Wondering what is the best way to create prince style varispeed vocals that are a smooth and non pitch shift-y as his are within Cubase. Any ideas? I havent come up with a good way.
You should be able to get the desired effect using the very best (and very slowest) pitch-shifting algo in Cubase. Do it from the Audio menu, offline, instead of within Arrangement screen.
You can mess around and try things and undo them with the Offline Process History.
Pitch-shifting with the best algo, reasonable amounts, is not warbly or shifty at all—in my experience.
Are you talking about the new album? For example the song Artificial Cage? Like George Clinton style? If that’s the case. He’'s using a pitch shift to achieve that chip monk like vocal and very deep vocal. You can also try the élastique efficient tape algorithm in the audio pool, increase the tempo to get a lower pitch.
Or Just Prince’s natural vocals? Well that’s just Prince with variaudio like corrections like most modern productions:D
Remember back in the 70’s and 80’s they didn’t have all those fancy tool like we do in Cubase 7.5. Just basic outboard gear.
I’d be shocked if Prince used autotune. I’ve seen him perform multiple times, and dude cannot hit a bum note! LOL.
Of course, though, who knows…?
I hear you. LOL. But what I meant was just minor corrections without the robotic effect without increasing the quantize, straighten pitch, speed / tolerance too much to keep it sounding natural like a human not a robot. You know like most good signers like MJ or Kelly Clarkson for example.
Yeah, totally, AP. I was just being the Prince über-fanatic that I am. 
I’ve gotten good “chipmunk” vocals just using the best pitch algos. Let us know if it works, hikarate!
I’m going for the pitch shifted effect and the when I said vari speed it was due to that he did it the old fashioned way, slowed or sped up the tape while laying down a vocal to get the desired effect when running at normal. Beauty of it is that there are no shifty artifacts that way but this thread gave me some great things to try, heading to the studio now.
I heard Prince turned down P Diddy when he asked to use/sample his music with some autotune LOL.
I don’t think Prince has ever given anyone permission to use his music. Was just watching director Kevin Smith talk about how Prince didn’t even consider allowing him to use one of his songs. Just said, “No.”