Topic #1- Is Using An Auto Tuner Cheating?

Someone asked me the other day if I thought artists like Akon and T-Pain were cheating by using an auto tuner to effect their voice in their songs. My response was none as I really didn’t know much about the auto tune effect and the uses of it….

What Is It?

The auto tune effect/”Cher Effect” (Because she was one of the first and most notable to use it in popular western music) was developed by Antares Audio Technologies. In short, it is a device that corrects vocal mistakes and allows artists to make their voice sound more in-tune.

Who Uses It?

In Hip Hop music artists such as T-pain and Akon have been known for using this effect regularly while others like Snoop Dogg (Sensual Seduction), Kanye West (Put On), and Lil Wayne (Lollipop) have used it occasionally. Also artists from other genres including Cher, Daft Punk, Kid Rock, JoJo, Faith Hill, and Tim Mcgraw have used the auto tune.

Does It Really Make A Difference?

In the case of T-Pain, the artist who sparked my curiosity in this topic, the auto tune effect makes an enormous difference in his voice and the quality of his performance. It may be that listeners are not used to his normal voice because he uses the effect so frequently. See for yourself…

T-Pain Performance Without Auto-Tune

Final Statement (Quote Of Excellence)

“The Auto-Tune Effect shouldn’t be considered cheating because the disadvantage of using it is that listeners know that is not your real voice. Real singers with real voices should be the ones that get the most attention.”