Pitch correction
Encyclopedia
Pitch correction is the process of correcting the intonation
of an audio signal
without affecting other aspects of its sound. Pitch correction first detects the pitch of an audio signal (using a live pitch detection algorithm
), then calculates the desired change and modifies the audio signal accordingly. The widest use of pitch correctors is in Western popular music
on vocal lines.
Pitch Correcting Plug-In was introduced. This replaced slow studio techniques with a real-time process that could also be used in live performance.
Auto-Tune is still widely used, alongside other products such as Celemony's Melodyne. Pitch correction is now a common feature in digital audio editing software, having first appeared as a Pro Tools
plugin and now being found in products such as Apple GarageBand, Apple Logic Pro, Adobe Audition
, FL Studio
& Steinberg Cubase
. It is also available in the form of rackmount hardware
, such as the TC-Helicon
VoiceOne. A free VST
plugin known as GSnap can also be used to get the same effect. In the Linux
FOSS
community, Autotalent and Zita-AT1 offer this functionality.
to certain words or phrases without re-recording those words or phrases again and again at the necessary pitches. Depending on the specific model used, various vocal effects can be added and the better quality devices can be adjusted to allow expression to remain in the music with some pitch correctors even possessing the ability to add vibrato
.
With extreme parameter values, pitch correction has also become popular as a distinctively electronic voice effect. A notable example of Auto-Tune
-based pitch correction is the Cher effect, named for Cher
, who originated the effect in her 1998 hit song "Believe
". More recently, it has been used by composer John Boswell for his popular Symphony of Science
and Symphony of Bang Goes The Theory
(a BBC science show) mash-ups.
In 2010, Teddy Riley claimed that the processing of Michael Jackson
's voice with Melodyne caused people to question the authenticity of the voice on the posthumous album Michael
. Riley claimed that because he did not have a "final vocal" from Jackson, Melodyne had to be used "to make his voice work with the actual music," "to get him in key" and this resulted in the vibrato sounding "a little off" or "over-processed."
entitled "New Kids on the Blecch
" in which a cartoon representation of a pitch corrector (labeled "Studio Magic") is used to replace the total lack of singing talent in a manufactured boyband of which Bart Simpson
was a member.
In 2003, Allison Moorer
attached stickers to her album Miss Fortune reading "Absolutely no vocal tuning or pitch-correction was used in the making of this record."
Neko Case
in a 2006 interview with Pitchfork Media
gave an example of how prevalent pitch correction is in the industry:
Intonation (music)
Intonation, in music, is a musician's realization of pitch accuracy, or the pitch accuracy of a musical instrument. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously.-Interval, melody, and harmony:...
of an audio signal
Audio signal processing
Audio signal processing, sometimes referred to as audio processing, is the intentional alteration of auditory signals, or sound. As audio signals may be electronically represented in either digital or analog format, signal processing may occur in either domain...
without affecting other aspects of its sound. Pitch correction first detects the pitch of an audio signal (using a live pitch detection algorithm
Pitch detection algorithm
A pitch detection algorithm is an algorithm designed to estimate the pitch or fundamental frequency of a quasiperiodic or virtually periodic signal, usually a digital recording of speech or a musical note or tone. This can be done in the time domain or the frequency domain.PDAs are used in various...
), then calculates the desired change and modifies the audio signal accordingly. The widest use of pitch correctors is in Western popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
on vocal lines.
History
Pitch correction was relatively uncommon before 1997, when Antares Audio Technology's Auto-TuneAuto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
Pitch Correcting Plug-In was introduced. This replaced slow studio techniques with a real-time process that could also be used in live performance.
Auto-Tune is still widely used, alongside other products such as Celemony's Melodyne. Pitch correction is now a common feature in digital audio editing software, having first appeared as a Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
plugin and now being found in products such as Apple GarageBand, Apple Logic Pro, Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition is a digital audio workstation from Adobe Systems featuring both a multitrack, non-destructive mix/edit environment and a destructive-approach waveform editing view.-Origins:...
, FL Studio
FL Studio
FL Studio is a digital audio workstation developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. FL Studio features a graphical user interface based on a pattern-based music sequencer...
& Steinberg Cubase
Steinberg Cubase
Cubase is a music software product developed by Steinberg for music recording, arranging and editing as part of a Digital Audio Workstation. It is one of the oldest DAWs to still enjoy widespread use...
. It is also available in the form of rackmount hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
, such as the TC-Helicon
TC-Helicon
TC-Helicon is a Canadian audio equipment manufacturer, a subsidiary of Danish company TC Electronic. TC-Helicon focuses on vocal harmonizers, pitch correction, monitor speakers, and other products for vocalists....
VoiceOne. A free VST
VST
VST is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings:* Voice Systems Technology, Inc. - A Delaware corporation that sold Prepaid and Voicemail products based on Voice Systems Technology, Inc.'s software [VSSI] to landline and wireless carriers from 1991 until sold to Boston Communications...
plugin known as GSnap can also be used to get the same effect. In the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
FOSS
Foss
Foss may refer toPeople*Foss , people with the last name Foss*Foss Shanahan , New Zealand diplomat*Foss Westcott , English bishop...
community, Autotalent and Zita-AT1 offer this functionality.
Uses of pitch correction
Besides correcting out-of-tune vocals, pitch correction has numerous other applications and is commonly used to add a harmonyHarmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
to certain words or phrases without re-recording those words or phrases again and again at the necessary pitches. Depending on the specific model used, various vocal effects can be added and the better quality devices can be adjusted to allow expression to remain in the music with some pitch correctors even possessing the ability to add vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
.
With extreme parameter values, pitch correction has also become popular as a distinctively electronic voice effect. A notable example of Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
-based pitch correction is the Cher effect, named for Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, who originated the effect in her 1998 hit song "Believe
Believe (Cher song)
"Believe" is a song by American recording artist Cher. It was released on November 24, 1998 as the lead single from her twenty-third studio album of the same name. It was written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, and Timothy Powell and produced by Mark...
". More recently, it has been used by composer John Boswell for his popular Symphony of Science
Symphony of Science
The Symphony of Science is a music project created by Washington-based electronic musician John Boswell. The project seeks to "spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through musical remixes." Boswell uses pitch-corrected audio and video samples from television programs featuring popular...
and Symphony of Bang Goes The Theory
Bang Goes the Theory
Bang Goes the Theory is a British television science magazine series, co-produced by the BBC and the Open University, that began on 27 July 2009 on BBC One. Presented by Liz Bonnin, Jem Stansfield, Dallas Campbell and Dr...
(a BBC science show) mash-ups.
In 2010, Teddy Riley claimed that the processing of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's voice with Melodyne caused people to question the authenticity of the voice on the posthumous album Michael
Michael (album)
Michael is a posthumous album of previously unreleased tracks by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released from December 10, 2010 - January 14, 2011 by Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment and features guest performances by Akon, 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz and Dave Grohl...
. Riley claimed that because he did not have a "final vocal" from Jackson, Melodyne had to be used "to make his voice work with the actual music," "to get him in key" and this resulted in the vibrato sounding "a little off" or "over-processed."
Criticism
One criticism of pitch correction is that it allows recording engineers to create a perfectly in-tune performance from a vocalist who isn't skilled enough to give one, adding a level of dishonesty to music. This concept was featured in an episode of The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
entitled "New Kids on the Blecch
New Kids on the Blecch
"New Kids on the Blecch" is the fourteenth episode from the twelfth season of The Simpsons. In the episode, a music producer selects Bart, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph to be members of the next hit boyband, who record subliminal songs about joining the Navy....
" in which a cartoon representation of a pitch corrector (labeled "Studio Magic") is used to replace the total lack of singing talent in a manufactured boyband of which Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
was a member.
In 2003, Allison Moorer
Allison Moorer
Allison Moorer is an American alternative country singer and the younger sister of Shelby Lynne. She signed to MCA Nashville in 1998 and made her debut on the U.S...
attached stickers to her album Miss Fortune reading "Absolutely no vocal tuning or pitch-correction was used in the making of this record."
Neko Case
Neko Case
Neko Case is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her solo career and her contributions as a member of the Canadian indie rock group The New Pornographers....
in a 2006 interview with Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
gave an example of how prevalent pitch correction is in the industry:
See also
- Pitch shiftPitch shiftPitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval are called "pitch shifters" or "pitch benders".-Pitch/time shifting:...
- Phase vocoderPhase vocoderA phase vocoder is a type of vocoder which can scale both the frequency and time domains of audio signals by using phase information. The computer algorithm allows frequency-domain modifications to a digital sound file .At the heart of the phase vocoder is the short-time Fourier transform ,...
- Auto-TuneAuto-TuneAuto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
plugin by Antares Audio Technologies