Introduction to Focusrite Hitmaker Expansion Auto-Tune Access

Introduction

For over 20 years, the pitch correction software Auto-Tune has been a cornerstone of the global music scene. In Japan, it’s widely used in genres such as hip-hop and pop.
In this article, I’m going to introduce Auto-Tune Access, an Antares plugin bundled for free with Focusrite audio interfaces like Scarlett 3rd Gen and Clarett+ Series.
Let’s explore what this tool can do.

What is Auto-Tune?

Simply put, Auto-Tune automatically corrects the pitch of vocals and other instruments. The popular Cher/T-Pain effect, often heard in certain generations and genres of music, is created by setting Auto-Tune to extreme levels, forcibly correcting the pitch. Now let’s dive into the functionalities of Auto-Tune Access.

Key and Scale

By selecting KEY and SCALE on the Auto-Tune Access interface, the keyboard displays the valid scale notes. For example, if the G major scale is selected in the capture above and an F note (not in the scale) is detected, it will be corrected to the nearest note, either F# or E (the deviation is corrected to the closer pitch).

Keyboard

In addition to setting the Key and Scale, you can adjust the keyboard section to correct the pitch to your preferred scale. This is useful when you want to intentionally keep out-of-scale notes for artistic expression. If you’re new to this, try enabling only a single note and adding your voice to create a mechanical sound that’s fun to play with!

Retune Speed

This parameter adjusts the speed of pitch correction. A faster setting makes the pitch changes more noticeable, while a slower setting makes the correction more natural. For Cher/T-Pain effect, set it to FAST. For more natural correction while retaining the original nuance, MEDIUM or SLOW is recommended.

Humanize

Increasing the Humanize value allows for more relaxed correction of long note durations, making the changes sound more natural. If the Retune Speed doesn’t seem to achieve a natural effect, try using this feature.

Additional Features

After fine-tuning these parameters, you can save your settings as the default. This is useful when you find your favorite setup.

Songs Using Auto-Tune

To understand the effects of Auto-Tune, listening to songs edited with it is the best approach. Here are two of them:

BAD HOP / Life Style - T-Pablow, YZERR (Prod by Gold Digga)

This song alternates between noticeable and natural applications of Auto-Tune.

Kanye West - Love Lockdown

I personally believe that this track fully utilizes the best features of Auto-Tune, creating a very pleasant pitch modulation.

Conclusion

This time, I introduced Auto-Tune Access, one of the tools included in Focusrite’s Hitmaker Expansion. Having personally used it, I can attest to its high quality, especially considering it’s a free inclusion. It’s a versatile plugin suitable for various genres beyond hip-hop, such as soul and pop.
The Hitmaker Expansion includes many other plugins, which will be introduced in future articles.
Enjoy your music production!