Auto-Tune: Difference between revisions

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Auto-Tune was originally intended as a way to correct notes sung flat or sharp by less than a semi-tone, but it was discovered to create a robotic sound when driven much further and combined with abrupt pitch shifts. The first (successful) usage of this style was on the 1998 number one [[Cher]] single "Believe", but because this method was kept as a trade secret at the time, it took a couple years for other artists such as [[Daft Punk (Music)|Daft Punk]] to discover it.

The act of distorting vocals for a robotic effect is not new in and of itself, having been used since the 70's with the [~~http://en.~~wikipedia~~.org/wiki/~~Vocoder vocoder], but this was mostly relegated to funk and electronica, both niche markets. Using Auto-Tune for a similar effect didn't become prominent until the arrival of [[T-Pain]] in 2005. Unlike other artists that relegated it to subtle uses or genres aiming for a digitalized sound, T-Pain used it obviously and flagrantly on nearly all of his releases. His huge success led to a [[Follow the Leader|slew of imitators]] within pop, R&B, and hip hop. Within a very short period, Auto-Tune distortion became the norm rather than the exception.

The act of distorting vocals for a robotic effect is not new in and of itself, having been used since the 70's with the [[wikipedia:Vocoder|vocoder]], but this was mostly relegated to funk and electronica, both niche markets. Using Auto-Tune for a similar effect didn't become prominent until the arrival of [[T-Pain]] in 2005. Unlike other artists that relegated it to subtle uses or genres aiming for a digitalized sound, T-Pain used it obviously and flagrantly on nearly all of his releases. His huge success led to a [[Follow the Leader|slew of imitators]] within pop, R&B, and hip hop. Within a very short period, Auto-Tune distortion became the norm rather than the exception.

With the wide adoption of Auto-Tune, the technique quickly became a source of controversy both within and in discussion about the music industry. The major criticism is how the program strips all the personality and subtle harmonics from a performer's voice, leaving those who utilize it sounding near-identical with each other. This ties in with the criticism that it is inherently lazy and dishonest: because the software ensures perfect pitch, the actual capabilities of the singer are a moot point. These arguments exclude artists who use it primarily to distort their voices into the aforementioned robotic sound, but ''they'' catch their own flak for their (perceived) [[Follow the Leader|unoriginality]]. Auto-Tune is such a source of [[Internet Backdraft]] that in many circles, it's actually used as a general insult against singers regardless of context.

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* [[Bon Iver]] uses autotune in the songs "Wolves" and "Beth/Rest". Taking it even further, "Woods" is nothing ''but'' autotuned vocals, layered one on top of another.

== [[~~Po P~~]] Music ==

== [[Pop]] Music ==

* Ark Music Factory's entire output applies heavy doses of autotune. The most infamous of these is [[Friday (Music)|Friday]].

* In the aftermath of the 2010 disaster in Haiti, many pop stars released a cover of USA For Africa's Anvilicious yet still well-made and popular collaborative hit, "We Are The World." Unfortunately, since they were primarily ''modern pop artists'', they couldn't record it without [[Hatedom|auto-tuning it until everybody hated them]].

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[[Category:Auto-Tune]]

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