Pitch correction

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 by looking for a periodic repeating waveform and then calculating the time difference from these periodic waveforms. The widest use of pitch correctors is in Western popular music on vocal lines.

The Auto-Tune Pitch Correcting Plug-In was introduced by Antares Audio Technologie in 1997 and continues to be among the leading pitch correction software. Melodyne from Celemony is also a popular pitch correction software. Originally available as a software plugin exclusively for use in Pro Tools, pitch correction is now being included with digital audio editing software like Apple Logic Pro and Adobe Audition. It is also available as rackmount hardware, such as the TC-Helicon VoiceOne.

Depending on the specific hardware or software used, the amount of correction needed on a note and the 'speed' of correction, an audible artifact can sometimes be heard in a recording. This is sometimes described as a click and when correction is applied excessively, vocals can sound robotic, although the sound is quite distinct from that of a vocoder.

One criticism of pitch correction is that it allows vocalists who aren't skilled enough to give an in-tune performance to create a perfectly in-tune performance, lowering the level of artistry in music. This concept was featured briefly in an episode of 'The Simpsons' entitled 'New Kids on the Blecch' in which a cartoon representation of a pitch corrector is shown to be used for fixing the lack of singing talent in a boy band in which Bart Simpson is a member.

Pitch correction has numerous other applications and is commonly used to add a harmony 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.

External links

* Antares Auto-Tune 4 Pitch Correcting Plug-In
* Melodyne
* Is it live or is it ... 'auto-tuned'?