Celemony’s “Melodyne 5” is pitch correction software that lets you fix the pitch and timing of recorded singing note by note. It has four editions, essential, assistant, editor and studio, and the higher the edition, the wider the range you can fix. In this article we compare the 4 editions on the same criteria as the 10 pitch correction plug-ins on this site. The basis is official manufacturer information.
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In short: which one to choose by purpose
- Melodyne 5 essential (rank B): people who are happy to fix the pitch and timing of singing a little now and then, and people who want to try Melodyne first.
- Melodyne 5 assistant (rank A): people who want to tidy a cover vocal in detail, down to vibrato, pitch wobble and formant.
- Melodyne 5 editor (rank A): people who also want to fix a single note inside a guitar or piano chord, besides vocals.
- Melodyne 5 studio (rank S): people who want to line up and tidy several vocal tracks together, such as harmonies and choruses.
The highest score among the 4 editions is Melodyne 5 studio (rank S, average 4.2). But you do not need to buy a higher edition for features you will not use. Choose the one that fits your purpose.
Main features of Melodyne 5
Seeing singing as notes and fixing them one by one
Melodyne finds each individual sound (note) in recorded singing or instruments and shows them on screen like blocks of notes. Moving a block up or down changes its pitch, moving it left or right changes its timing, and stretching its edge changes its length. Because you can fix things while checking by eye which notes are off, it is easy to work with even for beginners who cannot tell where they are out of tune. The official page explains that Melodyne never rewrites a note on its own and you always decide.
One-button macros and ARA, which connects to the DAW
Every edition includes macros that tidy variations in pitch, timing and level together at a strength you set. You can first even out the whole performance with a macro and then fix only the notes that bother you by hand. In supported DAWs, “ARA” connects Melodyne directly to the DAW, so there is no need to reload tracks. It works as standalone software and as a plug-in (VST3, AU, AAX).
Down to vibrato and formant (assistant and above)
From assistant up, you can adjust not only pitch but also vibrato depth, pitch drift, formant (the component that decides the gender character and voice quality), sibilance and note attacks, note by note. It helps when you want to fix only the spots that bother you naturally, keeping the expression of the singing. There is also a function to export singing to MIDI, so you can layer a vocal melody with a synth.
DNA, which fixes a single note inside a chord (editor and above)
Editor and studio include the patented technology “DNA (Direct Note Access)”, with which you can pick and fix just one note inside a piano or guitar chord. This allows uses that are hard in other pitch correction software, such as fixing one wrongly played note or changing a sample chord to fit your song.
Fixing several tracks side by side (studio)
In the top edition, studio, you can line up the Melodyne tracks in a song on one screen and edit them together. While looking at the main vocal, harmonies and choruses stacked together, you can align their pitch and timing at once. There is also a function that matches other tracks to the timing of one track.
Where it is useful
- Fixing slightly off pitch and timing in a cover recording while checking each note
- Tidying only the notes that bother you naturally, keeping vibrato and the wobble of the voice (assistant and above)
- Lining up the timing and pitch of the main vocal and harmonies together (studio)
Differences between editions (comparison table)
| Edition | Rank | Natural result | Real time | Harmony and multiple tracks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melodyne 5 essential | B (2.6) | Pitch and timing | None | One note line at a time |
| Melodyne 5 assistant | A (3.6) | Down to wobble and sibilance | None | Audio to MIDI |
| Melodyne 5 editor | A (3.8) | Down to wobble and sibilance | None | Edits chords too |
| Melodyne 5 studio | S (4.2) | Down to wobble and sibilance | None | Multiple tracks + chords |
Rating of each edition
Melodyne 5 essential (rank B)
The smallest edition of Melodyne, in which you can edit pitch, timing, length and note separation. Chord editing is not supported.
Score 2.6 / 5 (average of the 15 products compared: 2.8)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Natural result
- Pitch and timing
- Real time
- None
- Harmony and multiple tracks
- One note line at a time
- Price (store, date)
- $99 [PB, checked Oct 26]
Image: from Celemony official press and retailer materials
- Natural result: 3 points — You can fix pitch, timing and length note by note, but tools for finely adjusting vibrato and formant are in assistant and above only.
- Speed: 5 points — Macros that tidy pitch, timing and level automatically, ARA that connects directly to the DAW, and chord detection are in every edition.
- Real-time correction: 1 point — It is the type where you fix things on screen after recording; it has no function that corrects automatically while you sing.
- Harmony and multiple tracks: 1 point — Chord editing and simultaneous editing of several tracks are not supported.
Melodyne 5 assistant (rank A)
An edition in which you can edit singing in detail with all of Melodyne’s tools, such as vibrato, pitch wobble, formant and sibilance. Chord editing is not supported.
Score 3.6 / 5 (average of the 15 products compared: 2.8)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Natural result
- Down to wobble and sibilance
- Real time
- None
- Harmony and multiple tracks
- Audio to MIDI
- Price (store, date)
- $249 [PB, checked Oct 26]
Image: from Celemony official press and retailer materials
- Natural result: 5 points — You can tidy vibrato, pitch wobble, formant and sibilance note by note.
- Speed: 5 points — Besides automatic macros and ARA, there is an inspector for fine numerical adjustment.
- Real-time correction: 1 point — It is the type where you fix things on screen after recording; there is no real-time automatic correction.
- Harmony and multiple tracks: 2 points — Chords and multiple tracks cannot be edited, but there is a function to export singing to MIDI.
Melodyne 5 editor (rank A)
An edition that adds DNA (technology for editing the notes inside a chord one by one) to the assistant features, so you can edit piano and guitar chords too.
Score 3.8 / 5 (average of the 15 products compared: 2.8)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Natural result
- Down to wobble and sibilance
- Real time
- None
- Harmony and multiple tracks
- Edits chords too
- Price (store, date)
- $399 [PB, checked Oct 26]
Image: from Celemony official press and retailer materials
- Natural result: 5 points — As in assistant, you can tidy wobble, formant and sibilance note by note.
- Speed: 5 points — Besides automatic macros and ARA, it also supports scale detection.
- Real-time correction: 1 point — It is the type where you fix things on screen after recording; there is no real-time automatic correction.
- Harmony and multiple tracks: 3 points — You can fix the notes inside a chord one by one (one track at a time).
Melodyne 5 studio (rank S)
The top edition of Melodyne: besides the editor features, you can line up several tracks on one screen and edit them at the same time.
Score 4.2 / 5 (average of the 15 products compared: 2.8)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Natural result
- Down to wobble and sibilance
- Real time
- None
- Harmony and multiple tracks
- Multiple tracks + chords
- Price (store, date)
- $699 [PB, checked Oct 26]
Image: from Celemony official press and retailer materials
- Natural result: 5 points — You can tidy wobble, formant and sibilance note by note.
- Speed: 5 points — Besides automatic macros, ARA and scale detection, you can apply macros to several tracks at once.
- Real-time correction: 1 point — It is the type where you fix things on screen after recording; there is no real-time automatic correction.
- Harmony and multiple tracks: 5 points — You can edit several tracks side by side on one screen at the same time, and fix notes inside chords too. It suits cover songs with many harmonies.
The chart above shows the scores of Melodyne 5 studio.
How we score (Pitch-correction plug-ins)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural result | How finely you can adjust to correct a vocal naturally | Per note, you can adjust wobble, vibrato, formants and even sibilance | Per note, you can adjust vibrato and formants | Per note, you can correct pitch and timing | You can adjust only how the automatic correction is applied (speed and so on) | Automatic correction only, with no stated way to adjust naturalness |
| Speed | Features that make the correction work faster | Automatic macros, ARA and detection of key or chords are all included | Automatic correction (macros) and ARA | Either automatic correction or ARA | Mostly manual work | — |
| Real-time correction | Ease of use for streaming and recording through the plug-in | An ultra-low-latency mode (such as under 1 ms) and pitch specification by MIDI | Low-latency real-time correction and pitch specification by MIDI | Low-latency real-time correction | Real-time correction, but low latency is not stated | No real-time correction (the type you use after recording) |
| Harmony and multiple tracks | Ease of handling harmonies and backing vocals | You can edit several tracks side by side and also fix notes inside chords | You can edit several tracks side by side, or make harmonies automatically | You can fix notes inside chords (one track at a time) | Single notes only, but with aids such as turning a vocal into MIDI | You fix single-note tracks one at a time |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: correcting a cover-song vocal. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Natural result", the most important criterion for cover songs, counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent.
Trade-magazine reviews (for reference, not part of the score)
We summarized the main points from reviews in overseas music-production magazines.
Sound On Sound, July 2020
A review of the product as a whole (not split by edition).
- It rates the new sibilance detection as making vocal editing much faster and easier
- It rates the automatic pitch correction as more accurate than before, without having to split words by hand
- As a drawback, it points out that automatic chord detection seldom gets it right in one go
Source: review in Sound On Sound (English)
Melodyne 5 system requirements and getting started
| Supported OS | Windows / Mac |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | VST3, AU, AAX (connects directly in ARA-compatible DAWs) |
| Standalone | Yes (it can also be used as standalone software) |
| Other | You can upgrade from a lower edition to a higher one by paying the difference. Projects can be opened between editions |
| Trial | A 30-day trial is available (no feature limits; you can switch between all editions to try them) |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official page on September 27, 2026.
Compared with other pitch-correction plug-ins
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | Natural result | Real time | Harmony and multiple tracks | Free | OBS (streaming) | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CelemonyMelodyne 5 essential | B 2.6 | Pitch and timing | None | One note line at a time | — | Not listed | $99 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| CelemonyMelodyne 5 assistant | A 3.6 | Down to wobble and sibilance | None | Audio to MIDI | — | Not listed | $249 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| CelemonyMelodyne 5 editor | A 3.8 | Down to wobble and sibilance | None | Edits chords too | — | Not listed | $399 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| CelemonyMelodyne 5 studio | S 4.2 | Down to wobble and sibilance | None | Multiple tracks + chords | — | Not listed | $699 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| AntaresAutoTune Pro 11 | A 4.0 | Adjust per note | Low latency + MIDI | Makes harmonies automatically | — | Not listed | Not listed |
| AntaresAutoTune Advanced | B 2.6 | Speed, Humanize | Under 1 ms + MIDI | One note line at a time | — | Not listed | $450 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| AntaresAutoTune | C 2.2 | Speed, Humanize | Low latency | One note line at a time | — | Not listed | $250 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| MeldaProductionMAutoPitch | C 1.6 | Automatic only | Real time | One note line at a time | Free | Not listed | Not listed |
| Synchro ArtsRePitch Elements | C 2.4 | Pitch and timing | None | One note line at a time | — | Not listed | $69 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Synchro ArtsRePitch Standard | A 3.4 | Shape, formants | None | Multiple tracks | — | Not listed | $149 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| WavesWaves Tune Real-Time | C 2.4 | Automatic only | Ultra-low latency + MIDI | One note line at a time | — | △ (via Waves StudioRack, per Waves) | Not listed |
| WavesWaves Tune | C 2.0 | Pitch and vibrato | None | One note line at a time | — | Not checked | Not listed |
| Synchro ArtsRevoice Pro 5 | A 3.6 | Down to vibrato, formants, sibilance | None | Matches multiple tracks | — | Not checked | $299 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Auburn SoundsGraillon 3 | C 2.0 | Automatic only | Real time | One note line at a time | Free | Not checked | Not listed |
| SoundtoysLittle AlterBoy | C 1.6 | For effects | Real time + MIDI | One note line at a time | — | Not checked | $99 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
Features checked on each manufacturer's official website on September 25, 2026. Check the store page behind the buy button for the price.
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