The two kinds of pitch correction
| Kind | How it works |
|---|---|
| Automatic (real-time) | Sits on the track and pulls every note to the nearest one in your key as it plays. Fast to use, can be heard while you record. This is what people mean by autotune. |
| Graphical (note editing) | You see each note as a block and move it by hand: pitch, timing, vibrato. Slower, more precise, best for fixing a few notes and staying invisible. |
The settings that matter
- Key and scaleTells it which notes are allowed. Wrong key is the most common reason tuning sounds bad.
- Speed (retune)How fast a note is pulled to pitch. Fast or instant gives the hard, stepped effect. Slow keeps slides and vibrato natural.
- HumanizeLets long held notes keep some natural drift, so sustained notes don't sound frozen.
- FormantKeeps the character of the voice when pitch moves a lot, so it doesn't turn chipmunk or cartoon.
- MixBlend some dry signal back in for a softer, doubled effect.
Which one to use
- You want the effect as a sound (trap, hyperpop, R&B runs): automatic, fast speed, record through it.
- You want nobody to notice: automatic at a slow speed, or graphical editing on the few notes that need it.
- A pitched-down or pitched-up character voice is a pitch shifter, not pitch correction.