It is no accident that auto-tune has found its way into mainstream popular music and become an instantly recognizable name and sound when used creatively. Here is a quick guide to auto-tune, what it is, and what it can and can’t do.

What Is It?

When Auto-tune was first created back in 1996, ithad a single purpose. The software was designed to beused to correct the pitch on notes where the performer was slightly off. It represented a distinct advantage in the studio, saving both time and money by allowing less-than-perfect recordings to be fixed and used, preventing a constant repetition of recording vocal lines.

In the time that’s followed, the powerful vocal tool has found alternative uses, but it remains best used for giving a helping hand to vocalists in the studio. It doesn’t require any secondary input to work and is quick and easy to use for producers.There are a few different versions of the software released by the creator, Antares, and it’s also affordable, thanks to the light version of auto tune called Auto-tune Access.

How Does It Work?

Auto-tune works by taking a signal received from an input, usually a microphone, automatically detecting the pitch of the input and then making changes to it using your predefined parameters to correct that pitch. It can do this in one of two ways.

The first is almost fully automatic and thus is called “Auto Mode”. It will take an input and automatically adjust each note that it receives to the closest pitch, which is controlled by the user setting the key and correction options.

The second is Graph Mode, which is more complex but allows for a greater level of control, meaning the user can adjust every note and adjust the output in a very granular level of correction of the pitch.

What It Can’t Do

There’s a misconception that auto-tune can turn anyone into a great vocalist, but that isn’t true at all.Auto-tune is designed to do its work without its use even beingdetected. It’s used both in the studio and in live performances, carefully giving vocalists a helping hand to correct the pitch if they don’t get it perfect. It’s not designed to fix someone’s singing completely. Auto-tune works best when the adjustments it needs to make are minor, and not extreme. For this reason, it won’t take a tone-deaf amateur who can’t sing at all and make them a solo artist at the click of a button.

Obvious Auto-Tune

It didn’t take long before artists took auto-tune and turned it up to the max. Vocal performances from artists like T-Pain, who have defined a signature sound by overdoing the pitch correction offered by auto-tune,have created a unique sound in their own right. Cher’s Believe also offers a look behind the proverbial curtain of auto-tune and instead of hurting the performance, actually adds something to it. This is the world of obvious auto-tune.

Whether you love it or hate it, auto-tune is here to stay, and it’s likely used to some extent on almost all of the vocal recordings in popular music today.