Auto-Tune
| Developer(s) | Antares Audio Technologies |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1997 |
| Stable release | 5
|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
| Type | Autotuner |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www.antarestech.com |
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies that uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise inaccuracies and mistakes and has allowed many artists to produce more precisely tuned recordings.
In addition to being used to subtly change pitch, with some settings it can be used as an effect to deliberately distort the human voice.[1]
Auto-Tune is available as a plug-in for professional audio multi-tracking suites used in a studio setting and as a stand-alone, rackmount unit for live performance processing.[2] Auto-tune has become standard equipment in professional recording studios.[3]
Auto-Tune was initially created by Andy Hildebrand. Hildebrand realized the work he did on seismic data exploration was applicable to detecting pitch.[4]
Generic trademark
While Auto-Tune is a specific product, auto-tune is frequently[citation needed] used in the media as a blanket term to describe any audio processing with a similar effect, perhaps because it was the first product allowing pitch correction in real time.[5]
Use
Auto-Tune was used to prominent effect on Cher's "Believe", consider one particular part of the song in which she sounds like she's singing in from behind an electric fan) recorded in 1998. When first interviewed about this, the sound engineers claimed they had used a vocoder, in what Sound on Sound perceives as an attempt to preserve a trade secret.[6] Auto-Tune was also used heavily in Daft Punk's One More Time which featured Romanthony. The song, along with Believe, was one of the first mainstream uses of Auto-Tuning. The software came to attention in dancehall reggae music from its use on Tanto Metro & Devonte's song “Give It to Her” and Beenie Man & Ms. Thing’s song “Dude.” R&B singer T-Pain has been credited with revitalizing the technique in contemporary popular music by making active use of it in his songs, a style that has since gone on to be imitated by numerous other R&B and pop-music artists.[7]
According to the Boston Herald, "Country stars Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have all confessed to using Auto-Tune in performance, claiming it is a safety net that guarantees a good performance."[8]
In 2009, Time Magazine quoted an unnamed Grammy-winning recording engineer as saying, "Let's just say I've had Auto-Tune save vocals on everything from Britney Spears to Bollywood [soundtrack] albums. And every singer now presumes that you'll just run their voice through the box." The same article expressed "hope that pop's fetish for uniform perfect pitch will fade," speculating that pop-music songs have become harder to differentiate from one other, as "track after track has perfect pitch."[9]
References
- ^ http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2008/06/09/080609crmu_music_frerejones?currentPage=all
- ^ Antares product page
- ^ Everett-Green, Robert. "Ruled by Frankenmusic," The Globe and Mail, October 14, 2006, p. R1.
- ^ Frere Jones, Sasha. "The Gerbil's Revenge" [1] The New Yorker, June 9, 2008
- ^ Anderton, Craig. "In Search of the Perfect Pitch; The fix is in" EQ, July 1, 2006, Pg. 46
- ^ "Recording Cher's 'Believe'" http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb99/articles/tracks661.htm
- ^ Singers do better with T-Pain relief
- ^ Treacy, Christopher John. "Pitch-adjusting software brings studio tricks," The Boston Herald, February 19, 2007, Monday, "The Edge" p. 32.
- ^ "Singer's Little Helper," Tyrangiel, Josh, Time Magazine, Thursday, February 5, 2009, [2]
External links
- Antares Auto-Tune EVO Pitch Correcting Plug-In - product home page
- Pitchfork: Neko Case Interview - artistic integrity and Auto-Tune