My vocal range is very limited and I often struggle reaching low notes.
I’ve tried transposing the audio to hit the lower notes that I can’t reach naturally but it sound very weird as you can imagine.
I was wondering if someone could give me some advice on how to achieve this. I’ve tried manually manipulating the pitch with Variaudio but it still doesn’t sound natural. I had in the past used melodyne and I think this vst made vocals sound more natural but I don’t own it anymore.
I agree that Melodyne works better than Variaudio - but not by much for basic pitch shifting. Of course Melodyne is in the same price range as Cubase and can manipulate sounds in a variety of ways that Variaudio can’t. So ya get what ya pay for.
The reality is that shifting pitch beyond a couple of half-steps is gonnna leave behind noticeable artifacts. Although going down generally works better than shifting up - so that’s good for you.
There are 2 approaches you can take. One is to reduce the artifacts themselves. The second is to obscure the artifacts. And of course you can mix & match different techniques if that works.
REDUCING ARTIFACTS
Rewrite the vocal line so you can hit (or get closer to) more of the notes thus needing less pitch shift.
When recording vocals have a VSTi play the melody in your phones, this can make it easier to hit notes at the edges of your range. I use Halion’s ‘Mellow Tremolo Git’ in only my left ear for this.
Try all the different algorithms to ID which works best for your voice on the lower notes.
Try recording your problem notes separately on their own track to give you more control over them.
Explore the ‘tape’ based algorithm where speeding/slowing the tempo raises/lowers pitch.
OBSCURING ARTIFACTS
A harmony line with lots of artifacts can sound ok blended with another non-shifted line (we tend to hear the normal over the artificial).
Double track your vocal and pitch correct both. This could either highlight or obscure the artifacts.
Use effects to mask the artifacts - some distortion, a chorus, ADT, etc. can help blend everything together.
Drop the level of just the artifacts - cut the Audio Part tight around the artifact and pull its volume lower for just a moment.
Blunt the attack. Similar to the level above. Some artifacts stand out because they have a noticeable attack. Cut the audio just before the attack and extend the fade-in to tame it. This works well for deessing and plosives too.
Mask the artifacts with your arrangement. For example a well placed cymbal crash could cover it up. Or even just having other instruments playing the same note might be enough. Remember a percussive/rhythmic sound may cover better than a sustained sound - and vice-versa.