Likewise, if you want to edit a polyphonic recording that's not already in a project in your DAW, you may wish to open the file directly in Melodyne. Perhaps you want to alter the tempo using the high quality algorithm in Melodyne. Another scenario for working directly in Melodyne is when editing a stereo mix. That said, it's only very slightly more efficient, so there's no reason why you couldn't set up your project in your DAW if you prefer that workflow.

Since the audio files aren't already in a project, it's more efficient to set up the session directly in Melodyne instead of setting it up in another DAW and then inserting Melodyne plugins on each track. If you've received a folder full of audio files from a musical collaborator, that's one scenario in which you may wish to work directly in the stand-alone application. We'll discuss some of the examples of each scenario and then you can make your own decision given the specifics of your project. Depending on the needs of your project, it may be more efficient to use Melodyne as a stand-alone program as opposed to using it as a plugin, or vice versa. That said, most of the course will be presented using the stand-alone application. We'll look at both approaches in this course, and we'll discuss the difference between how Melodyne functions in each approach. Melodyne can be run either as a stand-alone application or as a plugin in your DAW.