Antares introduces Auto-Tune Evo and Auto-Tune Vocal Studio
Antares has announced a new version of perhaps the most famous (and controversial) plug-ins of all time, Auto-Tune. The new version is called Auto-Tune Evo and according to Antares “represents the most substantial advancement in power and ease-of-use since Auto-Tune’s original introduction in 1997“. Along with Auto-Tune Evo, a new bundle has also been introduced consisting of Auto-Tune Evo and Avox 2.
Let’s have a look at what Antares has to say about the new Evo technology. From the Antares press release:
Dr. Andy has gone back to the proverbial drawing board to create a seriously evolved voice processing technology that takes advantage of the hugely more powerful computers that are now the norm for digital audio recording.
The result is Evo™ Voice Processing Technology, offering powerful new features and capabilities along with pitch detection and correction that is substantially more accurate and reliable over a much wider range of audio input quality.
I suppose we can assume the quality is better, despite many of the products Antares has introduced after Auto-Tune haven’t really satisfied the people in the same way Auto-Tune did. From the first part of this quote I think we can also draw the conclusion that it’s more CPU intensive.
Auto-Tune Evo also introduces a new and supposedly more easy to use interface. The graphic interface looks eerily familiar.
Speaking of the UI. Auto-Tune now incorporates some later Antares inventions such as throat-modeling. Lately Melodyne seems to be the more popular alternative in pitch correction, so I guess the question we all are asking us is: will Auto-Tune Evo kick Melodynes butt or is this something that cements it as a thing of the past? Either way it looks like a major overhaul. Have a look at all the new features on their website.
Well, sometime ago I bought Autotune and found that for AUTOtuning, this can be ok, but still makes a lot of those glitches where the singer is just enough out of tune to make Autotune jump to the wrong note when correcting.
For manual editing, I ordered the trial of Melodyne and this is really easy to use. Little more time consuming but the two of them is a great combination, I think.
When Evo was announced, I upgraded and THOUGHT that I would find that Antares had finally added the manual part in an even better and more userfriendly way than Melodyne.
I was wrong - pardon my french, but I think the interface of EVO sucks. It’s not at all intuitive and userfriendly, and after working on it for 15-20 minutes, I just wanted to go back to Melodyne.
The new part seen above, is ofcourse Antares way of trying to capture some of the Melodyne clients, but I think the Melodyne-people can rest assured that this will not happen before some serious improvement are done to Evo.
It sounds as if the autotune part itself is better, though, so the 169 dollar upgrade is ok with be - just don’t expect it to save you the money for Melodyne.
By Kenneth Lund ~ August 21, 2008 kl 1:51 am
I agree with you kenneth. I have been with Antares since the floppy disk days.This upgrade for me was just ok. I wish i saved mt $130 and put it toward Melodyne.
By Spirithunter ~ August 21, 2008 kl 6:28 am
Same here - I actually still have the floppy disk - same with
Same regarding mcDSP
Still have the green floppies 
By Kenneth Lund ~ August 21, 2008 kl 10:51 am
What nonsense did I write ……….. I ment:
Same here - I actually still have the floppy disk for Autotune.
Same regarding mcDSP
Still have the green floppies 
By Kenneth Lund ~ August 21, 2008 kl 11:23 am
Thanks for your input guys regarding Evo, I haven’t tried it myself yet.
“Same regarding mcDSP Still have the green floppies”
Hang on to them, they might be considered vintage on Ebay one day
By stiff ~ August 21, 2008 kl 4:31 pm
HAHAHAHA yeah, the floppies DID have the analogue sound
By Kenneth Lund ~ August 22, 2008 kl 2:09 am
I’m white hot at Antares, and sent them an email, and so far haven’t heard a peep.
I purchased AT4 several years go for I think maybe $200. Maybe $150. I don’t remember. Then just this May, I purchased the v5 upgrade for $99. And now, they come out with EVO and want me to pay $129 to upgrade to it, when I just paid $99 not three months ago. You can purchase EVO new for like $319. maybe this is why they want me to pay $129. But even if I did, that’s way more than I should have to pay.
I guess my main point is, had I not upgraded to v5 in May, I would still only spend the same $129 to upgrade to EVO. I can accept that I guess. So, they have essentially bilked me out of $100, and that makes me mad. I’d rather pay MORE for Melodyne Plugin, just based on principal. This smells like Waves WUP to me, and that’s not a good smell.
j
By Jason Sheroan ~ August 22, 2008 kl 2:17 pm
Jason: the EXACT SAME happened to me.
At 9th of June, I paid 169 dollars to upgrade to the V5.
Now I also paid 169 to upgrade to Evo.
So in total - just for the two recent upgrades - I’ve shelled out 338 dollars.
By Kenneth Lund ~ August 23, 2008 kl 2:20 am
This is a case of “you snooze you lose”. Antares should have been aggressively updating and improving this app since the buzz began with Melodyne. It is a bit mind blowing that they would allow their lead in the pitch correction app race to be trounced so badly. From the outside looking in it appears that Antares finally got the picture AFTER their ego deflated. Talk about delayed reaction. And then the fact that the UI and workflow looks like Melodyne now is a pathetic attempt to regain the loss. In this business, you should NEVER get too comfy.
By 24bit ~ August 23, 2008 kl 2:47 am
224bit: I use both and for sure, I was thinking the same as you: now AutoTune does the same as Melodyne.
But…..have you tried it? Perhaps I didn’t spend enough time with my EVO, but to me, it seems that Melodyne is just SO much easier to use. In Evo, it’s much more difficult to get the same resultats.
The automatic part is better than the old - to my ears it correts more without sounding like Autotune
But the “melodyne part” (manuel editing) is - to me - not at all as easy to use as Melodyne.
By Kenneth Lund ~ August 24, 2008 kl 2:55 am