Of the four channel strips within the Harmony Channels panel, the first is perhaps best thought of as the 'master' channel as, usually, this will control the level of the original lead voice and will not be pitch–shifted. The output from a Cubase MIDI channel has been set to Mu Voice, allowing control of the automated harmonies via MIDI.All of Mu Voice's controls are contained within a single screen, split into five panels. MIDI data can then be passed from this track to the plug–in. However, if you are using MIDI control an additional MIDI track needs to be created and its output set to Mu Voice. If you are using the Chord Scheme Panel (described below) for automation, nothing more needs to be done. Once installed, Mu Voice is simply placed as an Insert effect upon the mono audio track containing the vocal to be harmonised. Authorisation is by iLok licence and, for existing iLok key owners, Mu Technologies will provide a limited–time licence on request for evaluation purposes. I tested the PC VST version, which is a compact 4MB download. Mu Voice is available for both Mac and PC in VST, RTAS and AU (Mac only) formats, and a nicely presented PDF manual is provided. Humanise and formant controls can help the harmonies sound a little more natural, and various EQ options provide further customisation of the tonal character of each voice, while basic pitch correction is also included. In either case, the engine ensures that the harmony parts are musically valid. Preset combinations of harmony style and chord can be sequenced in sync with the DAW host via either the on–screen Chord Scheme Panel or, as of version 1.2.0 (which was released as an update during the course of my review), MIDI–based chord recognition.
The 'intelligence' means that the engine uses a chord recognition system as the basis for the synthesized harmony voices. Mu Voice's key feature is its intelligent four–part harmony engine.
Mu Technologies are, therefore, up against some well–established competition. Automated vocal harmonies are, of course, nothing new, with a range of both hardware and software options available from the likes of Digitech, TC–Helicon/TC Electronic and Antares. Mu Voice, their first product, is a vocal harmony generator that comes in a plug–in format for both Mac and PC. If you are fed up with dealing with temperamental backing singers, or simply can't afford the session fees, Mu Technologies want to help you out. Vocal harmonies can add gloss to a musical production, but if you don't have access to a group of first–rate session singers, does software really provide a viable alternative?
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