Auto-Tune has been a major part of the music industry for over two decades. A countless number of artists from all genres use it, as it allows them to record songs with fewer flaws and, therefore, fewer renditions are required before a successful recording can be made in the studio. It was originally created by Andy Hildebrand for use in prospecting oil underground by correcting and interpreting sound waves, but was later introduced into the music industry after Hildebrand founded a new company, Antares (Hadhazy, 2010). Although the first artist recognized to use Auto-Tune was Cher in 1998 with "Believe", T-Pain remains one of its most recognized innovators of its use and his entire musical style is defined from it.
T-Pain - Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin') ft. Yung Joc
As we learned before, the sound that a note makes is dependent on its frequency. Therefore, altering a note's frequency can alter a note to be perfect or change it to a completely different note. Let's suppose that, in the studio, T-Pain is singing his next hit song. He attempts to sing an A4 note, which has a frequency of 440 Hz and a wavelength of 0.7841 m, but misses and hits a B4 instead, with a frequency of 493.88 Hz and a wavelength of 0.6985 m (Michigan Tech).
The equation of a sound wave is c = λf, where c is the speed of sound (343 m/s in air), λ (lambda) is the wavelength in meters, and f is the frequency in 1/s. This means that simply altering the frequency of a note is not a perfect fix, because the speed of the note will change as well; this is why a video played faster has a higher pitch. This is where digital signal processing plays its role.
A digital signal uses discrete values while an analog signal uses continuous values. This conversion can be made using a Fourier Transform. When the audio signal is converted to its digital form, its duration can be altered first without effecting the frequency (Physics.org, 2012). After the note is shortened or lengthened, the frequency can then be changed. Now that the process has been performed, the note has been fixed to a perfect A4 note and T-Pain's new song is ready for release!
Digital and Analog Signals (Ivan-the-engineer, 2014)
This process is used by a countless number of artists in order to improve songs or shorten recording studio sessions. The use of Auto-Tune in music does not mean that the singer is talent-less. Auto-Tune can often be used to fix notes while keeping them sounding natural, but some artists, like T-Pain, prefer a more robotic sound as part of their style.
T-Pain: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert (Explicit)
Thank you for reading!
References:
Hadhazy, A. (2010) What's Auto-Tune and How Does it Work? Retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/11046-auto-tune-work.html.
Ivan-the-engineer. (2014). 007 Signal Path Series. Retrieved from: http://www.mixrevu.com/?p=article&id=17
Michigan Tech. Frequencies of Musical Notes. Retrieved from: http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html.
NPR Music. (2014, Oct. 29). T-Pain: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIjXUg1s5gc
Physics.org. (2012) How Does Auto-Tune Pitch Correction Work? Retrieved from: http://www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=75.
T-Pain. (2009, Oct 25). T-Pain - Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin') ft. Yung Joc. [Video] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBrRBZy8OTs
Hadhazy, A. (2010) What's Auto-Tune and How Does it Work? Retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/11046-auto-tune-work.html.
Ivan-the-engineer. (2014). 007 Signal Path Series. Retrieved from: http://www.mixrevu.com/?p=article&id=17
Michigan Tech. Frequencies of Musical Notes. Retrieved from: http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html.
NPR Music. (2014, Oct. 29). T-Pain: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIjXUg1s5gc
Physics.org. (2012) How Does Auto-Tune Pitch Correction Work? Retrieved from: http://www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=75.
T-Pain. (2009, Oct 25). T-Pain - Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin') ft. Yung Joc. [Video] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBrRBZy8OTs
T-pain reminds me of my teenage years, a great throwback artist to blog about. I was unaware that by altering the frequency of a note it changes the speed and alters the pitch, causing it to go higher. I can honestly say that I was unaware how auto-tuned was invented and am fascinated by the information. Your blog was enjoyable as well as engaging to the audience.
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DeleteThank you for the thoughtful response, Mads! JM
DeleteWhile reading your post, I was reminded of another type of "auto-tuning." This article (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/2012-invention-awards-self-tuning-piano?image=0) talks about an auto-tuning device for a piano. By running a current through the strings and heating them up, the frequency the string plays can be changed. Having to play on an out-of-tune piano is one of the more frustrating experiences I encounter as a pianist. Implementing this device on a large scale would certainly be beneficial for myself. However, I do wonder about other impacts it may have, on the life of the piano strings or the quality of the sound the piano produces.
ReplyDeleteExcellent response, John! JM
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ReplyDeleteJohn's comment reminded me of an article I read recently about how the technology behind auto-tune was developed for oil companies to find oil deposits. The inventor realized that his autocorrelation technology could be used to correct music. The article also talks, as you did, about how the music industry has used auto-tune to many effects, and, also, how its use has gone in and out of style through the years.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't find the article that I originally read, but this one is actually better: https://priceonomics.com/the-inventor-of-auto-tune/
Excellent response, Chris! JM
DeleteAn interesting and well-written post on the use of auto-tune to perfect the sounds of our favorite musicians. I learn something new with each of your posts. Well done! JM
ReplyDeleteThis was a great read, Joe! As embarrassing as it may sound, this was one of my favorite songs back in middle school. I still occasionally listen to it when I am going through my throwback music playlist. I was surprised to hear how good T-Pain's actual voice is without the auto-tuning. It makes me wonder how many other artists are letting the true beauty of their voices go unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading about the physics and engineering behind this corrective technique. Being engineering majors, I feel that both of us, along with some of our other classmates, find enjoyment in applying what we have learned in our classes to other aspects of life.
Overall, I thought this was a well-written and informative post! Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you for your thoughtful response, Tej! JM
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