The Auto-Tune

By Bryan Bergeron

Since its creation in 1997, Auto-tune has taken the music industry by storm. Ever since Cher first used the software program in her 1998 hit “Believe,” artists from every genre have been flocking to the new technology in order to “tighten” up those lyrical and instrumental mishaps in their different recordings.

Developed by Dr. Harold Hildebrand of Antares Audio Technologies, Auto-Tune is a computer software program that “corrects pitch problems in vocals and other solo instruments.” Basically, this innovative technology allows for artist to achieve perfect pitch, whenever and wherever. In other words, it has made the impossible possible. It is an artist’s dream come true, and musicians ranging from Kanye West to Faith Evans are taking advantage of the software.

Not all artists, however, are incorporating this new craze into their music. For some, this new technology is a cop out. It lessens the uniqueness of music, and allows for artists to record a sound that is not their own.

For others, this technology is innovative, creative and new. It adds another element to an ever expanding music industry, and lets musicians delve into a creative technological world that has the capabilities of taking music into a whole new dimension. Put simply, the Auto-Tune makes perfection possible, and some artists can’t ignore this fact.

For some people, however, perfection is something that shouldn’t be associated with music. The uniqueness and individuality that is expressed through the songs of different musicians is what makes music so great. The diversity within the music world allows for everyone to find their own certain niche. It allows for everyone to find some sort of music that appeals to them. With this current Auto-Tune craze, however, some people believe that music is becoming less unique; it’s becoming less creative simply because everyone’s recording is becoming, well, perfect.

“I don’t really think that Auto-Tune is a bad thing, but it’s just being overused,” Said Chris Mann, a musician who has been playing guitar and piano for close to ten years. “I mean look at Lil Wayne, all he uses now is Auto-Tune; it’s just getting overdone.”

Apart from the belief that it is being overused in music nowadays, some feel as though the new software can give musicians an easy outlet.

“People who can’t sing very well are using it all the time,” said Ryan Williams, a Plattsburgh State student who constantly has the new synthesized sound “bumpin’” out of his headphones. “Look at T-Paine, he can’t sing so he just uses the Auto-Tune. His lyrics are good, but he’s obviously not good at singing, so he just uses the Auto-Tune to sounds better.”

Tim Victor, music major at Plattsburgh State, who plays a wide array of instruments including the guitar, piano, bass and xylophone, agrees that the Auto-Tune is allowing for musicians to sometimes take the easy way out.

““Artists like T-pain and Kanye West still have a tremendous amount of talent when it comes to songwriting, but at the same time they are just using the Auto-Tune as a crutch. They shouldn’t be singing- they don’t have good voices,” Victor said.

Victor also believes that this new software has lessened the amount of creativity that is found in today’s music.

“It (Auto-Tune) doesn’t allow for creativity; it gives everyone the same sound and the same voice,” Victor said. “People who don’t use it have their own personal sound and thats what makes different types of music unique. Every time you hear Auto-Tune on a track, it’s not any different than the last song you’ve heard with Auto-Tune.”

Apart from the belief that the Auto-Tune will lessen creativity, some people simply enjoy hearing a person’s real, actual voice in music. There are people out there who don’t want to hear perfection.

“I think that what talented people do with their real voice sounds much better than a voice that has been dubbed over with an Auto-Tune,” Mann said.

Others, however, disagree with the belief that the Auto-Tune limits the creativity that can be found within music. Herm Matlock, a music professor at Plattsburgh State, and the teacher of a class, entitled, “The history of American pop music in the north and south”, believes that the Auto-Tune has the capabilities of expanding a musician’s creative thoughts. In his mind, the new technology has the ability to enhance the sound of music. At the same time, however, he acknowledges the fact that the software could also have negative impacts upon the music world.

“With any new technology that comes out, there are people who will use it in a very efficient and creative way,” Matlock said. “These people would have had this same creative vision without this technology, so this technology can only help with creating their music. However, there are people out there who will use this kind of thing to cover up their flaws, which will produce dishonest records and that is bad for the music industry.”

Matlock points out that digitally produced music has been around for decades, so this new technology is simply an advancement in an always evolving musical world.

“In my opinion, the greatest produced album is Queens CD “Night at the Opera”, and there were a ton of altercations on that CD. That proves that technology really can help music, and that it can help create peoples musical visions,” Matlock said.

Williams, a Plattsburgh State student who regularly listens to Auto-Tune produced tracks, agrees that the software can help create musicians “musical visions”; in fact, he believes that the technology has already changed the sound of rap.

“It brought rap to a new level and gave it a new direction,” Williams said. “It has opened doors to new kinds of music and styles- it’s given rap a new sound.”

The scary thing about the Auto-Tune, however, is the fact that it makes recordings sound flawless. The singer’s voice is never off pitch; a note is never missed. On top of that, instrumentals never miss a beat in an Auto-Tune produced track. They are just as perfect as the lead singer’s voice. Therefore, this technology has the capabilities of making anyone sound good, which could make it possible for people with inadequate musical talent to make it big. Mann, however, doesn’t think that the software will allow for untalented musicians to rake in the millions; instead, he thinks the exact opposite.

“Nowadays, there are so many people that have access to the Auto-Tune, and there are so many talented musicians out there that it’s still going to be hard to get noticed,” Mann said. “Now that you can manufacture good music, it’s probably harder for people to get noticed since there are more people out there using the technology. “

Like Mann, Matlock does not believe that this new technology will allow for just anyone to get noticed in the music industry. At the same time, however, he would not be surprised if this software helped some less talented people get noticed. In his opinion, there have always been people who have gotten famous due to things other than their musical talents.

“In the pop world, we’ve always had people become big stars for things other than their musical talents. That kind of stuff has been around for a long, long, time,” Matlock said.