The term Autotune is a catchy way of saying “Aarh-it” (pronounced “Aarhee-tee”).
It was first introduced in the late 1980s to produce a more harmonic and cleaner sound in the studio, and as such, the now-iconic sample of Australian music producer Chris Malone singing “Oh yeah! I’m a freak in the wind, I’m a freak in the wind” is credited with introducing the term to the world.
What is the purpose of Autotune?
Say a singer’s vocal is simply a bit off, and they’re trying to get it back to where it was. Imagine someone with a bit too much coffee before you ask them to perform a song.
It’s not that they’re “losing their voice” because they’re not used to performing but rather that they have too much caffeine in their system. How can you rectify this situation without embarrassing the singer in the process?
The simplest way is to increase the amount of energy in the voice when the singer is singing, which will increase the pitch of the voice. So when a singer is listening to themselves, their voice will increase by lowering the pitch of their key or singing a lower octave.
This can be fixed using a “sampler,” which would be exactly like a sound effect chip that is also present in a computer.
A sampler is a tool used by a producer, singer, or drummer who wants to fine-tune their instrument for a sound that is a little different from the rest. It has to be placed in one of the three audio channels on your computer for a sampler to work.
This will act as an audio interface that only the people in the booth will hear, but it is still used for recording the voice.
To use the sampler, one would start by making a small instrument by adding a pre-amp to your soundcard and any other electronic audio effects that you’re using and making sure that it will output an input level of 10 or 12 on the microphone.
If you don’t do this, a very thin “noise” in the microphone will create a resonance, resulting in the sound not hitting the soundwaves properly and, therefore, creating a weak sound.
Once the sampler is ready, you can record the voice you want to fine-tune and adjust the “level.” The excellent level of the sound you are looking to hear is between 10 and 20, but in reality, it can be adjusted to whatever the correct level is for your vocal instrument.
Now by adjusting the “level” of the voice on the sampler, you can change the voice volume so that it will be heard and not be an echo in the mic.
So how do you know what it is to be a good singer? To become a professional singer, you have to learn how to sing in the correct “key” to what is wanted.
It is a great way to differentiate yourself in a crowd.
Another way to use the sampler to fine-tune a singer’s vocal is to be the octave below what the voice sounds like. Instead of the singer singing at the top of the voice, it will be a lower-pitched octave.
By adjusting the sampler to make the vocal as low as possible, the tone will be completely different from the singer’s sound. You can then fine-tune the tone to match what is needed for the music to sound right.
What does “complexity of complexity” really mean?
Before you make any radical changes to a person’s voice, it is essential to know what you’re trying to change. To change a vocal cord’s structure, which the singer is attempting to do, it’s also important to know what the “cause” is.
Most vocal cord changes can be attributed to an injury to the vocal cord from trauma or if the vocal cord is just over-stretched for a certain amount of time.
The vocal cord (which is made up of the vocal ligaments, elastic fibers, fibrous fascia, and fibrous membrane) begins at the back of the neck and stretches to the tongue’s base.
The vocal ligaments (which connect the vocal cord to the thyroid cartilage) are very stretchy and can extend significantly. Any trauma, over-stretching, or a small fracture or cut on the vocal ligaments will begin to cause a vocal cord deformity.
Why use autotune?
The simple answer to the question is that sometimes the singer may use Auto-Tune to sing better.
It’s not always necessary. So, one has to understand that Auto-Tune is an aid to singing better and no more.
Some singers sing their songs with a high degree of accuracy without using Auto-Tune. Some singers sing their songs without using Auto-Tune, and some singers use Auto-Tune to improve their singing ability.
It’s not necessary that a singer must use Auto-Tune to sing their songs properly.
As explained above, the most commonly used reasons to use Auto-Tune are the following.
To sing better
The use of Auto-Tune is not always necessary. Often, a singer can sing a song without using Auto-Tune.
However, the singers who are not used to singing differently must always try to sing like their natural vocal range. Using Auto-Tune can change the way a singer sings to a higher pitch or a faster tempo.
Singing differently may not suit the singer well. Using Auto-Tune to sing like the natural vocal range is the best method to have the best quality voice.
With certain singers, using Auto-Tune may be beneficial because singers are forced to sing differently. The singer’s natural vocal range might be too good for singing a song differently, and a different natural vocal range would make the singer sound artificial.
However, for some singers, this is not the case.
Some singers sing their songs well even without using Auto-Tune. Other singers are forced to sing differently, and using Auto-Tune would change their singing worse.
So, it’s a good way to get rid of Auto-Tune. However, Auto-Tune would be unnecessary if the singer can sing their songs well even without using Auto-Tune.
Better tone and pitch
Often, a singer’s tone and pitch are limited by the technology that they use. So, when Auto-Tune is used, the singer’s tone and pitch get higher.
As explained above, a singer’s tone and pitch can be improved by singing the song in the natural vocal range without using Auto-Tune. For example, a normal singing voice range starts from G to A.
However, the singer’s tones and pitch can be improved by singing the song in the G to A range without using Auto-Tune.
Even though Auto-Tune makes the singer’s tone and pitch get higher, it is still important to sing in a natural voice range. A sound that doesn’t match the singing tone and pitch will be unpleasant to listen to, which may be the main purpose of Auto-Tune.
So, there are cases when Auto-Tune is just needed for some singers.
