
about 41Hz, Bass Mode (as its name so
ably implies) allows you to apply pitch
correction to those pesky fretless bass
lines as well as other low bass range
instruments.
Working
for scale
If
you've ever had occasion to pitch correct
a melody line whose key was not exactly
clear, or which had too many accidentals
to fit comfortably into a conventional
scale, you'll appreciate the ATR-1a's
new Make Scale From MIDI function. Simply
play any line into the ATR-1a from a MIDI
keyboard or sequencer and let the ATR-1a
automatically construct a custom scale
containing only those notes that appear
in the line. No muss, no fuss.
How
does it work?
Like
Auto-Tune, the ATR-1a uses proprietary
digital signal processing algorithms (many,
interestingly enough, drawn from the geophysical
industry) to continuously detect the pitch
of a periodic input signal, compare it
to a desired target pitch (more about
that in a minute) and, if necessary, instantly*
and seamlessly correct it to that target
pitch. And with the ATR-1a's pristine
20-bit data path, 56-bit internal processing
and balanced I/O, the only difference
between what goes in and what comes out
is the intonation.
What's
the *right* note?
A
key requirement for effective pitch correction
is, of course, the ability to accurately
specify the right notes to correct to.
Here, the ATR-1a gives you a variety of
choices to ensure that its output is always
what you want.
The
basic tool for target pitch identification
in the ATR-1a is the Scale -- basically
a list of those notes to which the ATR-1a
should compare the input. The ATR-1a comes
with factory Programs for chromatic and
standard diatonic scales as well as the
ability to use its Scale screen to program
any custom scales you may require.
In
addition to selecting which notes should
be in a Scale, you can also "bypass"
individual Scale notes. When the input
pitch is near a bypassed note, the input
is passed through with no correction.
(Having trouble hitting a single note?
Bypass all the rest of the Scale notes
and the ATR-1a will only apply correction
to that problem note.)
Need even more flexibility? Use the ATR-1a's
MIDI Note Mode to specify scales in real
time via a MIDI keyboard or sequencer.
For the ultimate in control, you can even
specify the exact melody via MIDI -- definitely
leaving no room for error.
What about expression?
Of course, a great performance is a lot
more than just hitting the right notes.
Depending on the style of music, expressive
gestures like scoops, bends, vibrato and
more can all contribute to the emotional
effect.
The ATR-1a's Speed control ensures that
the rate of pitch correction (i.e., the
speed at which the input pitch is slewed
to the target pitch) can be matched to
virtually any style of performance.
A moderate Speed setting, for example,
will preserve expressive gestures while
accurately adjusting the overall pitch
center to be in tune.
A faster Speed is appropriate for a performance
with rapidly-changing pitches, excessive
pitch variation, or where substantial
correction is required.
Set to the fastest Speed setting, the
ATR-1a will remove all trace of vibrato
or other gestures - - extremely unnatural,
but great for special effects.
Do it live
Befitting its easy portability, the ATR-1a
includes a number of features that make
it particularly easy to use in live performance
situations.
Chief among these is Song Mode, which
lets you follow even the most complex
harmonic song structures by programming
the appropriate series of scales and then
stepping through them in performance with
a footswitch or MIDI control. You can
also control most ATR-1a performance parameters
with MIDI continuous controllers. And
you can control absolutely everything
via SysEx.
Check it out
So if you're still looking for perfect
pitch in a box, check out the ATR-1a at
your Antares dealer now. Where the song
remains the same.
Only better.
* In the interest
of full disclosure, we must point out
that the laws of physics prevent the ATR-1a's
pitch correction from being absolutely
"instant." However, the ATR-1a's
actual processing delay is no greater
than 4 milliseconds. (To put that in perspective,
most MIDI instruments typically have a
delay of 7 milliseconds or greater between
the arrival of a MIDI Note On message
and the beginning of the resulting sound.)
We like to think of the ATR-1a's pitch
correction as being instant enough for
all practical purposes.
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