Harmony Engine in Cryo Mix
TL;DR: Harmony Engine analyzes a melodic track and generates additional harmony “voices” above and/or below the original to make vocals or lead instruments sound fuller, wider, and more produced - without re-recording takes.
Harmony Engine is a Cryo Mix feature that creates harmonized layers from a single vocal or melodic instrument. It follows the pitch of your performance and adds extra “voices” on top to increase richness, thickness, and perceived size.
Best for: lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar leads, synth leads, keys, strings, and other melodic instruments.
Not designed for: full chord recordings, noisy material, or heavily distorted/ambience-heavy sources.
When to use Harmony Engine
Use Harmony Engine when your track feels thin, empty, or not “record-ready” and you want a bigger, more produced sound.
Backing vocals & choruses
- Turn one vocal line into instant harmony stacks
- Great for hooks, refrains, sing-along sections, and drops
Lead vocals that need support
- Add subtle harmonies underneath to make the lead feel finished
- Ideal when you can’t (or don’t want to) record multiple takes
Melodic instruments (not only vocals)
- Create harmonized lines or chord-like textures from a single melody
- Perfect for layered hooks, pads, and cinematic builds
Songwriting & idea generation
- Audition harmony ideas quickly
- Hear how a melody behaves with harmonies before committing
Best results checklist
Harmony Engine works best when:
- The source is a clear, single-note melody
- The performance is reasonably in tune
- The audio is clean (low noise, minimal distortion, not overly wet with reverb)
How to use Harmony Engine
- Enable Harmony Engine on the vocal or lead you want to thicken.
- Confirm the song key/scale is correct
- Start subtle: fewer voices + lower mix level.
- A/B compare (toggle on/off) and adjust until it supports the lead without taking over.
- Use it strategically: apply more in choruses/hooks, less (or none) in verses.
Pro tips & creative uses
Keep the lead clear; harmonies lower
Keep the original performance upfront and blend harmonies underneath for a natural, professional result.
Use it for key moments
Make choruses bigger by increasing Harmony Engine in choruses and pulling it back in verses.
Push harmonies back with space effects
If your workflow includes effects, add more reverb/delay to harmonies than the lead to create depth without cluttering the center.
Thicken instruments like a “doubler”
On guitars and synth leads, subtle settings can mimic a polished double/chorus feel and make parts sound more expensive.
Automate intensity for dynamic arrangements
Fade in harmonies for pre-choruses, hit harder in the chorus, then drop back for verses to keep the mix exciting.
Common problems & fixes
"Harmonies sound robotic or artificial"
Fix:
- Use fewer harmony voices
- Lower Harmony Engine intensity / mix level
- Keep harmonies quieter than the lead (support, don’t compete)
"Notes sound wrong or out of key"
Fix:
- Make sure the source is clearly melodic and reasonably in tune
- Manually set the key/scale instead of relying only on auto-detection
"The mix becomes muddy or crowded"
Fix:
- Turn down harmony level and leave room for the lead
- Use Harmony Engine mainly in choruses, not throughout the whole song
- Avoid thickening low-end sources - keep bass/low layers clean
"Stereo image feels phasey or unfocused"
Fix:
- Reduce stereo width and/or reduce the number of overlapping harmony voices
- Keep the lead centered; let harmonies sit around it
- If it feels swirly/hollow in the middle, pull the effect back until the center returns