RECORDING March 2023 - 44

Review by John Czerwinski
Antares
Auto-Tune Pro X
This popular vocal tuning software
sports many new features,
including ARA2 support
For the last 25 years, Antares Auto-Tune has joined
Kleenex, Band-Aid and Velcro as the customary proprietary
eponym for pitch and time correction for audio. Auto-Tune
has maintained a staunch following of users of all genres.
This latest update provides native support for Apple silicon
(M1/M2), ARA2 support for Logic and Studio One, and other
welcome new features for enhanced workflow.
Pro X
Auto-Tune Pro X features a redesigned and scalable interface-
a much-needed feature, particularly for working on smaller
screens. Light and dark modes can be permanently set or automatically
controlled by the system settings.
Modes
The Auto-Tune Pro X plugin works in two modes. Auto mode
is optimized for on-the-fly, low-latency correction. This mode is
also typically used for the famous " stressed tuning effect. " Auto
mode will suffice in most situations when a vocal needs a bit
of easy tweaking.
For comprehensive editing, users will want to invoke Graph
Mode. Users can choose which mode the plugin launches as a default.
Nicely, the Tooltip content has been expanded to help new
users become acquainted with an individual control's functionality
and it offers examples of using the tools in a particular context.
New Looks
The Auto mode interface features a complete redesign that
feels cleaner and less cluttered, though users of prior iterations
of the plugin should still feel right at home. The center of the
plugin retains the iconic circular display that colorfully shows
how much pitch correction is being applied at a given moment.
This is surrounded by four control knobs for Retune Speed, Flex
Tune, Natural Vibrato and Humanize. You can check out our
February 2019 Auto-Tune Pro review for a detailed overview
of these controls, as they remain functionally the same.
Auto mode's Advanced controls are still available. They have
been organized into two tabs: Scale Controls and Vibrato Controls,
accessed via the Advanced button located just above the
piano-style keyboard at the bottom of the interface.
44 RECORDING March 2023
The Key to Automatic Learning
New in Pro X is a Learn button for determining which input
type best matches the audio on your track. Simply click the
Learn button, play five seconds of audio, and Auto-Tune automatically
adjusts the input type.
Antares includes an Auto-Key button (which uses a separate
plugin included with Auto-Tune Pro X or an Auto-Tune Unlimited
subscription) that automatically detects the key and scale of
your track. Auto-Key was available in the Pro version, but it is
even more seamlessly integrated into Pro X. You can always set
these parameters manually. Still, their inclusion decreases the
time it takes to set up the plugin for use and speeds up workflow
considerably-especially for producers who don't read
music, or know keys and scales.
Preset Management
Pro X includes a new Preset Manager. In addition to being
able to store custom presets and label your favorites, it features
a collection of well-known artist's settings for use in your project
or as a launching point for creating your own. And if you need
some inspiration, click the " dice " icon, which loads a random
preset for surprise results!
Modern or Classic?
Auto-Tune Pro X retains the ability to toggle between Modern and
Classic modes. Classic mode employs the distinctive Auto-Tune 5
algorithm for those early, classic pitch effects, while Modern mode
uses the newer algorithm for more natural sounding correction. By
using Auto-Tune Pro X in Modern mode, users can affect the audio's
formant, transposition, flex-tuning and time editing.
Lastly, in Auto mode, Auto-Tune Pro X includes a set of new
global controls. The Mix knob affects the blend of the wet and
dry signal, a pair of Undo/Redo buttons allow one to reverse
editing decisions (up to 99 steps), and there is a Bypass button.
Warning Graphic Content!
There have been some significant improvements in the Graph
mode workflow as well. This includes user-defined zooming
shortcuts. Zooming/navigation can also be controlled by a
mouse using common key modifiers or a laptop trackpad's
'pinch-to-zoom' function.
RECORDING March 2023

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