Introduction
What is Waves Tune doing? This article will not cover how to use Waves Tune, but to determine what corrections Waves Tune makes to off pitch music, when the user adjusts the knobs.
User Adjustments
In this test, the goal is to determine what the following knobs do:
- Speed - this knob ranges from 0 to 800ms
- Note transition - this knob ranges from 0 to 800ms
- Correction - this knob ranges from 0 to 100%
The unit for "Speed" is milliseconds, which seems to indicate that it is more of an interval than speed. "Note transition" is also apparently an interval, based on its unit.
430Hz
In this test, the input tone is 430Hz, which is "slightly" out of tune, just below A note, but still within its band. The goal is to observe what Waves Tune does:
- When correcting 430Hz to the A note
- When correcting 430Hz to the B♭ note
Initial Waves Tune Correction
Consider the case when Waves Tune auto corrects while scanning the slightly out of tune 430Hz tone for the first time, at factory default settings.
The (factory default) settings are:
- Speed : 15ms
- Transition : 120ms
- Correction : 100%
Waves Tune appears to have slided fully (100% Correction) 430Hz to A note, reaching 70% at about 120ms (which seems consistent with the factory default Transition of 120ms).
There is an unexplained glitch at the beginning.
Next up: Reduce Speed to 0.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 120ms
- Correction : 100%
The Speed knob has no effect on intraband tuning when Transition is rather long at 120ms.
Next up: Reducing the Transition.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 10ms
- Correction : 100%
At 10ms, the Transition knob moves 430Hz to A note earlier, but still featuring the glitch.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 0ms
- Correction : 100%
At 0ms, the Transition knob immediately moves 430Hz to A note. The glitch has been removed.
Next, the Speed knob will be advanced while Transition remains at 0, and correction remains at 100%.
The settings are:
- Speed : 10ms
- Transition : 0ms
- Correction : 100%
With Speed at 10ms, the glitch reappears.
The settings are:
- Speed : 100ms
- Transition : 0ms
- Correction : 100%
With Speed at 100ms, the slide from 430Hz to A note is further delayed.
Next, the Transition knob will be increased.
The settings are:
- Speed : 100ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 100%
With Speed at 100ms, and Transition at 100ms, the slide from 430Hz to A note begins at a lower frequency, and is further delayed.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 0ms
- Correction : 0%
With Correction at 0%, the output follows the input 430Hz, glitch and all. The Speed and Transition knobs have no effect when Correction is at 0.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 0ms
- Correction : 50%
With Correction at 50%, the output follows the same shape as the input 430Hz, glitch and all, but halfway to the A note.
The settings are:
- Speed : 100ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 50%
With Correction at 50%, and Speed and Transition at 100ms, the starting frequency dips further, and slides to the same half point between 430Hz and the A note.
The settings are:
- Speed : 100ms
- Transition : 0ms
- Correction : 50%
With Correction at 50%, and Speed at 100ms, and Transition at 0, the glitch starts higher, drops, and slides to the same half point between 430Hz and the A note.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 50%
With Correction at 50%, and Speed at 0ms, and Transition at 100ms, the glitch starts lower, drops, and slides to the same half point between 430Hz and the A note.
Inferences
What can be inferred from the initial auto correction by Waves Tune tuning, from 430Hz to 440Hz, and the three knobs?
- The Correction knob determines if the output frequency reaches the desired frequency.
- At 0%, the output frequency follows the input frequency. It never slides to the desired frequency.
- At 50%, the output frequency slides to at most halfway to the desired frequency.
- At 100%, the output frequency slides to the desired frequency, subject to the Transition delay.
Interband Tuning
What does Waves Tune do when a slightly out of tune A note is shifted to B♭?
The (factory default) settings are:
- Speed : 15ms
- Transition : 120ms
- Correction : 100%
Waves Tune slides fully (100% Correction) from the glitch to the desired B♭, reaching 70% at 120ms (Transition).
It is also apparent that the glitch at the beginning is not from the tuned result, but considered part of the original 430Hz tone.
What happens if Speed is maintained at 0, and Correction at 100%, while Transition is varied?
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 120ms
- Correction : 100%
No apparent change can be observed when Speed is reduced to 0.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 50ms
- Correction : 100%
As the Transition comes earlier at 50ms, the glitch rises.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 20ms
- Correction : 100%
As the Transition comes earlier at 20ms, the glitch rises further and begins to disappear.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 5ms
- Correction : 100%
As the Transition comes earlier at 5ms, the glitch has all but disappeared.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 0ms
- Correction : 100%
With Transition at 0, Waves Tune outputs a straight line at B♭.
Observations
By maintaining Speed at 0 and Correction at 100%, the Transition knob behaves similarly to the interband tuning for A note to B♭ note, with the exception of the glitch. The glitch did disappear for Transition shorter than 20ms.
What does Waves Tune do for interband tuning from 430Hz to B♭, if Transition is maintained at 100ms, and Correction at 100%?
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 100%
Beginning with Speed at 0, the glitch is evident at the beginning of the output, which climbs towards B♭.
The settings are:
- Speed : 800ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 100%
Increasing Speed to 800ms, the glitch is still evident at the beginning of the output, which climbs towards B♭. There is however, no observable difference from Speed at 0.
Observations
When Transition is maintained at 100ms and Correction at 100%, the Speed knob has no observable effect on the output. This is consistent with the interband tuning test from A note to B♭, where the Speed knob apparent does nothing.
What will Waves Tune do for the 430Hz to B♭ correction, if Speed is maintained at 0, Transition at 100ms, and Correction varied from 100% to 0?
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 100%
Beginning with Correction at 100%, the output is the now familiar glitched slide to B♭. Next up, 50% Correction.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 50%
Waves Tune appears to do a half slide, starting from the glitch, to B♭. However, it is not apparent where the 50% correction exactly begins its slide. Next up: 25% Correction.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 25%
Waves Tune appears to do a slide, starting from the glitch, to B♭. It is not apparent where the 25% Correction begins its slide. Next up: 0% Correction.
The settings are:
- Speed : 0ms
- Transition : 100ms
- Correction : 0%
Waves Tune appears start from the glitch, then flat line on B♭.
Observations
The Correction knob appears to perform the same function as the test on A note to B♭, controlling the amount of slide, from 0 (no slide), to 100% slide.
Conclusions
- During the initial scan, Waves Tune uses the factory default of 15ms Speed, 120ms Transition, and 100% Correction.
- The initial scan thus slides the tone from 430Hz to 440Hz fairly quickly.
- The Correction knob determines if the original tone eventually reaches the desired frequency.
- A correction of 0% means no change.
- A correction of 50% means the output tone is eventually halfway to the desired frequency.
- If the tone is shifted to another note:
- the Transition knob controls how soon the output reaches 70% of the desired frequency.
- the Correction knob controls how much slide from the original frequency to the desired frequency, ending at the desired frequency.
- There appears to be a glitch at the beginning of the tone. It could be a visual artifact.
