Everything You Need to Know About Auto Tune

Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies that uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise inaccuracies and mistakes and has allowed many artists to produce more precisely tuned recordings.

Auto-Tune is available as a plug-in for professional audio multi-tracking suites used in a studio setting and as a stand-alone, rack mount unit for live performance processing. Auto-tune has become standard equipment in professional recording studios.

Auto-Tune was initially created by Andy Hildebrand. Hildebrand realized the work he did on seismic data exploration was applicable to detecting pitch.

While Auto-Tune is a specific product, auto-tune is frequently used in the media as a blanket term to describe any audio processing with a similar effect, perhaps because it was the first product allowing pitch correction in real time.

See Auto Tune software in action in this hilarius clip.

Auto-Tune was used to prominent effect on Cher's Believe, recorded in 1998. When first interviewed about this, the sound engineers claimed they had used a vocoder, in what Sound on Sound perceives as an attempt to preserve a trade secret. The software came to attention in dancehall reggae music from its use on Tanto Metro & Devonte's song “Give it to Her” and Beenie Man & Ms. Thing’s song “Dude.” R&B singer T-Pain has been credited with revitalizing the technique in contemporary popular music by making active use of it in his songs, a style that has since gone on to be imitated by numerous other R&B, Hip-hop (including emcees Kanye West and Lil' Wayne, and R&B singer Akon, most notably), and other pop-music artists.

According to the Boston Herald, "Country stars Reba McEntire, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have all confessed to using Auto-Tune in performance, claiming it is a safety net that guarantees ticket buyers a good performance." It is also used prominently on much recent Ethiopian popular music.
From Wikipedia

We at here at Zombie Obscurity have mixed opinions about this device. We've been trying to score a vocoder for a while, maybe we'll try to scrape us a copy of this software on torrent or somthing. One thing is for sure, you don't half to have a great singing voice to be a great vocalist anymore.

Auto-Tune Demo:
http://www.antarestech.com/download/demoform.php

G-Snap:
http://www.gvst.co.uk/gsnap.htm

T-Pain Auto-Tune Vocal effect settings:

Key - C
Scale - Major

Retune - 0
Tracking - 75

Rate - 0.1
Variation - 0
Onset Delay - 0
Onset Rate - 0
Pitch - 0
Amplitude - 30
Formant - 100