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How to Use Auto-Tune on Mixcraft

Mixcraft is a digital audio workstation for PC. With Mixcraft, you can record, mix, edit and master your music using your computer as a virtual recording studio. Mixcraft has various native effects, including compression, distortion, and reverb. It also supports virtual studio technology, or "VST" plugins. VST is a universal application format that makes third-party applications compatible with digital audio workstations such as Mixcraft. Auto-Tune is a pitch-correction program available as a VST plugin. You can use it to correct "bum" notes or "abuse" it to create quirky, robotic vocal sounds.

Instructions

    • 1

      Double-click the Mixcraft desktop icon. It may take a few seconds for the program to fully open.

    • 2

      Click "File" and select the desired recording session from the drop-down menu.

    • 3

      Click on the audio channel that you wish to apply Auto-Tune to, for example, "Lead Vocal 1." By clicking on the channel, you highlight it. This assigns future edits to that particular channel until another channel is selected.

    • 4

      Click "Effect" and select "Auto-Tune VST" from the drop-down menu. This opens a new interface containing the Auto-Tune parameter controls.

    • 5

      Click "Input Type" and select one of the options. For a corrective effect, select the input type that matches the register of the voice on the recording, for example, "Soprano." For a creative effect, select the option that least matches the voice on the recording. So if the voice is soprano, select "Baritone." This effectively "tricks" Auto-Tune into pitch-shifting the corrected notes to match the selected register. This creates a sharp jump from one note to the next.

    • 6

      Click on the "Key" tab and enter the key of the song. If you don't know the key, you can leave this tab blank. Auto-Tune can typically determine when a note is out, based on the other notes it hears, but the accuracy is lower when no key is selected.

    • 7

      Click on "Retune Speed." This parameter determines how fast Auto-Tune corrects a note. Set it to zero to create the "Cher Effect." This is how distinctive vocal sound on Cher's "Believe" was achieved. The rapid adjustment from flat or sharp to perfectly in tune has a distinctive, artificial sound. Set the speed to around 70 per cent for a more natural sound.

    • 8

      Adjust the "Tracking" setting. This determines how out of tune a note must be before Auto-Tune corrects it. Set it to "Choosy" if you want Auto-Tune to correct any note that isn't pitch-perfect. Set it toward "Relaxed" if you want only very out-of-tune notes to be corrected. You can set the dial at any point in between "Choosy" and "Relaxed" for a less intense effect.

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