Learn · All Quick-Starts · 6 min
VOICES
quick-start.
Turn one lead vocal into a keyed, humanized harmony stack that reads as a real section.
6 steps · every control name is the real one · Vocal
Set KEY and SCALE
Pick the song's KEY and SCALE at the top — every harmony is generated against them, so this is the one setting that can't be wrong. If SCOUT is in the session, hit FOLLOW SCOUT and it sets both from the live detection; the stage shows the current key and the CHORD TRACK.
Pick a VOCAL RANGE
Set VOCAL RANGE (SOPRANO / ALTO / TENOR / BASS) to your singer's register so voicings sit naturally. Leave FOLD RANGE (bottom right) off to start — on a low lead it fires constantly and inverts intervals, turning a 3rd down into a 6th above.
Build the stack
Enable VOICE 1–4 and pick each one's interval chip (UNI, 3♯, 5♯ … 8♭) — the small number on the chip shows the interval it will ACTUALLY produce in the current key. Use each voice's LEVEL, PAN and FORMANT to seat it: shift formants down slightly on low voices, up on high ones, so they read as different singers.
Balance LEAD vs HARMONIES
HARMONIES is the master blend of the whole stack against the lead; LEAD is your original vocal's level. Drop LEAD to zero to audition the stack alone, then bring it back and tuck the harmonies under it.
Humanize it
Turn up HUMANIZE until the stack stops sounding like a robot — it adds per-voice pitch drift, onset smear and formant variation (each card has its own HUMAN, GLIDE and WIDTH too). Set GLIDE slower for singers settling into notes, faster for a tight synthy stack; SOFTEN rounds the attacks.
Set the width
WIDTH spreads the harmony stack around the centred lead. Zero keeps everything mono-safe; check your mono fold-down before pushing it wide. FOLD RANGE and BYPASS sit at the far right.
Pro moves
Once it's working.
- PRESET · BY KEY groups the presets by key — pick one voiced for your song's key and you're 80% there.
- Switch a voice's mode from SCALE DEGREE to MIDI NOTE or MIDI POLY to play the harmony line yourself instead of using the interval chips.
- If a low lead makes harmonies jump above it, that's FOLD RANGE doing octave-folding — toggle it and compare. The S button on each card solos that voice.
