Antares Harmony Engine

I looked for a replacement for the TC Helicon Voicelive 2, and found it in this. I wanted something for the computer with easier access and flexibility. With my vocal style, the sound isn't exactly what I'd call pristine and clean, but it's exactly what I'm personally after, going for a broken, "artifact-y" and more unpredictable sound. These kind of plugins often impart artefacts etc, but in case you're not a fan, they can be mixed to be non-intrusive. If you want clean and even harmonies, feed it a very controlled and clean vocal sound. The user interface is a bit cluttered, and understanding where everything is can be a hassle, but ultimately it's quite reasonable. I'm not a fan of Antares generally because of marketing, sales, and customer support policies, but the plugin was on sale and gives sufficient artistic expression that I could bite the bullet to purchase.

I've only so far been using this software to play around with at home, but I do intend to use it live and in recordings in the future.

I purchased this as it's the same autotune/harmoniser software used on Bon Iver's song "715 Creeks". It's a little intimidating when you first open it, but like anything once you give it a little time its quite easy to use. There's also a lot on online resources on how to use it if you're really stuck with it.

It's a really fun software overall. You can add harmonies to anything, not just vocals. You use it as it's own instrument and run an audio track into it, so it's really creative and fun to play with.

Cons:
My only annoyance with this, and it is a huge one, is you need an iLok to authorise it. It is such a pain to have to pay another ¤50 for a silly little USB stick and then have to register that and then authorise your software. Buy an iLok with this software, otherwise you can't install it.

Overall, if you're into effects and weird sounds, get it, but remember to get the iLok.

Back in late 2016 when Bon Iver released his album ?22, A Million?, it felt like he caught the harmonisers wave first. ?Harmonisers were already being used in the 80? in a similar way as Bon Iver used it in his album (especially in the song ?Creep?), but still, seems like Bon Iver brought it back to life. ?Since then, you can hear this element in almost every genre - from Hip-Hop, R&B, House and pop all the way to Alternative.

It is literally a MUST tool for every music producer.

When do I use it?
1. I personally use it in my productions when I wanna thicken up the lead vocal.
2. When I wanna saturate and bring an artificial-electronic sounding voices as an element - it has a modern sound and I personally like it.

Well, honestly that's why I actually got it for - more because of its sound then its actual functions. I mainly use it via MIDI.

The Antares harmoniser is a game changer if you're looking for a fast solution, cool sounding harmonies for your song.

?WHY and WHO should buy it?
?1. Someone who?s looking for a harmoniser with a very distinctive and characteristic sound by ?Antares?.
2. Someone who?s not capable of performing harmonies himself and need a tool to get a fast and accurate harmonies.

Pros:
?1. The Antares harmony engine has MANY functions and is very versatile (Fixed or Scale Intervals, Chord Degrees or Chord Name, Chord by MIDI, MIDI Omni & MIDI Channel) - Simply said; You can define which harmonies you want it to play in a certain time, you can play harmonies by triggering MIDI notes on your keyboard while it?s synced to your main vocal audio track etc.)
2. On top of 4 harmony voices, you can add up to 8 unison voices of a choir - you can get a really huge sounding harmonies.
3. Stereo image control (left, right and centre) - an excellent tool that helps you to create the image you want.

Cons:
1. not very easy to use and to understand in depth.
2. for good results you need some certain musical knowledge or at least a good hearing.
3. not cheap.

A few things you should do before you buy it:
1. watch tutorials on youtube.
2. download the demo version from the official Antares website and get to feel it.
3. check the other harmonisers in the market and understand your needs in order to make the best choice for you (iZotope etc.)

If you do decide to buy it, here in ?Thomann? you really get the BEST price possible. It is significantly cheaper then it is on Antares website and that is why I love ?Thomann? so much. you just can?t beat their price.