Antares ATR-1 Rackmount

I would have loved to see more front panel controls for instant access to the most used functions, instead of haing to page through the few menus. When I am cleaning up a problematic vocal track, I find myself constantly paging through the ATR's menus like mad because individual notes/phrases often need their own, specific settings. I will explain further, because this is important to know.

If you have a nearly perfect vocal/solo performance in which notes are hardly ever sharp or flat by more than, say, 25 cents, then you can use the default chromatic or scale programs to automatically fix the bad notes, and they will do that well. But if your vocalist is off by anywhere near 50 cents (half of a half step, which is not that much even by American Idol standards!) then you have no choice but to dig into the ATR's menus and custom-fix each individual bad note for the best results.

If your vocalist is consistently off by 50 cents here and there (which is surprisingly common even for many semi-pro singers, especially on pickup notes) then you'll spend a good chunk of time paging through the ATR's menus and making scale and parameter adjustments that will allow you to fix each individual bad note.

My ATR allows me to custom-build scales with the notes I want it to put pitches on. (Sorry, I can't remember if that was standard on the ATR-1 or part of the 1a upgrade.) This feature is a MUST HAVE for fixing bad vocal tracks, because the more limited with notes a scale is, the better the ATR will put your vocal note on the correct pitch. For example, if you're set to a default scale of C,D,E,F,G,A,B and want to correct a 35-cent-flat E to a perfect E, it will work , but just okay. If you try it with a custom-built C,E,G,A,B scale, it will work a little better because D is not in the scale. If you try it with a simpler, custom E,A scale it will work even better yet because there are no notes anywhere close to a D. But for the best results, you'll want to create a custom scale with just one note in it... E. Then the ATR will drop your note right on it.

The bass mode (in the ATR-1a upgrade chip) works well. Just don't forget to deactivate bass mode before tracking other stuff, otherwise you'll wonder why it isn't correcting pitches very well. I thought my ATR-1 was crapping out on me before I realized I had left it in bass mode! (There are no blinking lights to remind you.)

This is not a magic hat. If you feed it sausage, you'll still get sausage. This unit is meant to take nearly perfect tracks and make them perfect, and that it does quite well. Solo instruments or vocals that need a touch pitch correction will be transformed into seemingly flawless tracks.

If you push the ATR beyond its intended function by fixing vocal notes that are off by as little as a half step, you might find your self on the very fringe of chipmunking. This phenomenon is less noticeable with solo instruments.

The vibrato it has is useless on leads, but may pass when used sparingly on background vocals/instruments.

One of the factory programs (the Eb major scale) died on me. I simply reprogrammed the scale and that fixed the problem.

I contacted them to ask about the ATR-1 upgrade chip, because no mention of it had been found on their website for months. They were super helpful and shipped out the chip right away.

If you need to use this unit for what it is intended for... fixing sharpies and flatties on an otherwise great solo instrument or vocal track, this unit will do the job. EVERY recording studio using outboard sound processors should own at least one pitch corrector like this, and I am absolutely serious about that.

However, if you work often with non-professional vocalists, and want perfect vocal tracks, the ATR-1 in not the right tool. You may need to go with a TC Helicon product with formant pitch correction.

Comes with tons of presets. Really easy to use. Doesn't get any easier than this.

Using it on all my vocals, lead and up to six background vocs. Before the vocals were adequate but something was missing - my frikkin' pitch! After many years of label deals, touring, I'm finally getting a mega-song demo recorded but all my vocals are a tad bit flat. Worked on one tune right after UPS delivered it and man, 30-minutes later, the whole song just shines. Funny how when all vocal parts in in complete tune that they really shine. I don't know how I lived without this unit before.

Antares says you can leave the power on this unit forever and it won't hurt it at all. Kinda says everything right there.

Haven't had to call then yet but from what I hear, they are VERY tech friendly.

From a studio POV, this unit is a "must have." It's so easy to use that it's almost embarrassing. I'd replace it in a heartbeat, if I had to.

Didn't work wasted my time and money on it.

Mine diddn't work,I got it from Musicians Freind and it came in a plain brown box with styrafoam ends.Not factory packaging.I tried every possible setup with my CarvinPA800 and my Carvin Acoustic amp on vocal channel.Nothing except the gain worked on my unit,I sent it back and got a refund loosing $50.for shipping.Musicians Freind sent me a used J-Station a couple of years back also,but they exchanged it an gave me my freight cost back on that one.

NO NO NO It didn't even work once.Got a hell of a nasty feedback scream though.

Didn't get through on the 1-800 #s.The web site gives you the runaround with no response.

It doesn't look to bad sitting there,but usless since it didn't work.

This is a kick-ass monster. It does one thing...it corrects your pitch. I haven't used it in studio, yet, but live, for the type of work I use, it is perfect. It doesn't alter your tone, it just changes the pitch. I upgraded it to the ATR-1a, which simply adds a few features. The upgrade is simple to do -- they even include a special tool to remove the old eprom.

The manual is not only clear and complete, it also has a sense of humor. Some companies try this and fail miserably. Antares got it right.

I use this with my Moog Theremin. Playing a theremin is difficult because everything from small settings on the sensitivity to the weather can alter how the pitch changes when you move your hand toward and away from the pitch antenna. This makes sure I hit exactly the right notes, making it a highly usable instrument. If I could ever afford one of the more expensive theremins from Moog, which has a big, mostly empty case, I'd install this inside of it.

I have this immediately after my theremin. Then it goes to a DOD Octoplus and an Arion SAD-1 analog delay to fatten the sound. From there it goes to a Mackie Mixer and a Peavey Deca 528 amp.

It's a rack mountable tank. When I upgraded it I saw the construction. It is very solidly built.

They are great to work with. Friendly and fun.

To the $400 used price add an extra $50 for the upgrade. This is really the only complaint I would have. This puppy is very expensive. New it's about $600 (all U.S. prices). But it's the best that's around. So I'm giving it an overall 8, not because it isn't great, but just because IMO it's too pricey.