Rock Band 3 to Utilize iZotope Vocal Technology
With all the features being added to Rock Band 3, I think the vocals have been overlooked with all the excitement. Well now all the vocalists out there can get excited. Harmonix has entered into a technology licensing agreement with iZotope, Inc., a research-driven audio signal processing company, to allow players to take their vocal performance to new heights.
Using iZotope’s real-time pitch detection and pitch shifting middleware, Rock Band 3 provides players with the option to enable vocal effects commonly used in the music industry, assisting players to sing on key more easily with pitch correction and bringing the tools that pros use into the living room.
“The ability to have pitch correction in real-time helps to enhance the vocal gameplay and players’ in-game performance in Rock Band,” said Eran Egozy, CTO and co-founder of Harmonix. “We’re excited to feature iZotope’s technology and this new middleware in Rock Band 3 so that our players can enjoy the type of vocal effects that professional rock stars utilize for live stage performances in their homes this holiday.”
“With the production values of video games rivaling that of commercial albums and blockbuster films, consumers expect the same caliber of video and audio quality during dynamic, real-time game play,” explains Mark Ethier, CEO of iZotope. “Rock Band is an ideal platform for us to showcase iZotope’s technology so we can provide gamers with studio-grade audio effects that professional mixers, sound designers and others in the entertainment industry have relied on for years.”
For more information on iZotope, go to www.izotope.com.
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T-Pain, Cher, Avril Lavigne confirmed
Nice to know they put more thought into vocals besides adding harmonies.
Rock Band 3 has auto-tune. This is awesome.
Shawtay!!!!
This is something completely different from auto-tune I hope?
dylanevl Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Autotune is used in far more music than you may realize and has been for many years. While the current trends in using it are painful to my ears, there’s nothing wrong with it being used to correct a note or two in an otherwise great performance from a singer. Do you want your favorite song of all time to be soured by one off note?
That being said, having autotune in RB is also a good thing. Singers naturally gravitate towards what they hear so if they’re singing the wrong note but _hearing_ the note they’re supposed to be hitting, it’s far superior training and will ultimately lead them to hitting the right notes more often.
SebastianSB Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
I’m fine with it if it doesn’t sound like Kanye.
non_zero Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Yeah, don’t worry, autotune is often a lot more subtle than what you hear in hip hop songs nowadays.
Tinykoko Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
“Rock Band 3 provides players with the option to enable vocal effects commonly used in the music industry, assisting players to sing on key more easily with pitch correction”
it’s not going to autotune your voice lol. that would completely ruin the whole point of trying to match the pitch. maybe itll tell you that you’re too flat or something. i know a lot of people who just CANT match the pitch, and maybe this tool will help them learn how.
SebastianSB Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Yes it will. They’ve specifically said they’ll be editing the audio playback of the vocalists.
Tinykoko Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
well….poop to that.
then .. how does someone who CAN match pitch, differ from someone who CAN? unless this is a training mode sort of thing
Tinykoko Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
wait, never mind. i just saw the reply to riles below this. sorry i just woke up
sweet. this sounds awesome.
Not really happy with this, given the wording – “Helps in-game performance.” Sounds like vocals is going to be even easier. I was hoping it would merely be a device to make your voice sound better through speakers, but unfortunately that doesn’t look to be the case
Happy to see it’s only an option to toggle it, though
RockBandAide Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
It actually only affects the sound of the output, not the player’s input, so vocal performance will be unaffected. Source – John Drake: http://twitter.com/johntdrake/status/17347566318
HeyRiles Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Then why in the world would they specify ‘in-game performance’? Oh well, good news regardless. I am now very happy with this
RockBandAide Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
From what I’ve been hearing, it will be able to give better real-time feedback on your singing.
Tinykoko Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
sorry riles, no device will make your voice sound better through speakers.
sound of output being affected and not input, sounds good to me
HeyRiles Reply:
June 29th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
YEAH ‘CAUSE IT CAN’T GET NO BETTER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZkoymjugFE
(Shameless plug)
Well, that’s one more obstacle removed from us getting The Lonely Island’s “I’m on a Boat” DLC.