Correct Me If I’m WrongĪuto-Tune derives its name from its ability to automatically correct the pitch of monophonic audio such as vocals. Auto-Tune is, however, still an industry standard, and the new version 8 includes a number of new features.
Almost every top-end DAW includes its own pitch-correction tools and, as summarised in the Alternatives box, there are a number of very creditable third-party options also. Of course, just as Hoover have plenty of competition when it comes to sucking up dust from your floor, Auto-Tune is now far from the only game in town when it comes to pitch-correction. Revolutionary when it first appeared in 1997, the brand name has become synonymous with pitch-correction, and many producers will now simply ask the engineer or Pro Tools operator to ‘Auto-Tune it’ - meaning, of course, to apply pitch-correction - when they think a vocal has intonation issues that require attention. The classic example is the Hoover vacuum cleaner, but in the world of music technology, the same thing has happened with Auto-Tune. Some items of technology have acquired such an iconic status that the product name has become a verb. How does the new version shape up against the competition?
Auto-Tune is said to be the biggest-selling plug-in of all time.
