In the live performance, the autotune applied on adjusting the pitch of the singers live to the closest semitone realtime during live performance.
Auto-Tune colors the end of the song, where Casablancas repeats the phrase, “I can only change what I can change,” and features heavily on “The Eternal Tao,” released in May of this year. HIS AUTO-TUNE STOPS WORKING LIVE. (Drake, Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar & MORE!)in this video we look at Rappers Without ANY Auto-Tune to see how different they. Dimi-auto tune is a computer used to make a singer who cannot sing the correct key properly sound like they can sing. Look for a Paris Hilton song, she uses AutoTune, most pop singers use it. Think of it as'fake talent' Jesus you don't have to be from the US to know what it is. Us Europeans do know what it is.
Quite frankly, recording a song’s vocal track is challenging, and more often, as a vocalist, you will tend to fatigue your vocal cords if you make several takes to record the vocals. I, myself, can vouch for this fact, for when I was recording the vocals for our first single, I had already overworked my vocal cords, for it took me several takes to record the main vocal track. Fair enough, the sound engineer took pity on me and fixed the notes that I missed due to strained vocal cords using the Auto-Tune.
But what is an Autotune? Well, it is an audio processor, first introduced in 1997, designed to alter pitch in vocal recording or instrument recording. Autotune technology has already advanced at a rapid clip since its rolling out, and now, singers can use it to alter or correct their pitch in realtime during live performances. For example, Auto-Tune Live can quickly sense if your pitch is wrong and can rectify it in realtime. Yet, this correction is so subtle that only the experts and well-trained ears would notice it.
Auto-Tune Evolution and Critics!
It was Andy Hildebrand who launched the Auto-Tune in September 1997. He is a Ph.D. research engineer who specialized in digital signal processing and stochastic estimation. He came up with a technology for vocal pitch correction when his female colleague suggested that she would benefit from having a device that would enable her to sing in tune.
So, at the onset, the Auto-Tune was conceived to correct wrong intonations discreetly. The use of Autotune spread further in the late 2000s due to T-Pain, a hip-hop/R&B artist who made use of this technology more often.
The growing popularity of the Autotune was not without its critics. For example, during the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009, Death Cab for Cutie, a band, appeared with blue ribbons as a protest against the Auto-Tune’s use in the music scene. Later that year, Jay-Z entitled his lead single of the Album The Blueprint 3 D.O.A. or DEath of Auto-Tune.
Christina Aguilera also followed suit by wearing a shirt that says protesting the overuse of autotuner in the music industry. Later, she explained what she wanted to convey in an interview by explaining that Auto-Tune can have so much creative potential, and even mentioned that Elastic Love, one of her songs in the album Bionic made use of it.
Time Magazine, on the other hand, included Auto-Tune in their “50 Worst Inventions.” Auto-Tune will indeed have its pros and cons, but given its availability, you can always utilize it to expand your creativity. Nevertheless, many people will still criticize the use of the Auto-Tune, and its use is generally seen as tantamount to one’s inability to sing on the right key.
Auto-Tune and Its Two Implications
Autotune technology always implies two uniquely varied things. First, this technology is designed to make pitch adjustments by quantizing the vocal performance to its closest semitones. Imagine if a singer sings badly, some of his/her notes will be wrongly quantized, leaving the final result awkwardly missing the mark.
On the other hand, you can set the plug-in or pedal to its extreme setting to produce a distinctive computer voice sound like those produced by T-Pain. Both modes of operations are feasible.
In both operation modes, however, the sound produced usually underwent processing to a certain degree. This processing may entail the bare minimum of EQ processing that enhances bass and treble frequencies to offset or rectify the venue’s effects on the audio.
It may also entail echo or reverb applications to vocals for additional depth and make it sound bulky and bigger. Moreover, it may also entail substantial sound modification of pitch. This modification happens in realtime, which the audience will not notice.
How Does Auto-Tune Work?
Auto-Tune Technology was first introduced to measure and alter pitch during vocal and instrumental recording. The original intention was to correct or disguise off-key inaccuracies, letting its users fine-tune vocal tracks even if they was previously off-pitch.
Soon after its introduction, producers started using the Auto-Tune as a part of the effects for distorting vocals. In fact, when I was recording the vocal track in 2003, I remember that the sound engineer made use of the Autotune to at least blur the inaccuracies in my pitch by distorting the notes of my vocals.
However, the present-day Auto-Tune technology is more advanced than what the sound engineer in 2003 did use. At present, it is already revolutionizing popular music and recording.
This technology comes as a plug-in for DAWS used in the studio and a standalone that is a rack-mounted unit for processing vocals during live performance. The processor alters the pitch slightly to the closest correct semitone. You can also use Autotune as an additional effect for distorting the human voice.
At present, the Auto-Tune has quickly become standard equipment in most professional recording studios. For example, the Peavey AT-200 guitar makes use of Autotune technology for correcting pitch in realtime. The Autotune was eventually branded as the T-pain effect because T-Pain was instrumental to the Auto-Tune’s popularization.
Why Singer Use Auto-Tune?
Auto-Tune is one of the effects that you can use to enhance recordings and live performance. It can make bad singers sound better, though it will never make a bad singer a better singer. Singing is not only a matter of hitting the right pitch. It also entails a good voice with all its slopes, swoops, and vibrato that works around the voice pitch.
Nevertheless, Auto-Tune can increase your confidence and create emotion. Yet, if you are indeed a good singer, you will not need such technology.
However, many factors warrant the use of Autotune during live performances or recording. First, it facilitates singing during live performances and recording. It also lessens the takes during the recording process, thus, saving the vocal cords from so much use, instead of requiring a recording artist to do several takes to correct small pitch issues.
Furthermore, there are two functions to this software: the automatic side and the manual side. The automatic function lets you choose the key, sensitivity, and speed. The automatic program guesses the note that is closest to what the singer intends to sing.
On the other hand, the manual function is time-consuming and is challenging to use. Yet, it offers you broader control, choices, and nuances. You can use both functions, but you might also misuse them. Nevertheless, if you utilize them correctly, you can make your voice sounds great.
Many vocal coaches make use of the Autotune to enhance their methods of teaching further. Using the Auto-Tune, vocal coaches can hear the right pitch while their students sing.
In the past, Auto-Tune’s use got tainted with negative criticisms, and those who used it were branded as inadequate singers and cheaters. However, it is a welcomed technology that opens up many possibilities in the pop scene.
Although at the start, it was used as a crutch to help those with horrible vocals. However, many producers and sound engineers use it to enhance and amplify artistic expression. In hip-hop and R&B, Auto-Tune has become an integral part, and artists like T-Pain and Lil Wayne often use it. Even Kanye West made use of Autotune for representing a fragmented soul after his mother’s death.
Auto-Tune’s use not only sharpens flat notes. It has evolved into an artistic device for increasing the angst and vocal expressiveness of a singer. Even YouTube Conor Maynard received criticism for his utilization of Autotune. However, he justified his use of it by saying that it doesn’t mean that he can’t sing, though its use only tightens his vocal rendition.
Conclusion
In the past, people who could sing on key were very much admired for their singing prowess. Nowadays, however, singers can use Auto-Tune Live to have their pitch corrected. The audience will find it hard to distinguish between those who use the Auto-Tune Live and those who do not. Of course, we can always justify the use of Autotune because its use comes with many advantages.
We can never fault those who criticize Autotune technology because they feel that its use during live performances or recordings is a form of cheating. Nevertheless, the Auto-Tune is now an integral part of most recordings and live performances. Thus, we can no longer do away with it, and we got no choice but to either ignore it or harness its use to expand our creativity.
Related Posts
Last Updated on January 2, 2021.
From slight pitch correction to some cool robotic sounds, pitchcorrection software can be extremely useful.
T-Pain made this effect very popular, but it’s also beenused by a lot of other artists such as Daft Punk, the Black Eyed Peas, andmore.
Auto-Tune can be used to achieve a lot of different effectsand you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on the Pro version of theSoftware since there are a lot of free ones available.
In this post I’ll go over the best free pitch correction plugins available for Windows, Mac and even Linux.
Now, out of all the plugins on this list, I think that the best ones are these five;
The 5 Best Free Audio-Tune plugins are;
Let’s get started!
Related: I also wrote an Article about the best Pitch-correction/auto-tune plugins in general, not just free ones.
1. GSnap – (Windows)
GSnap gives you the ability to control the notes that it snaps to through MIDI.
This means that if you need to correct a singer’s performance through pitch correction you can play the notes on a piano and feed these notes into the plugin.
GSnap will now use those notes as a guide and will correctthe pitch to whatever notes are in the MIDI file.
This will also prevent unwanted snapping to other notes.
If you don’t want to control the plugin through MIDI, thenyou can set any scale you’d like or control it by turning certain notes on oroff.
The interfaceis fairly easy to use and understand:
On the left you can see the original notes and the ones it’s snapping to, which will not only give you a visual representation of what’s going on, but also allow you to fine tune everything more easily.
It has a 12-knob control system which is divided in thefollowing way;
- Detection: Min Freq, Max Freq, Gate, and Speed knobs.
- Correction: Threshold, Amount, Attack, and Release knobs.
- MIDI: Pitch bend, Vibrato, Vib Speed, and Calibrate knobs.
All of these knobs allow you to edit everything withprecision and accuracy.
It also features a gate that gives you the ability to select on what parts the plugin actually affects the sound, like for example; If you only want to affect the louder parts, or more importantly, if you don’t want the plugin to trigger on any unwanted noises on that track and just the vocals.
You can download it here.
Are you looking for a new DAW? Here’s a list of the best DAWs currently available!
2. Graillon2 – (Win/Mac)
The first thing you will notice when looking at Graillon2, is the way its interface is designed;
It has this vintage vibe to it which is just fantastic to look at, plus it is designed in such a way that makes it easy for you to navigate through the settings.
It is a very visual plugin since it has a display where youcan see the notes that are being played as well as where Grallion2 issnapping/correcting them to.
This plugin is specifically designed for vocals and thepitch shifting can be smoothly adjusted from minus 12 to plus 12 semitones.
One cool feature is the “preserve formants” knob which, intheory, helps you preserve the tone and characteristics of the vocal trackwhile shifting the pitch.
In some cases, this ends up creating some issues, so makesure to play around with these settings to see what happens.
The speed knob is also pretty useful since it helps the notes “stick” a little longer, reducing the pitch correction jumps.
Grallion2 also allows you to choose how fast or slow the snapping occurs; this is done by adjusting the “smooth” knob.
By adjusting the controls on the “bitcrusher” section, you should be able to achieve some interesting growl sounds.
The typical controls such as dry/wet, low-cut and outputlevel adjustment are also included.
Lastly, the Pitch Correction module can be drivenby MIDI, just like with GSnap.
If you like the vintage look on this plugin and you need agood all-rounder, then Graillon2 may be the one for you.
There is one important note though: It’s notcompletely free but rather “freemium”.
Basically, you won’t get its full functionality unless youbuy it.
With the free edition you only get the “pitch shifting” and“pitch correction” features.
If you want the full version then it will set you back about$25.
You can download it here.
If you’re looking for the best free VST plugins in the world, I have a list of 225 of them.
3. MAutoPitch – (Win/Mac)
Melda Productions is a renowned audio plugin company that created other free plugins such as the MRing Modulator, the MFlanger, MTremolo, and more.
You can find all these plugins in another post I wrote aboutthe bestFree Modulation Plugins.
Even Deadmau5, who is a very famous electronic musician,uses these plugins, which is a testament to their quality.
MAutoPitch comes with the typical pitch correction features such as depth, detune and speed.
However, it also includes some additional controls such as a dry/wet knob, a width knob which will allow you to control the stereo spread, and the keep- and shift-formants knobs.
How does Formant Shifting affect the sound?
It allows you to make the sound deeper or higher, in other words “more masculine or feminine”.
However, keep in mind that this can alter the pitch if yougo too far.
MAutoPitch allows you to choose between different scales such as; Chromatic, major, minor, and pentatonic, and this lets you setup the pitch-correction in no time, or at least use it as a jumping-off point.
It also provides you with a visual display of what notes arebeing detected by the plugin.
Even though it does have some amazing features and isdefinitely worth using, there are some cons to it:
First of all, the free version comes with a banner on the bottom that is a bit annoying to look at.
Also, the pitch correction isn’t the best overall since there’s some unintentional snapping to unwanted notes at times, even after you set the notes and the scales perfectly and all the settings are in place.
Lastly, MAutoPitch also includes a limiter which should help you keep your sound from clipping.
All in all, it’s a great free plugin that could make a greataddition to your arsenal!
You can download it here.
Looking for Vocoder VSTs? Here’s a post I wrote about the best ones.
4. KeroVee – (Windows)
KeroVee was created back in 2010 by the Japanese company“g200kg”.
The whole point behind this software was to create a precise vocal pitch adjustment plugin without focusing too much on the other effects that can be achieved; like a robotic sound.
This is why KeroVee is an excellent alternative for anyonewho just wants to apply some subtle and precise adjustments to their vocaltracks.
Similar to Gsnap and Graillon2, you have the option to routethe MIDI notes to KeroVee.
This will allow the plugin to use these notes as a guide to properly snap the notes from the singer’s performance to where they should be.
Using MIDI to guide the plugin is great, however this might take some time to set up, and this is why KeroVee also allows you to select the notes you want it to correct to-, or not, through a simple clickable interface;
Enable the ones you want it to snap to or disable the ones you don’t want it to snap to, and that’s it!
KeroVee shares a lot of parameters with most other autotune plugins, however there is one that’s unique to it which is the “nuance” control;
The “nuance” knob lets you select whether ornot to keep the vibrato of the original sound, making the vocals sound morenatural while still being autotuned.
Note: If set to max, even the smallest vibrato willtrigger the correction, resulting in a mechanical sound.
There are loads of other typical controls and features available with this plugin like Tunespeed, formant shifting, panning, volume, etc.
Like I mentioned earlier, KeroVee is excellent for fine tuning the vocal track and doesn’t really emphasize too much on achieving robotic sounds.
You can download it here.
Looking for free guitar VST plugins? Here are the 15 best ones.
5. X42 Auto-Tune – (Win/Mac/Linux)
X42 Auto-Tune is intended to correct the pitch of a voice singing slightly out of tune.
It works by resampling and looping the signal and does not include formant correction, which means that it should be used to correct small errors only and not really to transpose a song or to correct big mistakes.
Even though it is a very simple pitch-correction plugin, itactually does a decent job at what it’s supposed to do.
The interface is very easy to navigate, it can be controlled via MIDI, or you can input a fixed number of notes in any key and the plugin will correct to the notes on that key.
It comes with a “Bias” knob that controls how long the original note lasts before it corrects it to either the ones you selected from the scale or the ones input through MIDI.
This allows it to go off-tune a little making the performance feel more realistic and natural.
Similar to the “Bias” control you also have the option to use the “Offset” feature that gives you the option to adjust how far from the note the singer is allowed to go before it gets corrected.
Both of these parameters are designed to keep the vocalrecording sounding more human and natural.
If you’re looking for a very simple and easy to usepitch-correction tool that focuses mainly on subtle changes, then X42 Auto-Tunemight be a great alternative for you.
You can download it here.
Looking for free Piano VSTs? Here’s a post I wrote about the best ones.
6. Auto-Tune Evo – (Windows)
Auto-Tune Evo by Antares Audio Technology has been released in February of 2018 and has been rising in popularity ever since then.
It’s got a great set of features such as pitch correction inreal time, for live performances, vibrato controls and Humanize.
Auto-Tune Evo was created, like most auto tune plugins, with vocals in mind; However, it can also be used with most monophonic instruments as well; e.g. bass.
It has two basic modes; Automatic and Graphical.
With the Automatic Mode you give Auto-Tune some basic information about the track and that’s it, it will do the rest or its own.
With the Graphical Mode you can go through the entiretrack manually and tell Auto-Tune exactly where it needs to apply somecorrection and how much.
While using the Graphical Mode might be a lot more work and definitely not for everyone, in my experience I’ve found that you get a much more transparent and realistic sound, and the common artifacts associated with tuning tend to be less noticeable.
Automatic Mode is excellent if you’re going for that T-Painstyle of sound, or if you just want to quickly adjust a track.
It really comes down to what sound you’re going for and how much time and energy you’re willing to invest into it.
Regardless of what mode you’re going to be using, the first thing you’ll need to do is set up the “Input Type”, like Soprano, Alto/Tenor, Low Male, Instrument and Bass Instrument.
Another feature is the Key and scaleselection where you can tell Auto-Tune the precise key of the song.
Lastly, the Formants control will keep as much of the original characteristics of the vocals if switched on.
If you want a versatile and good-sounding plugin that is good for both beginners and advanced producers, then definitely give it a try.
You can download it here.
Looking for free Drum VST plugins? Here are the best ones.
7. AutoTalent – (Linux)
If you’re a Linux user, then this one’s definitely for you!
Autotalent is an open-source and real-time pitch correction plugin that allows users to specify the notes that the singer should be hitting, and then AutoTalent will do the rest.
Not only can it correct the pitch but it can also be used to create effects those T-Pain effects.
Now, don’t be fooled by the simple- and stripped-down look of the interface, since it’s actually a very capable plugin, and you can use it for some light pitch correction or to achieve a full robotic auto-tune.
It includes all of the typical parameters that other auto-tune plugins have, such as; Formant shifting, selecting a scale or notes for the plugin to use or to exclude, and more.
However, it provides one feature that most auto-tune plugins don’t; The Vibrato section.
This section can help you add some vibrato to the vocals to give it a more natural sound, and of course you can go overboard and use it as an effect.
All in all, Autotalent is an extremely useful and fully-featured auto-tune plugin, plus it’s for Linux users who don’t have that many alternatives when it comes to plugins and music production software.
You can download it here.
8. Voloco – (Windows, Mac)
If you’re looking for an Auto-Tuner that is capable of slight- and in-depth correction, then Voloco might not be the right one for you.
It’s designed to be used as a creative tool, which is why you only get access to 6 presets that you can’t even edit, and that’s it.
Each of these presets affects the audio in a slightly different way. However, they are all optimized to achieve the “T-Pain” auto-tuned vocal effect.
Naturally, since it doesn’t feature any more controls than changing the presets, setting the Key and adjusting how much correction you want, Voloco is extremely easy to use.
The interface is extremely clean and easy to understand which, if you’re new to auto-tuners, is great news.
Voloco is a fun plugin to have, especially for coming up with new ideas, but it’s not the most in-depth auto-tuner.
Still, I find it easy to recommend to beginners!
Lastly, you can also download a mobile version for your phone that you can use to sing over other songs you have on your device and Voloco will adjust your performance to the song’s key.
You can download it here.
Top 3 Choices
Out of all the Auto-Tune plugins on this list I’d have tosay that Graillon2, GSnap and Auto-Tune Evo are my toprecommendations.
They offer a lot of features, they sound great, and they give you more control over the track itself than most other plugins.
Budget Alternatives
While the plugins I will list now aren’t free, they also won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
Does Hozier Use Auto Tune Efx Youtube Video
If you have some money to spend and want a higher quality pitch-correction tool, then these are my recommendations:
- Auto-Tune Access: The more affordable and stripped-down version of the famous Antares Auto-Tune.
- Melodyne 5 Essential: This is the most basic version of Melodyne, but it should be enough for most people.
- iZotope Nectar 3: While more advanced, it’s definitely one of the ebst alternatives.
Learn how to use AutoTune properly
Even though there’s nothing wrong with learning how to use this kind of software all on your own, learning from someone can be quite useful as well.
Here’s a course about vocal music production where they also teach you how to use Autotune, Vocoders, etc.
Conclusion
Quality software doesn’t necessarily need to come at apremium price…
All of the plugins on this list are more than capable of delivering excellent pitch-correction while still offering other features, and all of this completely for free…
Since they are free, I’d recommend you try them all out andchoose the one that suits your needs the most.
I hope this information was useful!
Have a great day!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is autotune Evo free?
The Auto-Tune Evo VST demo is available to all software users as a free download with potential restrictions compared with the full version.
Can autotune be used live?
Yes, with the progression of vocal technology, companies like TC Helicon, ART and Boss have developed several Live Autotune & Pitch Correction Vocal Processors that work essentially like foot-pedals used on stage to turn on/off autotune.
Does Auto Tune change your voice?
Does Hozier Use Auto Tune Totune On Garageband
Autotune corrects the pitch of your voice, essentially making you sound better and on key.