We love Ableton – but their Audio-to-MIDI is a very different product to Dubler.

Firstly, and most importantly, Ableton audio-to-MIDI isn’t live. You have to record the audio and then post process it. With Dubler 2 you control all samples, synths and effects in real-time.

Then there are the actual capabilities. Ableton Audio-to-MIDI pitch recognition actually works pretty well. They also take velocity information. But, that’s where the similarities end.

With Dubler 2 you can control all sorts of effects and controls using all the qualities of your voice. Pitch bend, envelope following and multidimensional CC value control. So with Ableton if you go “la la hmmm dee da da” You’d get exactly the same output as if you went “la la la la la la”. But with Dubler, the way you make the sound can control the qualities of the synth, selection of the synth and effects applied to the synth. Making it a far more expressive tool.

Then there is the sample triggering and selection. If you select “drums” as the output for Ableton Audio to MIDI it will attempt to break up the input into drum rack triggers, but it only does it in a basic way. It’s also limited to hihat, kick and snare. With Dubler you can accurately trigger up to 8 different samples. Our software learns your voice so it will always trigger the right sample  instead of just guessing based on frequency.

Final thing, with Ableton audio to MIDI you have to choose— drums or melody. With Dubler, you can do both at the same time.

Dubler 2 will have a calibration process that allows a user to choose their own microphone as the input device and then calibrate for it. We always reccomend using a dynamic microphone with Dubler 2. The Dubler USB microphone (which is the same in Dubler 1 and Dubler 2 Studio Kits) is still the recommend device and will be fully supported in Dubler 2. The Dubler 2 software will recognise the Dubler USB mic and is pre optimised for that input.

Pitch to MIDI is one element of what Dubler can do, but that’s far from everything! Dubler will live track pitch, velocity, envelope and pitch bend. Dubler is not just about the note that you sing, but the quality of the input sound.

So, for example, you can trigger samples by beatboxing or clapping. You can also control effects and filters by changing your voice – e.g. “hmmm” vs “laaaa” vs “oohhhh”. This allows you to do things like apply a wah-wah effect using the voice or control all the parameters of a synth vocally.

Yes, it would definitely be possible to do something interesting! We’re focused on the voice, as it’s our natural tool for audio expression, but actually, there is scope to experiment with all sorts of audio inputs— including other instruments, or clicking, clapping or stamping your feet!

In the past, we’ve played around with an acoustic guitar and tried things like using palm muting to control effects on the DAW.

Dubler is a tool for creative expression, and its possibilities are limitless.

For more information on latency, please see our help pages: Latency

We have frequent cycles of latency reduction— and it changes depending on your personal set-up.

Audio latency refers to a short period of delay (usually measured in milliseconds) between when an audio signal enters and when it emerges from a system. With the Dubler, this will be the time between you making a note with your voice, and when you hear the sound come from your system.

Dubler Studio Kits latency is well below the audible range, and we’ve yet to hear any complaints of it being noticeable in anyone’s workflow when Dubler is set-up correctly. That includes testing with a wide range of professional musicians.

Please note, that while it’s possible to reduce latency, it’s impossible to eliminate it entirely. Because: science.

You can install the Software on up to two devices simultaneously but you may only use the Software on one device at a time. You may transfer the software between devices provided you do not exceed two simultaneous installations per licence. 

You can download the Dubler software on as many computers as you like! When you register your Dubler Studio Kit you'll create a username and password and you can use this to login when using Dubler on a new computer. Please note that only one instance of Dubler can be running at a time.