How to Use VariAudio in Cubase

What Is VariAudio

VariAudio is Cubase's built-in pitch editing and correction tool. It analyzes monophonic audio (vocals, solo instruments, single-note bass lines) and displays the detected pitch as movable segments on a piano roll-style grid. You can then drag these segments to correct pitch, straighten timing, quantize notes to a scale, or creatively manipulate pitch for effects.

Think of VariAudio as Cubase's answer to Melodyne. Instead of processing audio through a real-time plugin, VariAudio works directly in the Sample Editor, giving you visual, note-by-note control over pitch. You see exactly what note was sung, how far it deviates from perfect pitch, and you can correct it with surgical precision or leave it natural.

For beat producers, VariAudio is primarily a vocal production tool. Whether you are recording your own vocal hooks, processing vocal samples, or creating pitched vocal chops, VariAudio gives you the pitch control that turns a rough vocal take into a polished performance.

Accessing VariAudio

1. Record or import a vocal performance onto an audio track in your project.
2. Double-click the audio event to open it in the Sample Editor (lower zone or full window).
3. In the Sample Editor, click the VariAudio tab in the Inspector panel on the left.
4. Click Edit VariAudio or enable the VariAudio display. Cubase analyzes the audio, which may take a few seconds.
5. After analysis, pitch segments appear overlaid on the waveform, showing each detected note as a block positioned at its pitch level.

The VariAudio display looks similar to a Piano Roll, but instead of MIDI notes, you see the actual detected pitch of the recorded audio. Each segment represents one sung note or one played note.

Understanding Pitch Segments

Each pitch segment in VariAudio contains important information:

Pitch Correction Techniques

Manual Pitch Correction

1. Identify segments that are off-pitch. They visually sit between grid lines rather than centered on one.
2. Click and drag a segment up or down to move it to the correct pitch. The segment snaps to the nearest semitone.
3. For fine adjustments, hold a modifier key while dragging to move in smaller increments (cents rather than semitones).
4. Listen to the result by pressing play. If the correction sounds natural, move to the next note. If it sounds artificial, undo and try a smaller correction.

Quantize Pitch

1. Select the segments you want to correct (click individual segments, or Ctrl+A / Cmd+A to select all).
2. Use the Quantize Pitch slider in the VariAudio Inspector. At 0%, no correction is applied. At 100%, every note snaps perfectly to the nearest semitone.
3. For natural-sounding correction, use 60-80%. This corrects the worst offenders while preserving some human pitch variation.
4. For the robotic, modern pop/trap vocal effect, use 100%. This creates the hard-tuned sound associated with Auto-Tune.

Straighten Pitch

1. Select segments.
2. Use the Straighten Pitch slider to flatten the pitch curve within each segment. This removes vibrato, pitch drift, and wavering.
3. At 0%, the natural pitch variation is preserved. At 100%, each note becomes a perfectly flat, robotic pitch.
4. Combine Quantize Pitch at 100% with Straighten Pitch at 100% for the maximum hard-tuned vocal effect.

Creative Pitch Effects

Creating Harmonies

1. Duplicate the vocal audio event on a new track.
2. Open the duplicate in the Sample Editor and enable VariAudio.
3. Select all segments and drag them up by a fixed interval: 3 semitones for a minor third, 4 for a major third, 7 for a perfect fifth.
4. Adjust individual notes that sound dissonant against the original harmony.
5. Mix the harmony track below the original vocal for a layered vocal sound.

Pitch Shifting for Lo-Fi

1. Select all segments in the vocal.
2. Drag all notes down by 2-3 semitones for a pitched-down, dreamy vocal effect common in lo-fi beats.
3. The lower pitch combined with the time-stretching artifacts creates the characteristic lo-fi vocal texture.

Melodic Transformation

VariAudio lets you completely rewrite a melody by moving individual notes to new pitches. Take a vocal that follows one melody and rearrange the segments to create an entirely different melody using the same vocal performance. The original timing and expression remain, but the notes change.

Extracting MIDI from Audio

VariAudio can convert its pitch analysis into MIDI data, which is useful for creating instrument parts that follow a vocal melody.

1. Analyze the audio with VariAudio as described above.
2. Look for the Extract MIDI or Create MIDI from VariAudio option in the VariAudio functions menu.
3. Cubase generates a MIDI part that matches the detected pitches and timing of the audio.
4. Load this MIDI onto an instrument track. The instrument now plays the same melody as the vocal, perfectly synchronized.
5. Use this for creating synth doubles of vocal melodies, or for building instrument arrangements that follow the vocal line.

VariAudio for Beat Production

While VariAudio is primarily a vocal tool, beat producers use it in several creative ways:

Tuning Vocal Samples

When using vocal samples in your beat (hooks, chops, ad-libs), VariAudio ensures they are in tune with your instrumental. Analyze the vocal sample, check its pitch against your project key, and correct any notes that clash.

Fixing Sampled Instruments

If you sample a solo instrument performance (guitar riff, horn melody, flute line), VariAudio can correct any pitch issues in the source material before you build your beat around it.

Creating Pitched Vocal Chops

1. Import a vocal recording.
2. Chop it into individual syllables using the audio editing tools.
3. Use VariAudio on each chop to tune it to a specific note in your key.
4. Arrange the tuned chops into a melody on the timeline.
5. Each chop is precisely pitched, creating a polished vocal chop melody.

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