ANTARES Auto-Tune 3 Owner’s Manual

©2001 Antares Audio Technologies.
All Rights Reserved.

Antares Audio Technologies
231 Technology Circle
Scotts Valley, California 95066 USA

voice: [phone]
fax: [phone]
service: [phone]
web: www.antarestech.com

Printed in USA Rev 1.0-02/01

ii

The Obligatory Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

The Antares Auto-Tune 3 software and this User’s Manual are
protected by copyright law. Making copies, adaptations, or
derivative works without the prior written authorization of
Antares Audio Technologies, is prohibited by law and constitutes
a punishable violation of the law.

Antares Audio Technologies retains all ownership rights to the
Auto-Tune 3 software and its documentation. Use of Auto-Tune 3
is limited by the following license agreement.

Please carefully read all the terms and conditions of this license
agreement. At the time of installation of the Auto-Tune 3 software
you will be presented with a copy of the agreement and asked
whether or not you agree to it. Continuing with the installation
process beyond that point constitutes such agreement.

Auto-Tune 3 License Agreement

Antares Audio Technologies grants you a non-transferable, non­exclusive license to use Auto-Tune 3 under the terms and conditions
stated in this agreement. Use of Auto-Tune 3 indicates your
agreement to the following terms and conditions.

License

You may:

1. Use Auto-Tune 3 on only one computer.

You may not:

1. Make copies of Auto-Tune 3 or of the user manual in whole or in
part except as expressly provided for in this agreement. Your
right to copy Auto-Tune 3 and the user manual is limited by
copyright law. Making copies, verbal or media translations,
adaptations, derivative works, or telecommunication data
transmission of Auto-Tune 3 without prior written authorization
of Antares, is prohibited by law and constitutes a punishable
violation of the law.

2. Make alteration or modifications to Auto-Tune 3 (or any copy)
or disassemble or de-compile Auto-Tune 3 (or any copy), or
attempt to discover the source code of Auto-Tune 3.

3. Sub-license, lease, lend, rent, or grant other rights in all or any
portion of Auto-Tune 3 (or any copy) to others.

iii

Term of the Agreement

This agreement is effective until terminated by you or Antares. You
may terminate the agreement at any time by notifying Antares and
destroying all copies of the manual, and erasing Auto-Tune 3 from
all machine-readable media, whether on-line or on archival copies.

In the event of breach of any of the terms of this agreement, you
shall pay the attorney’s fees of Antares that are reasonably
necessary to enforce the agreement plus resulting damages.

Limited Warranty and Disclaimer

AUTO-TUNE 3 AND ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED
“AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Antares Audio Technologies does not warrant that the functions
contained in the program will meet your requirements. The entire
risk as to the use, quality, and performance of Auto-Tune 3 is with
you.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG
AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY
NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL
RIGHTS. YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM
JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION.

Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT WILL ANTARES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES,
INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA, LOST PROFITS OR OTHER SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES ARISING
FROM THE USE OF AUTO-TUNE 3 OR ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS.
THIS LIMITATION WILL APPLY EVEN IF ANTARES OR ITS AUTHORIZED
AGENT HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE LICENSE FEE REFLECTS THIS
ALLOCATION OF RISK. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW
LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT
APPLY TO YOU.

Whew! Now that that’s over, let’s get on to the good stuff.

iv

Contents

Getting Started Chapter 1

What’s New in Auto-Tune 3 2
Installing Auto-Tune 3 3
Authorizing Auto-Tune 3 4
Technical Support 5

Introducing Auto-Tune 3 Chapter 2

Some background 6
A little bit about pitch 7
Some pitch terminology 8
How Auto-Tune 3 detects pitch 9
How Auto-Tune 3 corrects pitch 10
Automatic Mode 10
Graphical Mode 13

Auto-Tune 3 Controls Chapter 3

Common Controls 15

Sample Rate Display 15
Input Type 16
Correction Mode 16
Select Pitch Reference 16
Bypass 17

Automatic Mode Controls 17

Knobs 17
Key Selection 17
Scale Selection 18
The Scales 18
The Edit Scale Display 20

v

Bypass 21
Remove 21
Cents 22
Set Major/Minor Scale 23
Target Notes via MIDI 23
Learn Scale from MIDI 24
Scale Detune 25
Retune Speed 26
Tracking 26
the Vibato Section 27
The Pitch Change Indicator 28

Graphical Mode Controls 29

The Playback Controls 29
The Pitch Graph Display 31
The Graphical Tools 32
Tracking 37
Retune Speed 38
The Use Cursor Button 39

Auto-Tune 3 Tutorial Chapter 4

Tutorial 1: Automatic Mode 40
Tutorial 2: Graphical Mode 42
Tutorial 3: Precision 44
Tutorial 4: The Make Curve Function 45
Tutorial 5: The Make Auto Function 48

Creative Applications Chapter 5 51

Index 52

vi

Welcome!

On behalf of everyone at Antares Audio Technologies, we’d like to offer
both our thanks and congratulations on your decision to purchase Auto­Tune 3, the most powerful intonation correction tool in the world. Before
you proceed any farther, we’d like to strongly encourage you to register
and authorize your copy of Auto-Tune 3. (You can skip ahead to the
Authorization and Installation instructions on page 4. We’ll wait.) Also, if
you’re planning on discarding that lovely Auto-Tune 3 box, it’s probably a
good idea to write down the serial number that appears on the bottom of
the box for future reference. (The inside cover of this manual would be a
good place.)

As an Auto-Tune 3 owner, you are entitled to receive notification of any
software upgrades, technical support, and advance announcements of
upcoming products. But we can’t send you stuff unless we know who and
where you are. So please, register.

At Antares, we are committed to excellence in quality, customer service,
and technological innovation. With your purchase of Auto-Tune 3, you
have created a relationship with Antares which we hope will be long and
gratifying. Let us know what you think. You can count on us to listen.

Again, thanks.
The Whole Antares Crew

1

Chapter 1: Getting Started

What’s New in Auto-Tune 3

If you are upgrading from a previous version of Auto-Tune, you will find
that most all of what you’re already doing will continue to work in Auto­Tune 3, only better.

The following are the key new features that have been added in Auto­Tune 3:

• A revised core pitch detection algorithm that greatly improves pitch
detection reliability in both Automatic and Graphical Modes.

•“Source Specific” pitch detection and correction algorithms. Choices
include Soprano Voice, Alto/Tenor Voice, Low Male Voice, Instrument,
and Bass Instrument. Matching the appropriate algorithm to the input
results in even faster and more accurate pitch detection and correction.

• Phase-coherent pitch correction of stereo tracks.

• A Bass Mode that lowers the lowest detectable frequency by about one

octave to 25Hz. Since the lowest E string on a bass guitar is approxi­mately 41Hz, Bass Mode allows the user to apply pitch correction to
fretless bass lines as well as other low bass range instruments.

• The ability to set target pitches in real-time via MIDI from a keyboard or
sequencer track.

• A new Make Scale From MIDI function for occasions when it is not clear
exactly what key a melody line is in, or where the line has too many
accidentals to fit comfortably into a conventional scale. For those
occasions, the Make Scale From MIDI function allows you to simply play
the line from a MIDI keyboard or sequencer and let Auto-Tune 3
construct a custom scale containing only those notes that appear in the
line.

• High sample rate (88.2kHz, 96kHz) compatibility (depends upon host
application and audio hardware support).

• Enhanced MIX chip usage efficiency for more instantiations per MIX
chip (TDM only)

2

• An AudioSuite version (TDM only).

• A spiffy new user interface.

How To Use This Manual

Auto-Tune 3 has a very friendly user-interface and is extraordinarily easy
to use. However, because Auto-Tune 3 does things that have never been
done before, a few aspects of the user-interface may not be immediately
obvious. You should read either Chapter 3, Auto-Tune 3 Controls, or
Chapter 4, Auto-Tune 3 Tutorial, to learn the essential information you will
need to operate Auto-Tune 3.

The Contents Of This Manual

Chapter 1: Getting Started

The chapter you are reading.

Chapter 2: Introducing Auto-Tune 3

This chapter explains basic facts about pitch and how Auto-Tune 3 func­tions to correct pitch errors. The basic functionality of Auto-Tune 3 is
discussed, and information you need in order to use it effectively is
provided.

Chapter 3: Auto-Tune 3 Controls

This chapter is reference information for all of the controls used in the
Auto-Tune 3 interface. Much of the information in this chapter is also
presented in Chapter 4, however some of the less important controls are
only explained in Chapter 3.

Chapter 4: Auto-Tune 3 Tutorial

This chapter introduces you to details of how Auto-Tune 3 works by
guiding you through several tutorials. The tutorials will give you insight
into how and when to use each of Auto-Tune 3’s key functions.

Chapter 5: Creative Applications for Auto-Tune 3

Some cool, but not-so-obvious stuff you can do with Auto-Tune 3.

Installing Auto-Tune 3

Instructions for installing Auto-Tune 3 for your specific plug-in format are
located in the Auto-Tune 3 Read Me file that accompanies the plug-in. This
file may also contain any last-minute Auto-Tune 3 information that didn’t
make it into this manual.

Auto-Tune 3 is designed to work with a wide variety of digital audio
applications. Please refer to your host application’s user manual for more
information on installing and using plug-ins.

3

Authorizing Auto-Tune 3

Authorization (the process by which this software is allowed to run on
your computer) is accomplished by a technique called “Challenge/Re­sponse.” Basically, the first time you launch this software you will be
presented with a string of words (the Challenge) and will be asked to
enter another string of words (the Response).

Note: When initially installed, this software will run for ten days
without authorization.

So even if you can’t authorize it right away you can still use your software
in the meantime. (During this period, click the “Try It” button whenever
you are presented with the Trial Period screen at launch.) But don’t
procrastinate too long. After those ten days are up, you will no longer be
able to launch this software until the correct Response is entered.

Challenge/Response Authorization:

If you have internet access, you can authorize your software using our
automated web form by doing the following:

• Access Challenge/Response authorization by pressing “Next” at the Trial
Period screen. This will take you to the iLok screen. Be sure to uncheck
the box that says “Use my iLok key” and then press “Next” to access the
Challenge screen.

The Challenge screen displays the Challenge string. To receive the
appropriate Response you will need to provide us with both the Chal­lenge string and the Registration Code that was included on the yellow
card in your software package (if you bought a retail package) or
supplied with your download.

• To obtain your Response, have your Registration Code and Challenge
string at hand. (If you will be accessing the web from the same com­puter that will be running your software, you can press “Copy Chal­lenge” at the Challenge screen and then simply paste the Challenge
into the appropriate field on the web page below.)

• Point your web browser to:

http://www.antarestech.com/register/

and simply follow the directions there. (Be extremely careful to enter
the Registration Code and Challenge string accurately.) You will receive
your Response, which you should carefully copy into the appropriate
field on Auto-Tune 3’s Challenge/Response screen. You should also copy
the Response in a safe place - like the inside front cover of this manual
— so that you can refer to it if it is ever necessary to reinstall your
software.

4

If, for some reason, you do not have access to the web but do have email,
copy and paste your Challenge string and Registration Code into an email
along with your name and the product name (e.g., Auto-Tune 3 for MAS),
and send it to:

You will receive your Response by return email, typically within one
working day (unless you have registered on a weekend, in which case you
should receive it the following Tuesday).

If you do not have access to the web or email, fax your Challenge string
along with your Registration Code to us at 831.461.7801. Be sure to
include your fax number. We will fax the Response string back to you at
that number.

Technical Support

In the unlikely event that you experience a problem using Auto-Tune 3, try
the following:

1. Make another quick scan through this manual. Who knows? You may
have stumbled onto some feature that you didn’t notice the first time
through.

2. Check our web page for tips, techniques, or any late-breaking informa­tion:

[e-mail].

http://www.antarestech.com

3. Call your local Antares dealer.

4. Email our tech support department by pointing your web browser to:

http://www.antarestech.com/support/etech.shtml

and filling in the form there.

5. Call us at [phone] Monday through Friday between 9am and
5pm USA Pacific Standard Time.

For options 3, 4, or 5, please be prepared to provide the Registration Code
of your copy of Auto-Tune 3.

5

Chapter 2: Introducing Auto-Tune 3

Some background

In 1997, Antares Audio Technologies first introduced the ground-breaking
Auto-Tune Pitch Correcting Plug-In. Auto-Tune was a tool that actually
corrected the pitch of vocals and other solo instruments, in real time,
without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive
nuance of the original performance. Recording Magazine called Auto­Tune a “holy grail of recording.” And went on to say, “Bottom line, Auto­Tune is amazing... Everyone with a Mac should have this program.” (In
fact, we know of quite a few people back then who bought kilo-buck
ProTools™ systems just to be able to run Auto-Tune. )

In the intervening years, Auto-Tune has become available for most every
major plug-in format and has established itself as the worldwide standard
in professional pitch correction. Today, it’s used daily by thousands of
audio professionals to save studio and editing time, ease the frustration of
endless retakes, save that otherwise once-in-a-lifetime performance, or
even to create unique special effects.

Now, never content to leave a good thing alone, Antares has created
Auto-Tune 3. Preserving the great sound quality, transparent processing,
and ease of use of Auto-Tune, Auto-Tune 3 adds significant new features
as well as a spiffy new user interface.

So what exactly is Auto-Tune 3?

Auto-Tune 3 is a precision tool for correcting intonation errors or cre­atively modifying the intonation of a performance. Auto-Tune 3 employs
state-of-the-art digital signal processing algorithms (many, interestingly
enough, drawn from the geophysical industry) to continuously detect the
pitch of a periodic input signal (typically a solo voice or instrument) and
instantly and seamlessly change it to a desired pitch (defined by any of a
number of user-programmable scales or through the use of graphical
editing tools.).

6

To take maximum advantage of the power of Auto-Tune 3, you should
have a basic understanding of pitch and how Auto-Tune 3 functions to
correct pitch errors. This chapter presents basic terminology and intro­duces Auto-Tune 3’s operating paradigm, giving you information you need
to use it effectively.

A little bit about pitch

Pitch is typically associated with our perception of the “highness” or
“lowness” of a particular sound. Our perception of pitch ranges from the

very general (the high pitch of hissing steam, the low pitch of the rumble
of an earthquake) to the very specific (the exact pitch of a solo singer or
violinist). There is, of course, a wide range of variation in the middle. A
symphony orchestra playing a scale in unison, for example, results in an
extremely complex waveform, yet you are still able to easily sense the
pitch.

The vocalists and the solo instruments that Auto-Tune 3 is designed to
process have a very clearly defined quality of pitch. The sound-generating
mechanism of these sources is a vibrating element (vocal chords, a string,
an air column, etc.). The sound that is thus generated can be graphically
represented as a waveform (a graph of the sound’s pressure over time)
that is periodic. This means that each cycle of waveform repeats itself
fairly exactly, as in the periodic waveform shown in the diagram below:

Because of its periodic nature, this sound’s pitch can be easily identified
and processed by Auto-Tune 3.

Other sounds are more complex. This waveform:

is of a violin section playing a single note in unison. Our ears still sense a
specific pitch, but the waveform does not repeat itself. This waveform is a
summation of a number of individually periodic violins. The summation is
non-periodic because the individual violins are slightly out of tune with
respect to one another. Because of this lack of periodicity, Auto-Tune 3
would not be able to process this sound.

7

Some pitch terminology

The pitch of a periodic waveform is defined as the number of times the
periodic element repeats in one second. This is measured in Hertz (abbre­viated Hz.). For example, the pitch of A3 (the A above middle C on a
piano) is traditionally 440Hz (although that standard varies by a few Hz. in
various parts of the world).

Pitches are often described relative to one another as intervals, or ratios of
frequency. For example, two pitches are said to be one octave apart if
their frequencies differ by a factor of two. Pitch ratios are measured in
units called cents. There are 1200 cents per octave. For example, two tones
that are 2400 cents apart are two octaves apart. The traditional twelve­tone Equal Tempered Scale that is used (or rather approximated) in 99.9%
of all Western tonal music consists of tones that are, by definition, 100
cents apart. This interval of 100 cents is called a semitone.

The twelve equally-spaced tones of the Equal Tempered Scale happen to
contain a number of intervals that approximate integer ratios in pitch. The
following table shows these approximations:

INTERVAL CENTS NEARBY RATIO IN

minor second 100 16/15 111.75
major second 200 9/8 203.91

RATIO CENTS

minor third 300 6/5 315.64
major third 400 5/4 386.31
perfect fourth 500 4/3 498.04
tritone 600
perfect fifth 700 3/2 701.65
minor sixth 800 8/5 813.69
major sixth 900 5/3 884.36
minor seventh 1000 16/9 996.09
major seventh 1100 15/8 1088.27
octave 1200 2 1200.00

8

As you can see, the intervals in the Equal Tempered Scale are NOT equal to
the harmonious integer ratios. Rather, the Equal Tempered Scale is a
compromise. It became widely used because once a harpsichord or piano is
tuned to that scale, any composition in any key could be played and no
one chord would sound better or worse than that same chord in another
key.

How Auto-Tune 3 detects pitch

In order for Auto-Tune 3 to automatically correct pitch, it must first detect
the pitch of the input sound. Calculating the pitch of a periodic waveform
is a straighforward process. Simply measure the time between repetitions
of the waveform. Divide this time into one, and you have the frequency in
Hertz. Auto-Tune 3 does exactly this: It looks for a periodically repeating
waveform and calculates the time interval between repetitions.

The pitch detection algorithm in Auto-Tune 3 is virtually instantaneous. It
can recognize the repetition in a periodic sound within a few cycles. This
usually occurs before the sound has sufficient amplitude to be heard. Used
in combination with a slight processing delay (typically about 1 to 10
milliseconds), the output pitch can be detected and corrected without
artifacts in a seamless and continuous fashion. (Although it must be kept
in mind that some plug-in protocols introduce a certain amount of inher­ent and unpredictable delay that depends largely on what else your CPU is
doing at the time.)

Auto-Tune 3 was designed to detect and correct pitches up to the pitch C6.
(If the input pitch is higher than C6, Auto-Tune 3 will occasionally inter­pret the pitch an octave lower. This is because it interprets a two cycle
repetition as a one cycle repetition.) On the low end, Auto-Tune 3 will
detect pitches as low as 25Hz (when the Bass Instrument Input Type is
selected). This range of pitches allows intonation correction to be per­formed on virtually all vocals and instruments.

Of course, Auto-Tune 3 will not detect pitch when the input waveform is
not periodic. As demonstrated above, Auto-Tune 3 will fail to tune up
even a unison violin section. But this can also occasionally be a problem
with solo voice and solo instruments as well. Consider, for example, an
exceptionally breathy voice, or a voice recorded in an unavoidably noisy
environment. The added signal is non-periodic, and Auto-Tune 3 will have
difficulty determining the pitch of the composite (voice + noise) sound.
Luckily, there is a control (the Tracking control, discussed in Chapter 3)
that will let Auto-Tune 3 be a bit more casual about what it considers
“periodic.” Experimenting with this setting will often allow Auto-Tune 3
to track even noisy signals.

9

How Auto-Tune 3 corrects pitch

Auto-Tune 3 provides two separate and distinct ways to approach pitch
correction: Automatic Mode and Graphical Mode. The basic functionality
of each is described below.

Automatic Mode

Auto-Tune 3’s Automatic Mode works by continuously tracking the pitch
of an input sound and comparing it to a user-defined scale. The scale tone
closest to the input is continuously identified. If the input pitch exactly
matches the scale tone, no correction is applied. If the input pitch varies
from the desired scale tone, an output pitch is generated which is closer to
the scale tone than the input pitch. (The exact amount of correction is
controlled by the Retune Speed parameter, described below and in Chap­ter 3.)

10

Scales

Retune Speed

The heart of Automatic Mode pitch correction is the Scale. Auto-Tune 3
lets you choose from major, minor, chromatic or 26 historical, ethnic and
microtonal scales. Individual scale notes can be bypassed, resulting in no
pitch correction when the input is near those notes. Individual scale notes
can also be removed, allowing a wider range of pitch correction for
neighboring pitches. The scale can be de-tuned, allowing pitch correction
to any pitch center.

For added flexibility, you can also select the target pitches in real time via
MIDI from a MIDI keyboard or a pre-recorded sequencer track.

Auto-Tune 3 also gives you control over how rapidly, in time, the pitch
adjustment is made toward the scale tone. This is set with the Retune
Speed control (see Chapter 3 for more details).

• Fast Speed settings are appropriate for short duration notes and for
mechanical instruments, like an oboe or clarinet, whose pitch typically
changes almost instantly. A fast enough setting will also minimize or
completely remove a vibrato, as well as produce the infamous “Cher
effect.”

• Slow Speed settings, on the other hand, are appropriate for longer
notes where you want expressive pitch gestures (like vibrato) to come
through at the output and for vocal and instrumental styles that are
typified by gradual slides (portamento) between pitches. An appropri­ately selected slow setting can leave expressive gestures intact while
moving the average pitch to the correct tonal center.

Vibrato

Auto-Tune 3 can also apply a vibrato to the input sound. You can program
the vibrato depth, vibrato rate and the onset delay of the vibrato. You can
also choose the shape of the pitch variation in the vibrato (sine, square or
sawtooth). By combining a fast Retune Speed setting with Auto-Tune 3’s
Vibrato settings, you can even remove a performer’s own vibrato and
replace it with Auto-Tune 3’s programmed vibrato, all in real time. Also,
unusual combinations of Vibrato Waveform, Rate and Depth settings can
be used for some interesting special effects.

11

An Example of Automatic Mode Correction

As an example, consider this before-and-after graphic representation of
the pitch of a vocal phrase that contains both vibrato and expressive
gestures.

D3



3

C

B2

10.0 10.5 11.0

In the original performance, we can see that although the final note
should be centered around D, the vocalist allowed the tail of the note to
fall nearly three semitones flat. The “after” plot is the result of passing
this phrase through Auto-Tune 3’s Automatic Mode programmed to a D
Major Scale (with C # and B set to ”Remove”) and a Retune Speed setting
of 25. That Retune Speed causes the pitch center to be moved to D, while
still retaining the vibrato and expressive gestures. (Setting C # and B to
”Remove” is necessary to keep Auto-Tune 3 from trying to correct the
seriously flat tail of the last note to those pitches. See Chapter 3 for more
details.)

CORRECTED BY
AUTO-TUNE 3

ORIGINAL
PERFORMANCE

12