What I find most fascinating about Antares Auto-Tune is that everyone and their mother knows what it is, despite the fact that it's just another digital audio plugin used in bedroom and professional studios alike. Even people who have no clue what an EQ or compressor does somehow at least know of the word 'Auto-Tune' and even the general effect it has on the human voice.
The latest version of Auto-Tune is Auto-Tune Artist, which is optimized for low latency performance. The most popular version of Auto-Tune is Auto-Tune Pro, the third newest release. Reception edit.
But even though Auto-Tune has evolved to become this cultural phenomenon, very few artists or producers truly understand how to get it to sound like the way it sounds on major records.
In case you don't know what it is, Auto-Tune, in a nutshell, is a pitch correction software that allows the user to set the key signature of the song so that the pitch of the incoming signal will be corrected to the closest note in that key (and does so in real time). There are other pitch correction programs out there that do similar functions: Waves Tune, Waves Tune Real-Time, and Melodyne (which is pitch correction, but not in real time), but Auto-Tune seems to have won the standard for real-time pitch correction.
Auto-Tune traditionally is used on vocals, although in some cases can be used on certain instruments. For the sake of this article we will be discussing Auto-Tune and its effect on the human voice. Listen to this early example from the 'King of Auto-Tune,' the one artist who did more to popularize its effect than any other, T-Pain.
- Feb 27, 2013 Auto-Tune certainly isn’t the only robot voice effect to have wormed its way into pop music. In the ‘70s and early ‘80s, voice synthesizer effects units became popular with a lot of bands.
- COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites.
Working as a full-time engineer here at Studio 11 in Chicago, we deal with Auto-Tune on a daily basis. Whether it's people requesting that we put it on their voice, something we do naturally to correct pitch, or even for a specific creative effect. It's just a part of our arsenal that we use everyday, so over the years we have really gotten to know the ins and outs of the program—from its benefits to limitations.
So let's delve further into what this software really is and can do, and in the process debunk certain myths around what the public or people who are new to Auto-Tune may think. If you were ever wondering why your Auto-Tune at home doesn't sound like the Auto-Tune you hear from your favorite artists, this is the article for you.
To set the record straight, as I do get asked this a lot of times from clients and inquiring home producers, there really are no different 'types' of Auto-Tune. Antares makes many different versions of Auto-Tune—Auto-Tune EFX, Auto-Tune Live, and Auto-Tune Pro—that have various options and different interfaces, but any of those can give you the effect you're after. Auto-Tune Pro does have a lot of cool features and updates, but you don't need 'Pro' to sound pro.
I wanted to debunk this first, as some people come to me asking about the 'the Lil Durk Auto-Tune,' or perhaps that classic 'T-Pain Auto-Tune.' That effect is made from the same plugin—the outcome of the sound that you hear depends on how you set the settings within the program and the pitch of the incoming signal.
So if your Auto-Tune at home sounds different from what you hear on the radio, it's because of these factors, not because they have a magic version of Auto-Tune that works better than yours at home. You can achieve the exact same results.
In modern music Auto-Tune is really used with two different intentions. The first is to use it as a tool in a transparent manner, to correct someone's pitch. In this situation, the artist doesn't want to hear the effect work, they just want to hit the right notes. The second intent is to use it as an audible effect for the robotic vocals you can now hear all over the pop and rap charts.
But regardless of the intent, in order for Auto-Tune to sound its best, there are three main things that need to be set correctly.
The correct key of the song. This is the most important part of the process and honestly where most people fail. Bedroom producers, and even some engineers at professional studios who might lack certain music theory fundamentals, have all fallen into the trap of setting Auto-Tune in the wrong key. If a song is in C major, it will not work in D major, E major, etc.—though it will work in C major's relative minor, A minor. No other key will work correctly. It helps to educate yourself a bit about music theory, and how to find the key of a song.
The input type. You have the option to choose from Bass Instrument, Instrument, Low Male, Alto/Tenor, and Soprano. Bass Instrument and Instrument are, of course, for instruments, so ignore them if you're going for a vocal effect. Low Male would be selected if the singer is singing in a very low octave (think Barry White). Alto/Tenor will be for the most common vocal ranges, and soprano is for very high-pitched vocalists. Setting the input type correctly helps Auto-Tune narrow down which octaves it will focus on—and you'll get a more accurate result.
Retune speed. This knob, while important, is really all dependent on the pitch of the input source, which I will discuss next. Generally speaking, the higher the knob, the faster it will tune each note. A lower speed will have the effect be a bit more relaxed, letting some natural vibrato through without affecting a vocalist's pitch as quickly. Some view it as a 'amount of Auto-Tune knob,' which isn't technically true. The amount of correction you hear is based off the original pitch, but you will hear more effects of the Auto-Tune the faster it's set.
So let's say you have all of these set correctly. You have the right key, you choose the right range for the singer, and the retune speed is at its medium default of 20ms. You apply it on the singer expecting it to come out just like the pros. And while their voice does seem to be somewhat corrected, it's still not quite corrected to the right pitch.
Here's why your Auto-Tune doesn't sound like the pros:
The pitch of the vocalist prior to Auto-Tune processing must be close enough to a note in the scale of the key of the song for Auto-Tune to work its best. In other words, the singer has to be at least near the right note for it to sound pleasing to the ears.
Whether you're going for a natural correction or the T-Pain warble, this point still stands. If the note the singer originally sings is nowhere near the correct note in the key, Auto-Tune will try to calculate as best it can and round up or down, depending on what note is closest. And that's when you get undesirable artifacts and hear notes you weren't expecting to hear. (Here is an example of how it sounds when the incoming pitch isn't close enough to the scale, resulting in an oddly corrected pitch.)
So if you put Auto-Tune on a voice and some areas sound good, some sound too robotic and a bit off, those are the areas that the singer needs to work on. Sometimes it can be difficult for non-singers to hear slight sharp or flat notes, or notes that aren't in the scale of the song, so Auto-Tune in many cases can actually help point out the problem areas.
This is why major artists who use Auto-Tune sound really good, because chances are they can sing pretty well before Auto-Tune is even applied. The Weeknd is a great example of this—he is obviously a very talented singer that has no problem hitting notes—and yet his go-to mixer, Illangelo, has said before that he always uses at least a little bit of Auto-Tune on the vocals.
If you or the singer in your studio is no Weeknd, you can correct the pitch manually beforehand with a program like Melodyne, or even with built-in pitch correction tools in your DAW, where you can actually go in and change the pitch of each syllable manually. So if you find yourself in a situation where you or an artist you are working with really want Auto-Tune on their vocals, but it's not sounding right after following all the steps, look into correcting the pitch before you run it through Auto-Tune.
If you get the notes closer to the scale, you'll find the tuning of Auto-Tune to be much more pleasing to the ears. For good reason, T-Pain is brought up a lot when discussing Auto-Tune. Do you want to know why he sounds so good? It's not a special Auto-Tune they are using, its because he can really sing without it. Check it out:
Hopefully this helps further assist you in your understanding and use of Antares Auto-Tune, and debunk some of the myths around it. Spend some time learning some basic music theory to help train the ear to identity keys of songs, find which notes are flat and which notes are sharp. Once you do, you'll find you'll want to use Auto-Tune on every song, because let's face it—nearly a decade after Jay-Z declared the death of Auto-Tune on 'D.O.A.'—it still sounds cool.
We understand the importance of online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. By continuing to use Reverb, you agree to these updates, and to our cookie policy. Learn More
Disclaimer: Before all you purists out there start typing up angry comments about how Auto-Tune is killing music, just hear us out.
By now, I think we can all agree that technology has taken the front seat in driving most of contemporary music’s major innovations, whether in pop, jazz, hip-hop, or modern instrumental. You could point just as easily to the Edgeturning his guitar into an organ with effects pedals as you can to Skrillex making a (pretty darn good) living without ever learning to play an actual instrument.
But there will always be one instrument that people will have a hard time accepting technology’s ability to augment or alter: vocals.
Perhaps it was that awful pre-chorus in Cher‘s 1998 hit “Believe” that sullied it, but as soon as an artist corrects his or her pitch using Auto-Tune and his or her voice starts to digitally wander, critics immediately point to it as evidence of a lack of vocal talent. And, for sure, untalented pop artists do tend to hide behind this life-saving software, but is it always used for that purpose? Are artists really incapable of using Auto-Tune stylistically, even when they’ve got the chops to back it up?
T-Pain‘s heartfelt, stripped-down performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series in 2014 proves, triumphantly, otherwise.
+ Learn more on Soundfly: Produce more creative, communicative electronic drum beats with our six-week course, Beat Making in Ableton Live, and get personalized mentor support and feedback on your work!
I would challenge critics to evaluate why vocals need to remain so pure and unaffected, especially when there’s a long-accepted history of guitarists, synthesists, drummers, etc. who drown their instruments in effects? Hint: They don’t.
If Dr. Dre had made all of his classic beats on an acoustic drum kit, the world would be a different place. Then again, if he hadn’t programmed them digitally, someone else would have. Auto-Tune can certainly sound tacky and unpleasant at times, and, in some situations, it’s utterly superfluous. Yet, like anything, when it’s used with subtlety and ingenuity, it can imbue a track with a compelling, unique, and undefinable sound.
Here are a few examples of artists tastefully using Auto-Tune and why it works.
1. Frank Ocean – “Chanel”
The majority of this song features Ocean’s voice au naturel with just a little bit of reverb. After a powerful vocal run where he reaches for the some of the highest notes in his chest voice, Ocean finally settles into an Auto-Tuned hook at 2:11 with the lyric, “I see both sides like Chanel.”
There’s no question that he could have sung that small bit without Auto-Tune, but it adds a robotic, almost melismatic, effect to his voice. The way his voice oscillates between notes with Auto-Tune is subtle and inhuman, and he only includes it in this one small part of the song. It’s creative and minimal, and no matter why he chose to expose the effect in that moment, nobody could argue this wasn’t a deliberate artistic decision.
2. Beyoncé – “711”
If you don’t think Beyoncé can sing, watch this.
She’s provided powerful vocal performances to her fans for years and years. No one has to wonder whether or not Beyoncé has a gorgeous, dynamic voice, yet, on occasion, when the song calls for it, she leans on Auto-Tune to create a more electronic feel.
On “711,” the Houston singer raps her way through the banger, and she uses a small dose of Auto-Tune to give her vocals that extra trappy effect to match the rapid flutter of the drum machine‘s snare hits. In this way, the effect provides a way in for her vocals to fit the song’s electronic, simulated context so they can shine within it.
3. Chance The Rapper – “Smoke Break” (feat. Future)
Chance The Rapper is an incredibly gifted rapper and vocalist. His smoky timbre and powerful voice yield soulful, honest performances whether he’s rapping or singing. Just watch him perform live.
Prior to breaking his third mixtape, Coloring Book, Chance had never tried Auto-Tune, despite some of his peers using it religiously. When the mixtape finally dropped, fans were surprised to hear the contentious effect.
But what Chance did was smart; rather than depending on it in order to hit the right notes, he uses it for stylistic purposes, like on the song above, “Smoke Break,” with Future. It elevates his sound to fit in more with the Top 40 radio pop mold, which could’ve been a strategic move to gain more national airplay. And because it’s one of only a few instances on the album that he uses it, the effect doesn’t tire us out.
4. James Blake – “Put That Away and Talk to Me”
James Blake is famous for his falsetto crooning. His cover of Feist’s “Limit to Your Love” features his voice front and center with nothing but a little bit of reverb and compression affecting it. Blake is no stranger to affecting his voice, and, on his last album, he embraced Auto-Tune on “Put That Away and Talk to Me,” above.
The way he uses the effect makes his voice sound tiny, small, and robotic. But his emotions are still there in full color — they’re just under the spell of electronic manipulation. He’s a heartbroken cyborg.
5. Kanye West – “Runaway”
Everyone knows Kanye West put out an entire album full of Auto-Tuned songs — the polarizing and essential hip-hop release 808s & Heartbreak. The song we’re going to focus on, however, isn’t from that album. In fact, it’s a song where he doesn’t even rap or sing with Auto-Tune (that you can clearly hear) at all. At the 6:05 mark, it sounds as if a distorted guitar begins to rip a very low-tuned solo.
That isn’t a guitar, though. It’s not a synthesizer either. It’s West’s voice.
He puts an ocean of distortion on his vocal track, then turns the Auto-Tune up to 11, and basically creates his own guitar solo but with his voice. It’s an innovative way to craft a solo, and while, to some, it might sound like distorted mumbling, others may passively hear it as a long guitar solo.
Auto-Tune doesn’t just have to be a mask that bad singers wear — it also can be a tool for unique creative expression in addition to crafting interesting production.
Auto Tuned Pop Songs List
Whether you want to learn how to sample found sounds in your beats, introduce more complex theories and harmony into your productions, or enhance the expressiveness of your MIDI string arrangements to make them sound more “human,” Soundfly’s growing selection of PRODUCE courses has you covered!
Auto Tuned Pop Songs Lyrics
What do you want to improve today?