Pitch correction

From Wikipedia, the free 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 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.[citation needed] An audio processor for correcting pitch in vocal and instrumental performances is called an autotuner.

Contents

[edit] History

For a long time music producers have been able to use slow studio processes to manually tweak the pitch on a track. The Auto-Tune Pitch Correcting Plug-In was introduced by Antares Audio Technology in 1997 and continues to be among the leading pitch correction software programs, and was the first pitch correction technology that worked in real-time, allowing it to be used during a live performance instead of just as a studio touch-up tool [1]. Celemony's Melodyne, with its Direct Note Access, is another popular pitch correction tool.[2] Originally available as a software plugin exclusively for use in Pro Tools, pitch correction is now being included with digital audio editing software such as Apple Logic Pro and Adobe Audition. It is also available as rackmount hardware, such as the TC-Helicon VoiceOne.

[edit] Uses of pitch correction

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.

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 moderately distinct from that of a vocoder. It is now popularly used as a robotic effect in some styles of hip-hop music.

With extreme parameter values, pitch correction has also become popular as a distinctively electronic voice effect. The most familiar example of Auto-Tune-based pitch correction is the Cher effect, named for Cher, who originated the effect in her 1998 hit song "Believe".[3]

[edit] 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, lowering the level of authenticity 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 of which Bart Simpson is 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." [4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Anderton, Craig. "In Search of the Perfect Pitch; The fix is in" EQ, July 1, 2006, Pg. 46
  2. ^ celemony_ :: Direct Note Access :: Introduction 1
  3. ^ Sillitoe, Sue & Bell, Matt (February 1999). "Recording Cher's Believe". Sound on Sound. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
  4. ^ Everett-Green, Robert. "Ruled By Frankenmusic; The computer program that cleans up singers' pitch is reshaping the character of pop" The Globe and Mail (Canada), October 14, 2006, Pg. R1

[edit] External links