Imitone -- wow! Most embarassing post I ever started

[Ah_Dziz]

Interactopia, I am aware of the issues with simple pitch tracking (I can code a simple pitch tracker with a couple DSP analyzing stages that usually has those issues). The thing is, I’m not as concerned with the technology that was around when you started this project. Plenty of people (actual professional coders) have gotten past these problems and you don’t get octave jumps or latching to higher harmonics in almost any of the new stuff. So it’s not like it is still a technical issue to extract the exact pitch and level of an input signal with as little as one cycle of the fundamental frequency for latency. The rest of the issue is transforming that into MIDI data. I can do that for monophonic data easily and I just code for fun.
Anyway, your plugin was a good idea. It has just been ridiculously slow and still isn’t a “finished product” in the way that almost anything I would buy would be. I’ve found other ways of acheiving the same thing that are much simpler to use in the meantime. I’ll still grab new versions as they pop up and maybe you’ll get it sorted out eventually. Hopefully so.

[interactopia]

The tricky thing is achieving all of it at the same time, and under potentially adverse conditions: Low latency, accurate pitch readings, reasonable transcription... in reverberant environments, with background noise, breath noise, handling noise, low-grade microphones, automatic gain control or noise suppression, lyrical singing and potentially inexperienced voices.

So it’s not like it is still a technical issue to extract the exact pitch and level of an input signal with as little as one cycle of the fundamental frequency for latency.

I'd be interested to know what sort of algorithm you're talking about! As a general rule, recognizing pitch after less than one period requires foreknowledge of the waveform and is highly sensitive to any kind of interference. It doesn't generalize well to highly-dynamic timbres like human voice, and reliable octave resolution at these timescales is very challenging unless you're working with an extremely predictable sound (like a guitar pickup).

The rest of the issue is transforming that into MIDI data.

We talked about this a little in our post last January. The transcription is the most important area for improvement. Our pitch tracking was already some of the best available, and particularly when using our exact pitch mode, there wasn't much to complain about. But I chose to spend another 18 months researching... Pitch tracking.

While this work is leading to measurable improvements in latency, accuracy, staccato tracking and CPU load, the most important aspect of the new tech is that it produces a probability distribution over pitch. Because there's so much uncertainty in the first milliseconds after a tone is registered, that distribution is crucial for achieving a high-quality transcription while keeping latency low. Probability modeling will do a much better job than simpler mechanisms like dynamic thresholding.

[Ah_Dziz]

The tricky thing is achieving all of it at the same time, and under potentially adverse conditions: Low latency, accurate pitch readings, reasonable transcription... in reverberant environments, with background noise, breath noise, handling noise, low-grade microphones, automatic gain control or noise suppression, lyrical singing and potentially inexperienced voices.

So it’s not like it is still a technical issue to extract the exact pitch and level of an input signal with as little as one cycle of the fundamental frequency for latency.

I'd be interested to know what sort of algorithm you're talking about! As a general rule, recognizing pitch after less than one period requires foreknowledge of the waveform and is highly sensitive to any kind of interference. It doesn't generalize well to highly-dynamic timbres like human voice, and reliable octave resolution at these timescales is very challenging unless you're working with an extremely predictable sound (like a guitar pickup).

The rest of the issue is transforming that into MIDI data.

We talked about this a little in our post last January. The transcription is the most important area for improvement. Our pitch tracking was already some of the best available, and particularly when using our exact pitch mode, there wasn't much to complain about. But I chose to spend another 18 months researching... Pitch tracking.

While this work is leading to measurable improvements in latency, accuracy, staccato tracking and CPU load, the most important aspect of the new tech is that it produces a probability distribution over pitch. Because there's so much uncertainty in the first milliseconds after a tone is registered, that distribution is crucial for achieving a high-quality transcription while keeping latency low. Probability modeling will do a much better job than simpler mechanisms like dynamic thresholding.

The only things I can make on my own use filtering into zero crossing counting then a parallel fft process or maybe two to get better bass resolution to compare the output of the “real-time” stage to. Things like Waves oVox run between 0&128 samples of latency and track as well as anything I’ve ever used including your algorithm.

[GreyLion]

I think Waves Ovox has just killed the Imitone scam. Now with MIDI out.

I haven't tried it out yet, and I'm sure that it's not perfect. But its capabilities go far, far beyond what Imitone promises, much less what has actually been delivered in the past five years. Check out the first video on their page.

https://www.waves.com/plugins/ovox-voca ... lled-synth

[TabSel]

It’s a beginning. There’s so much more potential. Wonder why they implemented it this way, when there are the amplitude, pitch and Formant modulators which could have been midiouted... however, thus alone is so fascinating already

[mladi]

Is this the s******r who promised a working voice-to-midi solution during is 90k+ crowdfunding campagne which then never arrived?

[Russell Grand]

Is this the s******r who promised a working voice-to-midi solution during is 90k+ crowdfunding campagne which then never arrived?

That's what I was thinking too, but admittedly I haven't read through the thread yet.

[lingyai]

Is this the s******r who promised a working voice-to-midi solution during is 90k+ crowdfunding campagne which then never arrived?

yes

[highkoo]

Well, thats it.
He should buy everyone a copy of OVox and bow out.

[damayor]

I remember seeing thus and thinking wow this is so fagin awesome......BUT so glad I didn't send this dude a damn dime. How many people actually got a alpha or beta product?

[UncleAge]

I was one of the backers. My email from Evan is dated 4/5/14. It was only $25 so I'm not going to twist about it. I've wasted more money in other ways. And I wish him all the best. But he or any company where he hangs his hat will never see any more money from me. There is nothing he can do to redeem himself. ymmv...

[deastman]

New email update from Evan today about the status of the Imitone project. Apparently he and his new team are figuring out their collaboration workflow, he’s refactoring the code base, and he’s been doing some research, plus contributing to the recently released MIDI 2.0 spec.

Six and a half years so far, and I’m still waiting for him to release the more advanced “Imitone Prime” version that I paid extra for.

[whyterabbyt]

I do love the constant pseudo-philosophy he peppers his excuses with, with their amazing simultaneous combination of dunning-kruger fuelled condescension and back-slapping-for-failure ...

This vision requires us to play the long game — inventing a new technology, a new design, and changing the standards for computer music. Certain heights can't be reached without first building a strong foundation, and we're putting in that work (perhaps contrary to entrepreneurial wisdom).

[vurt]

I do love the constant pseudo-philosophy he peppers his excuses with, with their amazing simultaneous combination of dunning-kruger fuelled condescension and back-slapping-for-failure ...

This vision requires us to play the long game — inventing a new technology, a new design, and changing the standards for computer music. Certain heights can't be reached without first building a strong foundation, and we're putting in that work (perhaps contrary to entrepreneurial wisdom).

shiiiiit!
at least when i say shit like that, im not after your wallet!

[Kongru]

Even Zebra 3 will be released before this