auto-tuned
Electronically adjusted vocals
Auto-tuned describes vocals or instruments that have been processed through Auto-Tune, pitch-correction software that adjusts notes to precise frequencies.
The term can be neutral, simply indicating the technology was used, or dismissive, implying a performer lacks natural ability: Her voice sounds so auto-tuned it's robotic.
When pushed to extremes, auto-tuning creates a distinctive warbling effect that became a stylistic choice in pop and hip-hop, particularly after Cher's 1998 hit "Believe."
Pitch-corrected R&B performer
- vocoderSpeech analysis synthesizer
- robotic voiceMachine-generated spoken sound
- harmonizerCreates concordant tones
- warbleSing with tremolo
Cher · flutter · doubling · chorus effect · quantization · transparency · artifact · throat singing
Rhythmic spoken-word music
- pop musicCatchy, commercial song genre
- hit singleCommercially successful song
- chart-topperSong at position one
- mainstreamDominant cultural current
viral · talent shows · Grammys · music video · radio edit · streaming · billboard · crossover
Subjected to operations
- polishedSmooth, refined, accomplished
- overproducedExcessively refined or manufactured
- roboticStiff and unemotional
- mechanicalOperated by machinery
unnatural · artificial · manufactured · sterile · plastic · glossy · soulless · lifeless
Stiff and unemotional
- futuristicSuggestive of times ahead
- digitalOf discrete data
- electronicRelating to circuitry devices
- glitchyProne to malfunctions
cyberpunk · sci-fi · dystopian · sleek · alienating · otherworldly · computerized · android
T-Pain
Pitch-corrected R&B performer
- vocoderSpeech analysis synthesizer
- robotic voiceMachine-generated spoken sound
- harmonizerCreates concordant tones
Cher · warble · flutter · doubling · chorus effect · quantization · transparency · artifact · throat singing
hip-hop
Rhythmic spoken-word music
- pop musicCatchy, commercial song genre
- hit singleCommercially successful song
- chart-topperSong at position one
mainstream · viral · talent shows · Grammys · music video · radio edit · streaming · billboard · crossover · club track
processed
Subjected to operations
- polishedSmooth, refined, accomplished
- overproducedExcessively refined or manufactured
- roboticStiff and unemotional
mechanical · unnatural · artificial · manufactured · sterile · plastic · glossy · soulless · lifeless · fake
robotic
Stiff and unemotional
- futuristicSuggestive of times ahead
- digitalOf discrete data
- electronicRelating to circuitry devices
glitchy · cyberpunk · sci-fi · dystopian · sleek · alienating · otherworldly · computerized · android · posthuman
Pro Tools
Professional audio editing software
software · recording studio · mixing · mastering · producer · vocal booth · tracking · overdub · session · take