Hear Auto-Tune
Listen to the original voice, then turn up the correction. How far does it stay human?
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What just happened (read it after the experiment)
Auto-Tune measures the pitch of a voice in real time and pulls it toward the nearest correct note. Set gently, it can’t be heard; set to the maximum, it jumps from one note to the next with no transition: that’s the robotic effect.
Its inventor, Andy Hildebrand, used to analyze seismic waves to search for oil. In 1998, Cher’s Believe made the extreme effect famous; T-Pain and Kanye West would make it a signature.
A correction tool became an instrument.
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Sources
- Antares Audio Technologies, Auto-Tune, 1997.