![]() Auto-Tune running on GarageBand | |
Original author(s) | Dr. Andy Hildebrand |
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Developer(s) | Antares Audio Technologies |
Initial release | September 19, 1997[1][2] |
Stable release | 10[3]
|
Operating system | Microsoft Windows and macOS |
Type | Pitch correction |
License | Proprietary |
Website | www |
Auto-Tune is audio processor software released on September 19, 1997 by the American company Antares Audio Technologies.[1][4] It uses a proprietary device to measure and correct pitch in music.[5] It operates on different principles from the vocoder or talk box and produces different results.[6]
Auto-Tune was originally intended to disguise or correct off-key inaccuracies, allowing vocal tracks to be perfectly tuned. The 1998 Cher song "Believe" popularized the technique of using Auto-Tune to distort vocals. It has since been used by many artists in different genres, including Daft Punk, Radiohead, T-Pain and Kanye West. In 2018, the music critic Simon Reynolds observed that Auto-Tune had "revolutionized popular music", calling its use for effects "the fad that just wouldn't fade. Its use is now more entrenched than ever."[7]