Open your preferred audio production software program, such as Mixcraft or Logic. Double click on the desktop icon or click "Start," "Programs" and select it from there. If using a Mac, open the program from the desktop or "Applications" folder. It may take a few seconds for the program to fully load.
Click "File" and select "Open Recent." From the drop-down menu, select the track containing the vocals to be edited.
Solo the vocal track. Click the "S" icon on the left-hand side of the vocal audio file as it appears in the "Arrange" window. This mutes everything but the vocal, letting you hear the subtleties of the audio.
Click "Effects" and select the stock pitch-correction plug-in. The name of the plug-in varies according to the program that you are using, but it is typically either "Auto-tune," "Auto-correct" or "Pitch-correct."
Choose a pitch selection method. Pitch correction tools typically adjust the note to the nearest semi-tone, to a predetermined pitch value or to a specific note. Select the method allowing you to change pitch to a specific note. The name of the function varies according to the program you use. For example, to do this in Mixcraft, click "Sound Details" and select "Adjust Pitch By" from the drop-down menu. This opens a separate box that lets you adjust by semi-tone increments.
Click on a region on the vocal track to highlight a note. Then, type into the "Adjust Pitch By" box the amount of semi-tones by which you want to change the note. To change an entire vocal track, click "Ctrl+A" to highlight the entire file and then apply pitch correction to the audio as a whole.
Click "Effects" and select "Compression." This opens a "Compression" interface with various parameter dials, including "threshold," "ratio" and "gain." This effect limits the dynamic range of a sound by boosting the quiet parts and cutting the loud parts.
Press play on the track so you can hear the alterations as they happen.
Move the parameter dials with your cursor. "Threshold" dictates the level at which the compression occurs. Set it low to compress only very quiet and very loud signals or set it high to compress almost every signal. "Ratio" determines how much the compressor affects the signal and "gain" determines how loud the compressed signal is in relation to the original.