Antares Audio Technologies and Guitar Center have announced the availability of Auto-Tune EFX. Developed through a partnership between the two companies, Auto-Tune EFX is an affordable and easy-to-use tool for real-time pitch correction and for creating the "Auto-Tune Vocal Effect" (i.e. the T-Pain / Cher-style effect). Through the end of 2008, Auto-Tune EFX is available exclusively at Guitar Center stores and online at www.guitarcenter.com. Additionally, for a limited time, all boxed copies of Auto-Tune EFX include a free iLok USB Smart Key (a $39.00 value).

Powered by the same Evo Voice Processing Technology as Antares' Auto-Tune Evo, the latest generation of the de facto standard in professional pitch correction, Auto-Tune EFX makes Antares-quality pitch processing accessible to anyone engaged in computer-based audio recording.

Designed to make almost everything automatic, Auto-Tune EFX provides two different flavors of the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect, as well as real-time pitch correction. A user needs only select their desired effect type, set the key and scale of their track, and Auto-Tune EFX does the rest. For songs with complex chord progressions or modulations, one can optionally set up custom scales or use their host's automation facility to allow the processing of virtually any vocal line.

Pitch Correction
Like Auto-Tune Evo, Auto-Tune EFX pitch correction works by continuously tracking the pitch of a vocal and comparing it to the notes in a (user-customizable) scale. The scale note closest to the input pitch is identified as the target note. If the vocal's pitch exactly matches the target note, no correction is applied. If the vocal's pitch varies from the target note, either sharp or flat, the output pitch is smoothly corrected to the target note.

Auto-Tune Vocal Effect
Made wildly popular by T-Pain, Cher, and many other artists in virtually every genre of popular music, the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect is what is technically known as "pitch quantization." Instead of allowing all of the small variations in pitch and the gradual transitions between notes that are a normal part of singing, the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect limits each note to an exact pitch, stripping out any variation, as well as forcing instantaneous transitions between notes.

"In addition to its position as the professional-standard pitch correction tool, Auto-Tune has gained renown as the tool of choice for what has become one of the signature vocal sounds of our time," said Marco Alpert, Antares VP of Marketing. "Most recently, its use by T-Pain (and many others in the pop, R&B and hip-hop communities) has ignited intense interest in the effect and introduced the magic of Auto-Tune to an even larger community of musicians and producers. As a result, we designed Auto-Tune EFX to be an affordable, easy-to-use tool that will allow pretty much anyone to use genuine Evo Voice Processing Technology to create these effects and perform basic real-time pitch correction. And we're pleased to partner with Guitar Center to offer even more value through the introductory inclusion of a free iLok USB Smart Key."

Pricing & Availability

With an MSRP of $129, Auto-Tune EFX is available now for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU and RTAS formats.