Auto-Tune: Difference between revisions
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'''Auto-Tune''' is a [[proprietary software|proprietary]] [[audio processor]] created by Antares Audio Technologies that uses a [[phase vocoder]] to |
'''Auto-Tune''' is a [[proprietary software|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. The term "autotune" is also used to refer to pitch correction technologies developed by other companies. |
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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.<ref name="newyorker"/> |
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.<ref name="newyorker"/> |
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Revision as of 15:03, 6 October 2009
| File:Autotune5.png Auto-Tune 5 | |
| Developer(s) | Antares Audio Technologies |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1997 [1] |
| Stable release | 5
|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
| Type | Pitch correction |
| 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. The term "autotune" is also used to refer to pitch correction technologies developed by other companies.
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.[2]
Auto-Tune is available as a plug-in for professional audio multi-tracking suites used in a studio setting, and as a stand-alone, rack-mounted unit for live performance processing.[3] Auto-Tune has become standard equipment in professional recording studios.[4]
Auto-Tune was initially created by Andy Hildebrand, an engineer working for Exxon. Hildebrand developed methods for interpreting seismic data, and subsequently realized that the technology could be used to detect, analyze, and modify pitch.[2]
Auto-Tune in popular music
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.[5] Sara Evans, John Michael Montgomery and Gary LeVox of the group Rascal Flatts also rely on Auto-Tune to compensate for pitch problems. However, other country music singers, such as Loretta Lynn, Allison Moorer, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, and Patty Loveless, have refused to use Auto-Tune.[6]
Auto-Tune was also used to produce the prominent altered vocal effect on Cher's "Believe," recorded in 1998. When first interviewed about this, the sound engineers claimed that they had used a vocoder, in what Sound on Sound perceives as an attempt to preserve a trade secret.[7] After the massive success of "Believe," many artists imitated the technique of Auto-tune. Its effect was very apparent in songs of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Some notable examples are Gigi D'Agostino's "La Passion" and Janet Jackson's #1 hit "All For You," among many others. After years of relative dormancy, the effect was revived in the mid-2000s by R&B singer T-Pain, who elaborated on the effect 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 artists.[8]
Criticism
Opponents of the plug-in argue Auto-Tune has a negative effect on society's perception and consumption of music. 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 another, as "track after track has perfect pitch."[9] At the 51st Grammy Awards, the band Death Cab for Cutie made an appearance wearing blue ribbons to protest the use of Auto-Tune in the music industry.[10] The lead single of Jay-Z's 2009 album The Blueprint³ is titled "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)". Jay-Z elaborated that he wrote the song under the personal belief that far too many people had jumped on the auto-tune bandwagon and that the trend had become a gimmick.[11][12]
Auto-Tune the News
Starting in early 2009, 24-year-old Brooklyn musician Michael Gregory "combined a number of evening news broadcast clips and turned them into a faux R&B series called Auto-tune the News." [13]
References
- ^ Antares history page
- ^ a b Frere Jones, Sasha. "The Gerbil's Revenge", The New Yorker, June 9, 2008
- ^ Antares product page
- ^ Everett-Green, Robert. "Ruled by Frankenmusic," The Globe and Mail, October 14, 2006, p. R1.
- ^ Treacy, Christopher John. "Pitch-adjusting software brings studio tricks," The Boston Herald, February 19, 2007, Monday, "The Edge" p. 32.
- ^ McCall, Michael. Pro Tools: A number of leading country artists sing off key. But a magical piece of software-Pro Tools-makes them sound as good as gold."
- ^ "Recording Cher's 'Believe'"
- ^ Singers do better with T-Pain relief
- ^ Tyrangiel, Josh, "Singer's Little Helper," Time, February 5, 2009
- ^ "Death Cab for Cutie protests Auto-Tune". Idiomag.com. 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-06-06). "Jay-Z Premiers New Song, 'D.O.A.': 'Death Of Auto-Tune'". MTV. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-10). "Jay-Z Blames Wendy's Commercial -- Partially -- For His 'Death Of Auto-Tune'". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Suddath, Claire (2009-4-27). "Auto-Tune the News". TIME. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
- Antares Auto-Tune EVO Pitch Correcting Plug-In - product home page
- Pitchfork: Neko Case Interview - artistic integrity and Auto-Tune
- CBC Radio One Q: The Podcast for Thursday June 25, 2009 MP3 - NPR's Tom Moon on the takeover of the Autotune.
- "Auto-Tune", NOVA scienceNOW, PBS TV, June 30, 2009