Are you tired of listening to your recorded vocals and cringing at every sour note? Well, fear not, because Auto-Tune is here to save the day!
For those who are new to the game, the thought of using this technology can be intimidating. After all, isn’t Auto-Tune just for those who can’t sing?
Well, not exactly.
While Auto-Tune is often used to correct off-key notes, it can also be used creatively to achieve unique and interesting vocal effects.
In fact, some of the biggest hits in recent years have featured heavy use of Auto-Tune in creative ways, from T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank” to Daft Punk’s “One More Time”.
And in this beginner’s guide, we’re going to walk you through the basics of using Auto-Tune to achieve pitch-perfect vocals.
What is Auto-Tune?
At it’s core, Auto-Tune is a software program that corrects the pitch of a singer’s voice. It does this by analyzing the incoming audio signal and detecting any notes that are out of tune. Then, it automatically adjusts the pitch to bring it in line with the correct note.
When was Auto-Tune invented?
Auto-Tune was invented in 1997 by Dr. Andy Hildebrand, a geophysicist and musician. Dr. Hildebrand initially developed Auto-Tune as a tool for detecting and correcting pitch errors in seismic data, which is used to study the Earth’s subsurface. However, he quickly realized that the technology could also be applied to music.
The first version of Auto-Tune was called Auto-Tune 1, and it was initially used by engineers and producers to correct minor pitch errors in recorded vocals. However, as the technology improved and became more widely available, it began to be used in a more creative way, allowing producers to intentionally manipulate the pitch of a singer’s voice for stylistic effect.
Why do musicians use Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a powerful tool used by many musicians to correct and enhance their vocal performances.
Now, you might be thinking, “Wait a minute, isn’t that cheating? Shouldn’t a singer just learn to sing in tune on their own?”
And while that’s certainly a valid point, there are a few things to consider.
First of all, even the best singers in the world occasionally hit a sour note. It happens to the best of us! And sometimes, a song might require a note that’s just outside of a singer’s natural range. In those cases, Auto-Tune can be a lifesaver.
Secondly, there are certain genres of music where the “perfect” pitch isn’t necessarily the goal. Think about rock music, for example – sometimes a little bit of rawness or grit in a singer’s voice can actually enhance the emotion of the song. But in pop music, where the production is often polished to a high sheen, Auto-Tune can be a helpful tool for achieving that ultra-smooth sound.
Of course, there’s also the flip side – some people argue that Auto-Tune has been overused to the point of becoming a crutch. You’ve probably heard examples of songs where the pitch correction is so heavy-handed especially in rap music that it sounds robotic or unnatural. In those cases, it’s definitely a good idea to dial back the Auto-Tune and let the artist’s natural voice shine through.
At the end of the day, whether or not to use Auto-Tune is a personal choice. Some singers swear by it, while others would never dream of using it. But regardless of your stance on the issue, it’s definitely worth understanding what Auto-Tune is and how it works, so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not to incorporate it into your music.
Should I hire a mixing and mastering professional?
Hiring a mixing and mastering professional can be crucial if you don’t know how to use Auto-Tune or other audio processing tools.
They have the expertise and experience to adjust the settings and parameters to suit your needs and preferences, resulting in a polished and professional-sounding recording.
Additionally, they can provide objective feedback and suggest improvements that you may not have considered.
Fiverr is a great platform to find freelance mixing and mastering professionals who can help you with your recordings. It’s a great way to save time and achieve a high-quality recording that you can be proud of.
Find a mixing and mastering professional on Fiverr to tune your vocals
How to get the Auto-Tune plugin
One way to access Auto-Tune is through purchasing the plugin directly from the manufacturer, Antares Audio Technologies.
Another way to access Auto-Tune is through purchasing a subscription to a digital audio workstation (DAW) that includes the plugin. Many popular DAWs, such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, and Pro Tools, offer Auto-Tune as a built-in plugin or as an optional add-on.
For those on a budget or looking for alternative pitch-correction plugins, Plugin Boutique is a great site to consider. Plugin Boutique offers a wide selection of audio plugins, including several Auto-Tune alternatives, such as the Melodyne by Celemony.
Plugin Boutique also frequently offers discounts and promotions on their products, making it a cost-effective option for those looking to expand their plugin collection.
View on Plugin Boutique: Antares Auto-Tune Plugin
How to Use Auto-Tune on your voice
A. Setting Up Auto-Tune
- Download and Install the Auto-Tune plugin according to the instructions provided.
- Open your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and open your song project
- Insert the Auto-Tune plugin on your vocal track. Now you’re ready to use Auto-Tune.
B. Basic Pitch Correction Settings
1. Key and Scale
Use the “Key” and “Scale” setting to select the key and scale of your song.
The “Key” setting allows you to select the musical key of the song or recording you are working on. This helps Auto-Tune determine which notes are in or out of key, so that it can correct the pitch accordingly. For example, if your song is in the key of C major, you would select the key of C in Auto-Tune to ensure that the pitch correction is in tune with the song.
The “Scale” setting allows you to specify which musical scale the song or recording is using. This helps Auto-Tune determine which notes are available and which notes are not available in the scale. For example, if your song is using the pentatonic scale, you would select the pentatonic scale in Auto-Tune to ensure that only the notes in the scale are used for pitch correction.
Note: If you’re not sure, you can use their Auto-Key plugin to detect the Key and Scale of your song.
2. Retune Speed
Adjust the “Retune Speed” setting to control how quickly Auto-Tune corrects the pitch.
It determines how quickly the plugin adjusts the pitch of notes that are out of tune to match the desired key or scale.
A lower Retune Speed value means that Auto-Tune will correct the pitch of notes more quickly, resulting in a more noticeable effect on the sound. This can be useful for creating a more obvious pitch correction effect, such as the “hard-tune” effect popularized by certain genres of electronic music.
On the other hand, a higher Retune Speed value means that Auto-Tune will correct the pitch of notes more gradually, resulting in a more natural-sounding effect. This can be useful for correcting pitch issues in a more subtle way, or for creating a more natural-sounding pitch correction effect.
3. Humanize
Experiment with the “Humanize” setting to add natural variations to the pitch correction.
The “Humanize” feature in Auto-Tune is designed to add natural variations to the pitch correction process, which can help to make the pitch correction sound more realistic and less robotic.
The goal of the Humanize feature is to make the pitch correction sound less obvious and more like a natural performance.
4. Natural Vibrato
Use the “Natural Vibrato” setting that can be used to add a small amount of vibrato to the corrected pitch.
Vibrato is a slight variation in pitch that gives a singing voice a more expressive and emotional quality. This feature can be particularly useful for genres of music that rely heavily on natural-sounding vocals, such as folk or acoustic music.
5. Flex Tune
Use the “Flex Tune” setting to adjust the correction amount based on the proximity of the pitch to the desired pitch, allowing for a more natural-sounding pitch correction that preserves the character and phrasing of the original performance.
Flex-Tune differs from the traditional hard-tune correction used in earlier versions of Auto-Tune in that it allows for some flexibility in the correction of pitch errors. Instead of strictly forcing all notes to the nearest semitone, Flex-Tune analyzes the pitch of each note and adjusts the correction amount based on how far off the pitch is from the desired pitch.
C. Additional Advanced Settings
1. Formant
Experiment with the “Formant” setting to adjust the character of the voice.
The “Formant” feature in Auto-Tune is a parameter that controls the character or timbre of the voice. Formants are the resonant frequencies in the vocal tract that give each person’s voice a unique sound.
By adjusting the Formant setting in Auto-Tune, you can alter the vocal tract’s shape and change the voice’s timbre. This feature allows you to transform a male voice into a female voice or vice versa, create unusual and creative vocal effects, or simply adjust the sound to better fit the mix.
For example, increasing the Formant setting can make a male voice sound more feminine, while decreasing it can make a female voice sound more masculine. This feature can be particularly useful when trying to achieve a specific sound or mood in a recording or when matching vocals to a particular instrumental or musical style.
It’s worth noting that using the Formant feature too much can make the voice sound unnatural or robotic.
2. Amplitude
Use the “Amplitude” setting to control the volume of the corrected pitch
This setting adjusts the gain of the output signal based on the amount of pitch correction applied.
In other words, if you increase the Amplitude setting, the volume of the corrected pitch will be louder than the original signal, while decreasing the Amplitude setting will result in a quieter corrected pitch.
The Amplitude setting is useful for maintaining a consistent volume level throughout the recording, particularly if there are sections where the original pitch was significantly off and required more correction.
3. Throat
The “Throat” modeling feature in Auto-Tune is a part of its advanced pitch correction capabilities.
It allows you to modify the characteristics of a voice’s throat to achieve a specific vocal effect or sound.
The Throat modeling feature works by simulating the changes in the throat that occur when different vowels are sung. By adjusting the Throat modeling parameters, you can change the shape of the vocal tract to mimic the characteristics of different vowels, which can be useful for achieving certain vocal styles or for matching a specific singer’s voice.
For example, you can use the Throat modeling feature to make a male voice sound more like a female voice or vice versa. You can also use it to achieve specific vowel sounds, such as making an “o” sound more like an “ah” sound. By combining the Throat modeling feature with other Auto-Tune settings, such as the Retune Speed and Humanize settings, you can create a wide range of vocal effects and sounds.
4. Detune
The “Detune” feature in Auto-Tune is used to add subtle variations in pitch to the corrected notes, giving the vocals a more natural and expressive sound.
When Auto-Tune corrects the pitch of a note, it snaps the pitch to the nearest semitone in the selected scale. However, this can sometimes result in a robotic or unnatural-sounding voice, as the pitch is completely fixed to a specific note.
To avoid this, the Detune feature adds small variations in pitch to the corrected notes, creating a more natural-sounding voice that retains some of the subtle pitch fluctuations that occur in human singing. The amount of Detune applied can be adjusted in the Auto-Tune plugin, allowing you to control the amount of variation in the corrected pitch.
5. Tracking
The “Tracking” feature in Auto-Tune is used to control how quickly or slowly the plugin responds to changes in the input signal.
Specifically, it adjusts the speed at which Auto-Tune detects and corrects pitch errors in the input signal.
When the Tracking setting is set to a low value, Auto-Tune will respond quickly to changes in pitch, resulting in a more aggressive correction. This can be useful for correcting fast or erratic changes in pitch, but may also result in a more robotic-sounding effect.
Conversely, when the Tracking setting is set to a high value, Auto-Tune will respond more slowly to changes in pitch, resulting in a more natural-sounding effect. This can be useful for correcting more gradual changes in pitch or for maintaining a more expressive performance.
Tips for Using Auto-Tune
- Record cleanly: The cleaner your recording, the less work Auto-Tune will have to do. Try to minimize background noise and other unwanted sounds.
- Use a pop filter: A pop filter can help reduce plosives and other harsh sounds that can be difficult to correct with Auto-Tune.
- Experiment with settings: Auto-Tune offers a wide range of settings that can affect the sound of your voice. Take some time to experiment with different settings to find what works best for your voice.
- Use it tastefully: Remember that Auto-Tune should enhance your voice, not replace it entirely. Use it tastefully and sparingly to maintain a natural-sounding voice.
- Practice, practice, practice: Like any tool, using Auto-Tune takes practice. Take some time to experiment with different settings and record yourself frequently to get a sense of how the tool is affecting your voice.
- Watch tutorials: There are plenty of online tutorials available that can help you get the most out of Auto-Tune. Look for tutorials that are geared towards your level of experience and learn from experts in the field.
Conclusion
Using Auto-Tune can seem intimidating at first, but with some practice and experimentation, you’ll soon be able to achieve professional-sounding results. Just remember to use Auto-Tune tastefully and avoid overusing it. After all, Auto-Tune should enhance your voice, not replace it entirely.
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