Well OK
Waves just got another $99 from me.
I picked up the Waves Tune.
Here is my preliminary mini review:
The software functions in X3 and in Platinum. It is not as sweet as ARA, but it works. You have to insert the Waves ReWire device, once per project. Then you need to "scan" the clip, which means play it in real time. I have not been able to figure out the CPU load caused by Tune.
The editing screen is very confining (small) by today's standards. If you click to go to full screen it does not enlarge the view. I hope Waves fixes this some day.
The editing tools are just what you would expect if you like V-Vocal, only a little better. You can read the manual if you want, but you will not have to. It all makes sense. No endless staring at how-to videos. The main thing you will need to read in the manual is how to do the "scan"
Waves Tune tracks very well. In V-Vocal quiet passages were not tracked, and gritty voices would not work well in V-Vocal. In Tune, it seems to track just about anything. No octave skips.
It is nowhere near as fun to use Tune for quick analysis as V-Vocal. With V-Vocal, I could practice singing and easily look to see how accurate I was. In Tune, it is a production because of the Re-Wire/scan necessity. I recommend V-Vocal strongly for vocal practice.
Back to Tune, I admit it is kind of long-legged to use with Sonar. But it does work. Probably frustrating for quick short clips.
I plan to use Tune for final vocal editing. After I have done all of the Take Lane editing. I figure I will copy the vocal track to preserve the original, then merge to one clip. Then do the Waves Tune.
I tried to exit Sonar and then come back. It seems like the Waves Tune editor will remember the last session, so you can come back later and modify. Like opening the V-Vocal editor on a previously edited clip. But I don't see any way to un-do Waves Tune once you end a session (there seems to be no way to just go back to the un-edited take once you save and exit).
Sound wise I think it is a big step up from V-Vocal if what you want is natural sounding but in-tune vocals. This is the main reason I purchased. For reference, I am a passable singer, I have arrived at the level where I am usually pretty close to the target note. But singing is always a struggle. Especially fast soulful passages.
One of the problems I see is that now I am more or less married to Waves Tune. Once a project has a track with Waves Tune, it is forever, unless you bounce the Waves Tune track to a clip. I hope Cakewalk continues to support Re-Wire.
That's my report.
Suerte.