How To Tune Vocals in FL Studio - Newtone Tutorial

Newtone is a pitch correction plugin that comes with FL Studio Signature Edition, functioning similarly to Melodyne for adjusting time and pitch of vocal notes.

• Adjust timing and pitch of notes to perfect vocal performances • Control vibrato characteristics • Modify transition times between notes • Change words to different pitches or notes entirely

The tutorial uses two examples with a vocal from David autostart, demonstrating how to confidently tune vocals and create harmonies using Newtone.

Thanks to David autostart for providing the vocal sample and encouraging questions from viewers in the comments.

• Load Newtone on any mixer insert in FL Studio Signature Edition • Drag a WAV file directly into the plugin • Quick method: right-click audio file and select 'Edit in pitch corrector'

The interface shows each note or word broken apart into respective pitches, with a keyboard on the left side indicating which notes are being sung.

• Hold Alt and scroll for more vertical resolution • Hold Ctrl and scroll to zoom in • Resize window by dragging from bottom right or pressing Enter in top bar

You can drag notes to any pitch to change the melody, with snapping to scale available as an option in the top menu.

The orange trace represents the exact pitch at any moment in the performance, allowing you to follow the singer's pitch curve in real-time.

• Center: Locks notes to the nearest detected pitch • Variation: Flattens pitch variation when reduced, increases vibrato when raised • Transition Time: Adjusts sharpness between note transitions

While these global controls offer quick corrections, they can produce robotic or unnatural-sounding results, so manual pitch correction is often preferred.

The algorithm sometimes misidentifies the correct note, so right-click to lock words to the nearest intended note before making adjustments.

• Volume adjustment at the top of the note display • Gain controls at start and end of words in the green section • Variation control for vibrato intensity

• Drag green and red sections to adjust pitch transitions • Left-middle section adjusts word length elastically • Formant shift moves entire note up or down while adjusting tonal character

Use the cut tool to chop notes into small sections, then right-click each section to snap to the nearest pitch—this preserves vocal character while achieving accurate pitch correction.

• Change snap to grid from quarter to eighth for finer control • Don't correct every pitch variation shown in the trace • Ignore artifacts from sibilants (S sounds) and plosives that don't affect the actual performance

• Words 'room' and 'fall' contain vibrato but are slightly flat • Word 'when' starts too low and drifts up to the correct note • Reverb amplifies these small pitch issues in the mix

Cut each note section and snap it to the nearest pitch, listening carefully to ensure the result still sounds human rather than over-corrected.

Fine-tune transition edges to prevent robotic sounds, being careful not to make transitions too sharp or too drawn-out.

• Take a break after tuning to reset your ears • Listen in context with other instruments and reverb • Verify that the vocal still sounds natural and respectful to the performer

Use the drag selection tool to pull the tuned audio back to the playlist, lining it up with the original untuned version.

The clock icon allows you to slice the waveform and adjust timing of individual notes if they were recorded out of time with the backing track.

Enter advanced edit vibrato mode to manually control vibrato start amplitude, end amplitude, and width for increased creative control.

• Copy tuned vocal melody as MIDI data directly • Send to piano roll for synthesizer use • Create synth leads or test harmonies without re-recording

Created by layering multiple vocal recordings where the singer performs single notes transitioning between pitches, tuned to remove pitch drift.

• Original recordings made late at night with inadequate headphone volume • Singer started each note flat before reaching correct pitch • Heavy reverb amplified these small pitch issues across multiple seconds

Center the notes and reduce variation using global controls, which works effectively nine times out of ten for simpler cases.

• Newtone often distorts breath sounds, making them sound unnatural • Solution: cut breaths from tuned version and replace with originals • Preserving breaths maintains the human element that listeners expect

Use Newtone to test alternative melodies and harmonies, helping singers visualize options without requiring re-recording.

• Identify recurring pitch patterns in your own singing to understand vocal weaknesses • Use pitch correction as an analysis tool rather than a permanent fix • Common issue: starting notes too low and drifting upward

Avoid heavy pitch correction on all vocals—listeners prefer natural, vulnerable vocal performances that sound real and emotional rather than perfectly processed.

• Pitch correction can help singers improve technique over time • Use it as a teaching and creative exploration tool, not just correction • Balance technical perfection with maintaining the human character of the performance