What do you think of auto-tune?

kimchi-tan

Your local Mikotard
Global Mod
Defender of Defoko
Most people see auto-tune as a cheat in mainstream media, but as vocal synth users, I was wondering if the community has a different view than others.

I personally find the stronger auto-tune effect kinda cool-sounding and the more subtle pitch-correcting as a way to save time from rerecording (sure the vocalists won't learn from their mistakes but it's a way to save recording time and bills from the recording studio when on the edge).
 
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HoneyPai

Defoko's Slaves
Defender of Defoko
I think it depends
If you turn into T pain, then you gotta chill xD
That's the only time I'm not really fond of auto tune.
It also depends on the program you use. I use auto tune but I have to record several "takes" either way just to be sure I get the best vocals, or if the auto tune responds badly to one part, I can just cut that part out and replace it with another set of vocals I recorded. I use FL pitcher and newtone so it's a process like that for me either way.
Now when it comes to professional singers, they least they could do is have the ability to sing a little before the auto tune because then live, they are just bad xDD
 

WinterdrivE

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
Autotune as in the "t-pain" effect is whatever. its just another vocal effect in that case.

Autotune as in pitch correction i have mixed feelings about. In an ideal world, no one would need it or use it, but if a few notes are off here or there, I suppose I'd rather listen to a pitch-corrected recording than a raw one. I also see the logic in what you said, Kimchi-tan, that it saves time in the studio. But like HoneyPai said, it becomes super apparent how much of the singing the singer is doing vs how much of the singing Autotune is doing when they sing live, and I feel kinda cheated by performances and singers who sound really crappy in concert, so in that regard I feel like Autotune is a little like cheating.

I try not use pitch correction in my own recordings, or else to use it as minimally as possible, but on the flipside I'm taking 4 or 5 takes and comping them together in really weird and cut up places to makeup for my pitch errors. So I'm telling myself I'm not cheating, but I still basically am.
 

Pixys

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
i actually kinda like the extreme auto-tune effects in modern rap music (maybe not to the T-pain extreme, depends)

overall i dont mind it...i personally like how it sounds
 

Miawerz

Ruko's Ruffians
Defender of Defoko
hmmm for me, if it's a style like an electronic-y song it's actually cool (when used correctly) and also helpful in instances where you can sing but got some few minor notes off and fix it ..........but if yer like using it w/ the hope that it'll save your bad singing then nahhhh......... because it can only put you in pitch but can't magically give you proper singing technique (unless it can and i'm using out-dated technology)
 

lunari162

Defoko's Slaves
Defender of Defoko
I don't know how to autotune, so I have no real opinion on it for recording purposes. If I mess up, I re-record it or rely on modulation to fix it instead.
I like pitch snap/autotune in actual songs, though. I tune this way a lot (and then change it because realistic tuning is "in" right now). It almost seems like autotune fell out of style, as if some vocal synth users are against it for some reason? :uhm:
 
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Mougeki Mero

Defoko's Slaves
Defender of Defoko
For me it depends on situations and the situations inside situations:

Situation 1: Human (nonsynth) Vocalists

subsituation1: Correcting Vocals-> It is okay to use, it is commercially viable, sounds good, etc etc. Everyone uses it after all...

Subsituation 2: Using as playback on live performances: not very cool...Unless you have something to compensate it (very exhaustive dance moves for example) that is not a cool thing...people paid for the live, they will likely want at least live vocals, right? Effort...

Subsituation3: TPain effect-> I love it...on certain genres, certain song moments, etc.

Situation #2: Vocal Synths

Subsituation 1: Vocal Correction (???): Well, actually there is not much vocal correction to do on a Synth since they are already autotuners on their own way: UTAU, for example, takes a D4 sample and play and adapt to a G4...Unless the tuner mess with modulation or pitchbends the vocal will already be "autotuned". I dont think it is very cool, but it is not really bad either.

Subsituation 2: Using it on everywork of yours independent of muaicak genre: After VOCALOID4 was released, tons of people made covers and all of them...Used the pitchsnap/autotune feature of V4. No one bothered with tuning, or if the autotune matched the genre...That was meh, vonsidering another considerable number of VOcaloid tuners also came with V4 and their work, initially, was overshadowed by AutoTuned Miku covers.

Subsituation 3: Effects-> again cool to use when it matches the genre
 

Buck

Ruko's Ruffians
Supporter
Defender of Defoko
Auto-tune is only cheating if there is some kind of fraud involved, as if it were to say that the singer is actually capable of singing perfectly in key (or nearly, as decent pitch correction plugins offer some modulation options to preserve realism).

In electronic music, where it is most obviously and frequently used, the actual capabilities of the singer are not considered a major priority, So producers generally aren't against going T-Pain if they think it will sound better with the music than the un-corrected recording (T-Pain is a thing for a reason, you know). If we were talking about a form of music that was more vocal oriented, and/or where people's interest in the track is going to depend on the quality of the singer, then yeah, stay away from auto-tune or you will get roasted alive.

In the case of Vocal Synth, I think the same applies. If you are trying to demonstrate how god-like your tuning abilities are, using post-processing effects for pitch correction are going to count against that. However, if all you really care about is getting a vocal on your track that is perfectly in key (and with the kind of music that most people make with vocal synth, who wouldn't), then yeah, I wouldn't get in a twist over it.
 

Pixys

Ritsu's Renegades
Defender of Defoko
I find it quirky but it seems like the style died down over time. I don't recall any recent auto- tune included songs in awhile tbh.
Alot of rap songs use it. It kinda got back into style :p

But i dont hear the extreme auto tune in any pop songs
 

dyne 智優

Shoutbox Lurker™
Defender of Defoko
no necro time limit so HA
t-pain? BIG YES it personally sounds cool (ofc there's a limit idk where to draw the line tho)
pop vocals? for effects/fixing vocals yes, but to just cover up the fact that you can't sing and you just want the fame... i have mixed feelings about that, to put it short.
y'all do know that live autotune is a thing right? also, pre-recording? lip-syncing? no hate tho