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.
- Tabish Habib Media Theory & Criticism Goodwin 9-12-2010 Content Analysis: Does Auto tune work? A lot of people seem to think it’s ridiculous to compare the timeless compositions of the Beatles and Frank Sinatra to the chart topping hits of today.
- Sep 20, 2015 Well you can thank auto tune for that too. On the other hand, the frequent use of auto tune could potentially block any good newcomers to the music industry with artists who can’t actually sing but whose voice sounds great all robotic. It also invites the idea of the work of a music artist being incredibly easy.
- Aug 25, 2016 Here really is the major key (in the Dj Khaled sense not the musical sense) to using Auto-tune: Figure out the key of the song and set the autotune to that key. Even if you can’t sing and you do that you’ll realize how much you can’t sing because the Auto-tunewill at least be pushing you into the correct scale.
- But after several takes trying to get auto tune to work, and ruling out all other factors, they realized that Parker was singing in tune, preventing the thing from working. You had to be a bad singer in order for that thing to actually sound the way it does Trey Parker. His solution for the problem was a simple one, and it worked.
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.
Jun 14, 2012 As many of you know, I have a full Akrapovic system and PCV that I have both the Ivans map for and I have had it dyno tuned. For a variety of reasons, I am contemplating buying an Auto-Tune module for it. My questions are. If you have used one, do you feel that the results were. How do auto-tune microphones work? Well, there is really no such thing as an “auto-tune microphone.” Rather, the microphone outputs a mic signal which is then sent through an auto-tune processor (often in the form of a foot pedal). The processor is tuned to the. Nov 06, 2018 The pros of performance chips. As the name suggests, a performance chip is a chip that installs in your engine to give you more power and torque, as well as a smoother ride and improved MPGs. They’re offered in several different styles for different needs, epitomized by models like the Superchips Flashpaq Tuner and the Bully Dog BDX Tuner.
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
Tabish Habib Media Theory & Criticism Goodwin 9-12-2010 Content Analysis: Does Auto tune work? A lot of people seem to think it’s ridiculous to compare the timeless compositions of the Beatles and Frank Sinatra to the chart topping hits of today. Judging by today’s standards, the statement itself makes a lot of sense cause in truth, a lot of today’s pop artists can’t even sing. In the past, musicians were praised for their musicianship and ability to perform live.
Today’s fans seem to be more concerned with the artists’ image and how brightly lit their concerts are.
So if these artists have no talent, why is it that their songs sell so many copies? Or why is it that their music is deemed credible? The answer to that question lies inside a proprietary audio processor called Auto-Tune. Auto-Tune was invented by Andy Hildebrand and it involves a mathematical model called autocorrelation that can detect pitch and although it was initially used in the oil industry, it was eventually transitioned into pop music.
Since then, Auto-Tune has been frequently used by many artists since the 90’s with Cher to the present with T.
I. The interesting thing about Auto-Tune is that it’s not just used to fix vocal pitch, but it’s also used creatively by a lot of artists to make their vocals sound loopy or robotic. While Cher’s “believe” was the first song that popularized Auto-Tune amongst the masses, some of today’s artists like T Pain, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Usher, Kesha along with many others use it as a creative effect tool for most of their music. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to quantify the use of Auto-Tune in the top 40 singles in the U. S. A.
By doing this, I intend to figure out whether today’s artists need auto-tune to aid their lack of talent, or whether it’s something they use as a innovative resource. The top 40 as it looks right now is mostly dominated by pop, hip hop, rap and some country. After closely listening to each of these singles, I was able to note that twenty one of them openly use Auto-Tune. Identifying Auto-Tune in each of these songs is fairly simple, especially in today’s industry with artists like Sean Kingston for example, whose vocal notes sound extremely loopy and almost inhumane.
In his song Dutty Love, Kingston in his repetition of the word dutty, clearly showcases the effect, sounding almost like a high pitched Jamaican robot. Because the use is not meant to correct vocal pitch but rather to add a dynamic to the song, I decided to label the use of the effect as creative. However, in certain songs, such as a number of Taio Cruz’s singles, the auto-tune effect hogs the entire vocal performance. The effect in such a case may not necessarily be correcting the singers pitch, but one can’t help but notice the lack of effort put into the song by the singer.
I would hence group Taio Cruz along with artists like Katy Perry who are responsible for Auto-Tune’s General use. General auto-tune use (as I see it) occurs to simply correct vocal pitches. In Katy Perry’s “teenage dream” for example (which also happens to be the number one song in the Country), auto-tune shows up subtly at the chorus, which is used to bring her voice in tune and time. It also is present when she aims to hit her high notes, which makes the effect’s present general. In order to organize the data, I have grouped my results.
Below you will find the top 40 singles chart in three separate groups, the general auto-tune group, creative auto-tune group and the no auto-tune group. General Auto-Tune | Creative Auto-Tune | No Auto-Tune| Katy Perry – Teenage Dream| Sean Kingston – Dutty love| Taylor Swift – Mine| Eminem – Love the way you lie| Bruno Mars – Just the way you are| Nelly – Just a dream| Enrique Iglesias – Baby I like it| Usher – D. J got us falling in love. | Kid Cudi – Erase Me| Katy Perry – California Gurls| Little Wayne – Right above it| Katy Perry – E.
T| Taio Cruz – Dynamite| Usher – Hot Tottie| Neon Trees – Animal| Taio Cruz – Break your heart| Far east movement – Like a G6| Usher – There goes my baby| Kesha – Take it off| Usher – OMG| Eminem – No Love| B. O. B – Airplanes| Drake and Lil Wayne –Miss me | Alicia Keys – Un-Thinkable | Justin Breiber – Never say never | | Cee Lo Green – Fuck You| Chris Brown – Deuces| | OneRepublic – Secret| Adam Lambert – If I had you| | John Mayer – Half of my heart| Rascal Flatts – Why wait| | Maroon 5 – Misery | Sugarland – Like glue| | Cali Swag District – Teach me how to Dougiee | | | Lady Gaga – Alejandro| | Travie McCoy – Billionaire | | | Mike Posner – Cooler Than me| | | Uncle Kracker – Smile| | | Kanye West – Power| | | Nelly Just A Dream| As you can tell by the results, despite their being a large portion of auto-tune using artists, a lot of singers still prefer to do it the old fashioned way. My initial suspicion was that everybody today uses auto tune, but I was pleasantly surprised to see otherwise. Artists like John Mayer and Alicia Keys, with their critically acclaimed vocals, are good examples of artists who still manage success without having to cave in to the trends and still operate with the same style.
The artists that did use auto tune frequently were either electronic or pop singers, while some rappers used it on occasion. A lot of the new pop sensations like Katy Perry and Justin Breiber used auto-tune to help with their lack of range when hitting high or awkward notes. That’s not to say they can’t sing, as most of the track is sung naturally. But in terms of skill level, it is clear that they have a long way to go. Other artists like Enrique Iglesias (who I never thought could sing and still don’t), Kesha and Taio Cruz apply the effect to every single sung note in each of their songs.
One argument is that the auto-tune sound is creative and it sells, so these artists use it intelligently. My argument is that these artists have a prepackaged image which the public will buy like crazy, no matter how good the song is. In other words, they don’t have to be able to sing which is why they auto-tune the whole vocal and we end up seeing a lot of trash dominate the airways. An artist like Kesha with her bad-ass party girl image is something a lot of teenage girls can relate to and Enrique Iglesias with his Latin good looks s also something that the public loves. Hence they don’t really have to be able to sing. In terms of creative auto tune use, there obviously is a huge market and most rappers or hip hop artists seem to catch on to that very well. Take someone like Usher for example, who has three songs in the top 40, two with the occasional tasteful use of auto-tune and one sung naturally note for note. I personally am not a big fan, but I do give him credit for applying some form of musical innovation to his music; he mixes his old style with the new.
Another artist that uses the effect tastefully is Lil’ Wayne. Being a rapper, he uses the effect to add a different dimension to his vocals, which combined with his honest and highly profound lyrics make for a very compelling piece of music. Before conducting this analysis, I assumed that auto-tune would be used for most if not all of today’s chart topping hits. The results, however, show that close to half of today’s artists still rely on their natural talents while the other half merely take advantage of the technology they have to their disposal.
Citations: Des. (2008, Feb 5). Auto-tune abuse in pop music. Retrieved from http://www. hometracked. com/2008/02/05/auto-tune-abuse-in-pop-music-10-examples/ Jones, Sasha. “The Gerbil’s revenge. ” New Yorker 9 june 2008: n. pag. Web. 14 Sep 2010. <http://www. newyorker. com/arts/critics/musical/2008/06/09/080609crmu_music_frerejones? currentPage=1> “USA Singles Top 40 Charts. ” Top40charts. com(2010): n. pag. Web. 14 Sep 2010. <http://top40-charts. com/chart. php? cid=27>
Autotune Download
Cite this Content Analysis: Does Auto-Tune Work? Essay
Does Auto Tune Really Work Video
Content Analysis: Does Auto-Tune Work? Essay. (2017, Feb 18). Retrieved from https://graduateway.com/content-analysis-does-auto-tune-work/