Some DAWs have built-in vocal tuning software modules, and there are even free plugins that can get you close to that classic Auto-Tune sound. Luckily, Auto-Tune isn’t the only tuning plugin on the market. Unless the sound of wonderfully artificial, hard-tuned vocal processing is integral to your sound, you may not be willing to spend that much money for it. Today, Auto-Tune developer Antares offers three different tiers of Auto-Tune with varying features, starting at $99 for the basic version, Auto-Tune Access, and going all the way up to $399 for the industry-standard Auto-Tune Pro.

And that premium reputation comes with a premium price tag.

Like Xerox or Kleenex, Auto-Tune is a trademarked product that became so influential its name is now used as a stand-in for an entire sector of the music production market. To musicians just starting out who want to tap into that sound, however, Auto-Tune is not super accessible. From the highest levels of rap music to hyperpop and beyond, Auto-Tune is now more popular with artists than ever before. (Death of Auto-Tune)”? - but we all know who won that battle. Heading into the 2010s, there was some significant cultural backlash to how prominent Auto-Tune was in pop music - remember JAY-Z’s 2009 song “ D.O.A. The classic Auto-Tune sound we all know and love was further popularized by artists like T-Pain in the 2000s. Auto-Tune gave us the warbling, digital vocal sound that was pioneered by Cher’s “ Believe” in the late 1990s. While Auto-Tune can be used to polish up small pitch inconsistencies in vocal takes, it’s also used as a noticeable effect. Auto-Tune is one of the rare music production tools to cross over and become a household name, thanks to how commonly it’s heard in today’s music.

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