Time Stretching Vocals

[rvltion909]

Not really a digital DJing thing but more of a remixing technique I guess but Im sure many of us had wondered or probably already know how to acomplish this. I posted over at KVR and didnt get much of a response (which is suprising considering the wisdom over there).

How do you extend vocals or for that matter extend any sample? I know it can be done, as I've heard it done before but Im not sure how one would go about doing it.

For instance: If I had a vocal sample that said "This is a sample". How could I extend a certain point of it continuously for a defined amount of time?

For instance: How could I extend the "A" sound in "sample" to sound like "saaaaaaaaaaaample" without it sounding like a loop or anything un-natural. I simply want it to sound as if the original human who provided the vocals spoke it with an extended "A" sound in "sample".

I don't want to hear a loop beginning and end, I don't want it want sound like it was run through an FX processor, I don't want to change the pitch or envelope info, etc.

[Ed Paris]

maybee u can use the warp function in ableton for this...but i don´t know

[DvlsAdvct]

I've used a really basic way (no effects for anything)

I've opened it up in Audacity, and just copied the "a" sound. Then paste it in a bunch.

If you select the right part of the sample it won't sound looped

[Tigris]

Only thing I could think about is enabling key and then doing an extreme pitch.drop. I know you said you don't want to manipulate the pitch, but in Traktor that's the only thing I could think of.

EDIT: Been playing around with the idea a bit; what I've come up with would be to either to make an autorepeat-temp-dec or you could fiddle with using the cd-mode, the play-off and a pitch-dec.

[Jester]

For an accapella for example you could take advantage of the key lock feature in traktor and stretch it. The thing is you will neeed to find the exact original bpm first. e.g i'm doing a version of faith no more's "epic" now i know the original track is 88bpm so i set that as the bpm for the accapella. Put it in traktor ssstretch it out and even record it that way. Then you have a stretched out version ready to go. Just one way.

[R2D2]

maybee u can use the warp function in ableton for this...but i don´t know

yes good old ableton can do it no probs

[Zac Kyoti]

yeah, drop it into ableton, set warp markers such that the parts of the sample are hitting on the beat you'd want it to fall on after processing.

IE, the start of the sample would be at warp marker 1, then set warp marker 2 as far along the the sample that the portion you'd like to hear when beat two drops is at that point, etc, etc. Then just play around with the various stretching algorithms (beats, complex, etc) to get the character of sound you want. Save it out and you're done!

[BentoSan]

If your dealing with vocals id use Melodyne - its pitch stretching sounds much is much better for vocal material

[rvltion909]

thanks for the replies guys!

[Lambox]

I've used a really basic way (no effects for anything)

I've opened it up in Audacity, and just copied the "a" sound. Then paste it in a bunch.

If you select the right part of the sample it won't sound looped

I've actually done this in FL before.

I had to stick a bunch of reverb over it, but it did the trick.