User Manual

9
Chapter 2: Introducing Auto-Tune Evo
Some background
In 1997, Antares Audio Technologies first introduced the ground-breaking Auto-Tune
Pitch Correcting Plug-In. Auto-Tune was a tool that actually corrected the pitch of
vocals and other solo instruments, in real time, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of
the expressive nuance of the original performance. Recording Magazine called Auto-Tune the “holy
grail of recording.” And went on to say, “Bottom line, Auto-Tune is amazing… Everyone with a Mac
should have this program.” (In fact, we know of quite a few people back then who bought kilo-buck
Pro Tools™ systems just to be able to run Auto-Tune.)
In the intervening years, Auto-Tune has established itself as the worldwide standard in professional
pitch correction. Today, it’s used daily by tens of thousands of audio professionals to save studio
and editing time, ease the frustration of endless retakes, save that otherwise once-in-a-lifetime
performance, or to create signature vocal effects for artists like Cher, Madonna, T-Pain, and many,
many others.
Auto-Tune is, in fact, the world’s largest-selling
audio plug-in.
Now, over a decade later, recognizing the
enormous increase in the power of the
computers we all use for audio recording,
we’ve evolved Auto-Tune to the next level of
performance. With Evo™ Vocal Processing
Technology’s dramatically enhanced pitch
detection and correction performance, a
plethora of new capabilities and productivity
features, and a refined interface designed for
functionality and ease-of use, Auto-Tune Evo is,
indeed, Auto-Tune reborn.
So what exactly is Auto-Tune Evo?
Auto-Tune Evo is a precision tool for correcting
intonation errors or creatively modifying
the intonation of a performance. Auto-Tune
Evo employs state-of-the-art digital signal
processing algorithms (many, interestingly
enough, drawn from the geophysical industry)
to continuously detect the pitch of a periodic
input signal (typically a solo voice or instrument)
and instantly and seamlessly change it to a
desired pitch (defined by any of a number of
user-programmable scales, MIDI input, or
through the use of graphical editing tools).
To take maximum advantage of the power
of Auto-Tune Evo, you should have a basic
understanding of pitch and how Auto-Tune Evo
functions to correct pitch errors. This chapter
presents basic terminology and introduces
Auto-Tune Evo’s operating paradigm, giving you
the background you need to use it effectively.
A little bit about pitch
Pitch is traditionally associated with our
perception of the “highness” or “lowness”
of a particular sound. Our perception of pitch
ranges from the very general (the high pitch of
hissing steam, the low pitch of the rumble of
Godzilla’s enormous footsteps as he stomps
his way through Tokyo) to the very specific (the
exact pitch of a solo singer or violinist). There
is, of course, a wide range of variation in the
middle. A symphony orchestra playing a scale
in unison, for example, results in an extremely
complex waveform, yet you are still able to
easily sense the pitch.
The vocalists and the solo instruments that
Auto-Tune Evo is designed to process have a
very clearly defined quality of pitch. The sound
generating mechanism of these sources is a
vibrating element (vocal chords, a string, an air