Over the last decade, autotune has evolved from a subtlety producers and engineers use to alter vocals and correct out of tune notes to a full-blown identity for certain musicians. Now, predominantly used in the realms of trap and left-field pop music, fans will even be able to identify an artist just by the way their distinct autotune sounds. There are a variety of plugins available which can generate these desired sounds, so to help you get to grips with what autotune does and the best tools for the job, we’ve put together a list of the best autotune plugins on the market.

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• This could be contributing to the 'warbly' effect you're encountering, so make sure you have set the plug-in to work off the appropriate key and scale type for the melody you're treating. The secret to making Auto-Tune sound natural is in not trying to make it correct sounds too quickly.
• The key and BPM values in the database are provided by Spotify who use their own estimation algorithms to find key and BPM. The analysis results you get from uploading audio files to this page come from different algorithms that are run on Tunebat servers. Due to the algorithms being different, sometimes the results are different.
• Auto-Tune Pro is the most complete and advanced edition of Auto-Tune. It includes Auto Mode, for real-time correction and effects, Graph Mode, for detailed pitch and time editing, and the Auto-Key plug-in for automatic key and scale detection. Auto-Tune Pro also includes Classic Mode, for the celebrated “Auto-Tune 5 sound,” Flex-Tune and Humanize for more transparent and natural-sounding.

What is Autotune?

Autotune essentially is a piece of digital software which can alter the pitch of a singer’s voice during a live performance or afterwards in post-production. The way autotune works is by changing the speed of the vibration of a certain note to increase or decrease the pitch. To create a seamless and smooth sound, autotune can then remove or add vibrations to keep the duration of the note the required length. Although this highly sought after robotic effect can be created by a vocoder and talkbox it’s important not to get them confused. The vocoder, which was invented in 1938, synthesizes human speech using different band frequencies whereas a talkbox lets musicians shape the sound of an instrument using their mouth and a plastic tube.

1. Antares Audio Technologies Auto-Tune

Aug 08, 2005  Hello! I would like to know how you guys deal with having to auto tune an out of tune vocal without knowing the key of the song. The situation is the Singer as.

As the original developers and registered trademark owners of the autotune effect, it only seems right to head up our list with Antares Audio Technologies Auto-Tune. Since its initial release in 1997 Antares Auto-Tune plugins have come a long way. They now have a number of different versions available such as their flagship Auto-Tune Pro ($399) which is the most complete and advanced edition of Auto-Tune to their affordable Auto-Key ($49) and everything in between. Antares Auto-Tune is great for both detailed transparent tuning and creating that extreme autotune effect using a MIDI keyboard. Check out their different audio devices here.

2. Waves OVox

Our partners, Waves Audio, are renowned for the quality of their audio plugins – and their autotune plugin is no different. OVox is an all in one powerhouse which enables you to pitch, tune, harmonize and arpeggiate vocals as well as create classic vocoder & talkbox effects. The Note Mapper allows you to easily work with chords, scales and harmonies adding Daft Punk-style robotic tones to your vocals.

Best Key Scale For Auto Tune Free

3. Melodyne

Although Antares were the first to create the autotune effect, Celemony developed their own stand-out take on the effect with Melodyne. Melodyne enables music producers and sound engineers to edit audio in crystal clear ways by editing notes directly. The ability to manipulate the pitch, formants, dynamics and timing of the on-screen notes allows you to reimagine and edit vocals, piano, guitar, synth and more hours, weeks or even years after the recording session. Although not the best for extreme autotune effects the 99€ essential version is great for detailed transparent tuning.

4. The Mouth

From Tim Exile, the man who brought us ‘The Finger‘, The Mouth helps generate melodies and harmonies out of any audio you feed into it. Whether you’re a singer, beatboxer, bass guitarist or synth player, you’ll be able to channel your sounds into The Mouth. The plugin is able to detect the pitch of an incoming audio source, autotune it and transform it into a scale or customised melody from MIDI notes.

5. Logic Pro’s Flex Pitch

Logic Pro’s inbuilt Flex Pitch is a stock plugin which can yield fantastic results. When activated, Flex Pitch splits your vocal or audio sample up into separate pitches so it’s easy to see which notes are being triggered by the sound. Once editing your audio samples you’ll be able to automate the volume, adjust vibrato, the formant and more giving you complete control of how your sound will end up. Take it to the extreme or keep your edits subtle with Logic’s Flex Pitch.

The above list is by no means exhaustive and represents just a small amount of the very best of the wealth of autotune plugins available to producers today. Though the above plugins are, in our opinion, our favourite and most-used in our own productions, it’s always best to experiment with others to find out what works for you.

If you’re interested in learning more about how VSTs work, as well as the likes of Ableton, Logic Pro and more, you can register to study with us at Point Blank online.

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Auto Tune Key Chain

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.

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.

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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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:

Best Auto Tune Software Free

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.

Best Key Scale For Auto Tune Chart

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