Function Screenshot of Audacity showing spectrograms of an audio clip with portamento (upper panel) and the same clip after applying pitch correction showing frequencies clamped to discrete values (lower panel)Īuto-Tune is available as a plug-in for digital audio workstations used in a studio setting and as a stand-alone, rack-mounted unit for live performance processing. In its role distorting vocals, Auto-Tune operates on different principles from the vocoder or talk box and produces different results. Its use is now more entrenched than ever.' In 2018, the music critic Simon Reynolds observed that Auto-Tune had 'revolutionized popular music', calling its use for effects 'the fad that just wouldn't fade. The 1998 Cher song ' Believe' popularized the technique of using Auto-Tune to distort vocals. Īuto-Tune was originally intended to disguise or correct off-key inaccuracies, allowing vocal tracks to be perfectly tuned. It uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1997 by the American company Antares Audio Technologies.
