If you switched on the radio in the summer of 1998, chances are you got a taste of Cher's 'Believe,' an up-tempo ode to bouncing back after a rough breakup. More than a quarter century after first rising to prominence as a 1960s folk artist, the 52-year-old Cher was once again climbing the charts. In malls, dance clubs and laser bowling alleys across the country, 'Believe' played frequently. By the time the dust had settled, the song had become Cher's bestselling recording ever -- and one of the bestselling singles of all time.
At the time, the most notable feature of the song was an electronic modification on the vocals. The effect first appears 35 seconds into the song, while Cher sings 'I can't break through.' On each of the last three words, Cher's voice undergoes a bizarre electronic glitch.
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The reason behind that glitch was Auto-Tune, a pitch-correcting software designed to smooth out any off-key notes in a singer's vocal track. Released only the year before 'Believe,' it was the recording industry's favorite dirty secret: With only a few clicks of a mouse, Auto-Tune could turn even the most cringe-worthy singer into a pop virtuoso. But most music studios kept it around simply to fix with the occasional wrong note.
Apr 13, 2010 Auto-Tune is everywhere. From acts like Owl City (who admitted to MusicRadar that he uses the software) and Daft Punk to Kanye West and T-Pain, to say nothing of the Britney Spears-a-like pop singers of this world, that squiggly, robotic-sounding voice is inescapable.And what's that voice saying? Simple: 'OK, so I'm not the greatest singer in the world. Oct 24, 2019 When he was asked why so many musicians have accused Auto-Tune of ruining music, Hildebrand replied that Auto-Tunes was designed to be used discretely and that no one needed to know that any software correction had been applied to vocal tracks. Hildebrand pointed out that there is an extreme setting available in Auto-Tune called the 'zero' setting.
During the recording sessions for 'Believe,' however, Cher's British producers had put the software into overdrive. Instead of lightly tuning the pitch of Cher's voice, they had adjusted the levels so sharply that it became an unmistakable part of the song. The effect was weird and robotic, but against a background of synthesizers and high-energy percussion, it worked like a charm. Opera singers have long been using vibrato, a technique of delivering a note in a constantly wavering pitch. As far as Cher and her producers were concerned, though, Auto-Tune was simply a computerized twist on the technique.
As 'Believe' hit the airwaves, the producers aimed to keep the lid on their new toy. So much so, that when interviewed about the technique by a sound engineering magazine, they lied and said it was due to a vocoder, a well-known voice modulation device used since the 1970s [source: Sillitoe].
But the truth eventually trickled out, and when it did, Auto-Tune's inventor, Harold 'Andy' Hildebrand, was shocked. Auto-Tune was supposed to be a behind-the-scenes trick for the recording studio. The New Yorker had compared it to blotting out the red-eye in a photograph, and Hildebrand himself compared it to wearing makeup [source: Frere-Jones, NOVA].
But now, Hildebrand's brainchild was making Cher sound like a robot. 'I never figured anyone in their right mind would want to do that,' Hildebrand told Time magazine [source: Tyrangiel] Whether he realized it at the time or not, Hildebrand's electronic creation was about to become one of the largest technological influences on popular music since Les Paul invented the modern electric guitar.
Yeesh!!! What is this huge obsession with Autotune nowadays? Even talented singers use it and destroy their voices!!!The Top Ten Singers with Too Much Autotune
1Will.I.Amwill.i.am is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor known for being the lead vocalist in The Black Eyed Peas. He was born in Los Angeles, California. He has released several solo albums such as 'Songs About Girls' and 'Will Power' .Ugh, can't stand the Black Eyed Peas. He abuses te crap out of autotune and the latest music trend. - DCfnaf
How could you forget this guy? this guy uses loads of Autotune in a horrible way - christangrant
It's so noticeable! He just uses autotune too much! - TheFourthWorld
All the members of the Black Eyed Peas, actually. - Misfire
2Jacob SartoriusRolf Jacob Sartorius (known by his middle name), born October 2, 2002, is an American singer and internet personality, who rose to fame via social media from posting lip-syncing videos on musical.ly and his Vines (on Vine). In 2016, he released his debut single 'Sweatshirt', which reached the Hot 100 ...read more.Someone please change that ugly image. Nevermind it changed back - ElSherlock
He should be in first place. Watch his music video for 'Sweatshirt' and then compare that to his real voice. The autotune is so bad that he sounds like a robot. He can't sing! - olliv
Autotune Sartorius is what he should be called. - CommunismNow
So cheesy and squeaky! Really ear-piercing.
3FutureJust listen his voice in Endgame of Tay Tay. Although I like it in the context of this song, it's pretty bad.
I'm mixed on autotune, the type of songs you have depends, trap (which is guiltily one of my favorite genres) suits autotune the most.
Fetty Wap is awesome and uses A LOT of autotune and can be really fun to listen to.
Future is from the exact same genre but he is pretty boring and lazy. So overall, it depends on the user. - AlphaQ
She sounds like a whiny robot when she sings. Her singing is some of the worst I've ever heard. - DCfnaf
Duh, of course she is number one she sounds like a horny robot. - DaisyandRosalina
She's a fake Barbie doll in general, so the awful autotuned singing fits her. - Elric-san
DCfnaf, You Shouod Remix The Worst 2017 Movies List Just To Put Beauty And The Beast As A Dishonorable Mention Because Its Number 6 - VideoGamefan5
5Ke$haKesha Rose Sebert (formerly known as Ke$ha) was born on March 1st, 1987 in Los Angeles, United States. She is best known for her hits like Timber, Tik Tok, and We R Who We R. ...read more.Lol I know her older songs were at least 20% autotune, but it seemed more of like a stylistic choice rather than a 'I am talentless so I use this much auto-tune'. While I definitely don't think she is the best natural singer ever, her new album Rainbow is nothing like her old stuff and she actually shows she has real raw talent. So yeah lol, be kind to my Kesha baby! - Twixx
I notice that Ke$ha is just one of those 'talk singers' who puts no effort into their music. She basically just speaks into the microphone and then chooses to let autotune take care of the rest. This is evident when she sings live and does a poor job. - DCfnaf
If you think she can't sing, listen to 'The Harold Song.' It is pretty good. But she does use way too much autotune in her popular stuff. - 445956
Basically she talks and autotune does the rest. - DaisyandRosalina
6Lil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was discovered by Brian 'Baby' 'Birdman' Williams at a very young age, and was signed to Cash Money Records, where he would be one quarter of the rap group Hot Boys. In the years to follow, he would go on to find his own ...read more.He uses way too much autotune. He is literally abusing it. His rapping and lyrics don’t make up for that either. - Userguy44
Lil' Wayne is using autotune in his rock-oriented album...but it doesn't work. We can tell that he has no talent whatsoever. - DCfnaf
Listen to How to Love. I apologize for the pain in advance. - cjWriter1997
He sounds weird with autotune - ElSherlock
7Submarine ManWater Handblast (born Ardy Robert Andrews) better known by his name Submarine Man, is an American rapper known for his songs that heavily feature lyrics about foot fetishes as well as heavily autotuned vocals.He is so hard to understand that some of his songs are not available on any lyric websites.
How Much Is Auto Tune Used In Spanish
He's not even a real music artist, he's supposed to be terrible. - DaWyteNight
Imagine taking this guy seriously
This guy is a joke artist - ElSherlock
8Travis ScottJacques Webster, better known by his stage name Travis Scott, is an American hip hop recording artist, record producer and musician from Houston, Texas.Love him or hate him, he created one of the most iconic albums of the 2010s
He sometimes uses autotune - ElSherlock
Asstroworld sounds like it was made by a robot singing into a fan
Yeeeah! It's liit! Oh my God! Straight up! - DaWyteNight
9Britney SpearsBritney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer and actress who was born in McComb, Mississippi, and grew up in Kentwood, Louisiana. She performed acting roles in stage productions and television shows like 'The Mickey Mouse Club' as a child before signing with Jive Records in 1997 ...read more.What Is Auto Tune Used For
It's honestly not Britney's fault for her using autotune. When she was young, she used to have a 'baby voice', but she has became older and her vocals are getting deeper. That's why she isn't live all the time. #FreeBritney - Bizcut4life
Some Top 40 artists have catchy, maybe even iconic, songs. I cannot think of a single Britney song I like. - RubyParagon
She wasn't bad, but she completely wasted her natural vocals with her 'particular' tone and autotune. - DaisyandRosalina
When 'Womanizer' came on in the car, I was yelling at my mom to switch it, and for some stupid reason she told me it was good and stayed at the station. Thankfully we only listen to the claswic alternative station. - 445956
10
Jason DeruloJason Joel Desrouleaux, better known by his stage name Jason Derulo (an alternate spelling of his surname), is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is best known for his singles such as 'Whatcha Say', 'Ridin' Solo', 'In My Head', 'What If', 'Wiggle', 'Talk Dirty', 'Trumpets' and 'Want To Want ...read more.Such a talentless man, I mean, I remember listening to 'It girl' in 2011 and that sounded good, but nowadays... Damn, it is really really bad and each time worse. All that I can ask is how somebody like this has even been called to sing live at BBC's Live Lounge for exemple.
He can actually sing without it and sounds much better so it's a shame that he uses it so much. - DaWyteNight
The Contenders
11Eric BellingerEric Bellinger, Jr., born March 26, 1986, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California.All of his songs sound the same
This gon be your (least) favorite song! - DaWyteNight
12Selena GomezSelena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer. She is best known for songs like 'Come & Get It', 'Good For You', 'Same Old Love', and 'It Ain't Me'. Selena Gomez's voice is mezzo-soprano but she usually sings in alto. She is best known for her role as Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place.She is one of the worst vocalists of our generation, she is just whispering. - DaisyandRosalina
'Without autotune, Selena Gomez sounds like she's trying to teach a goat how to talk'
She already sounds good with her real voice but for some reason she ruins it by using autotune lol
She can't sing without autotune - ElSherlock
13Lil MeerkatAmeeer Pipi, better known by his stage name Lil Meerkat is a Canadian rapper and singer-songwriter. He is known for his infamous remix of the popular Queen song 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. He released his debut studio album 'Weeaboo Paradise, Vol. 1' in November 2018.Just listen to his Bohemian Rhapsody remix - ShrekTheGoat
Another joke artist - ElSherlock
14Miley CyrusMiley Ray Hemsworth (born Destiny Hope Cyrus), known as Miley Cyrus, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born on November 23, 1992, in Franklin, Tennessee, to Tish Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus. Her voice type is Mezzo-Soprano and has 4 octaves. She became a teen idol starring as the ...read more.Why does Miley Cyrus use such terrible autotune in her songs? She actually has a very talented voice, yet she wastes it for a fabricated media image and an uncontrollable butt and tongue as well as some alien-like autotune. - DCfnaf
She used too much autotune. Please, do not waste your talent. - MChkflaguard_Yt
She stopped using it - ElSherlock
Autotuned? Yes. But with too much autotune? No, she still can sing live. - DaisyandRosalina
She can sing, the problem is she covers her singing voice with the tech and that makes her sound like an alien. - DCfnaf
15QuavoQuavious Keyate Marshall, known professionally as Quavo, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as a member of the rap trio Migos.Is Quavo even a human?
To be honest he should be #1.
He’s a robot
16Nicki MinajOnika Tanya Maraj, known professionally as Nicki Minaj (born December 8, 1982) is a Trinidadian/American rapper / pop music artist. Minaj is most known for her songs such as 'Anaconda', 'Super Bass', 'Starships' and her feature on 'Bang Bang'. ...read more.If her voice makes my ears bleed, then isn't that a sign that she is using autotune? During her live performances, she has very questionable control with her singing voice. - DCfnaf
She sometimes uses autotune - ElSherlock
17Flo RidaTramar Lacel Dillard, better known by his stage name Flo Rida is an American rapper and pop music artist from Carol City, Florida. He is known for songs such as 'Low', 'Right Round', 'Sugar', 'Club Can't Handel Me', 'Good Feeling', 'Whistle', 'Wild Ones', 'My House' and 'GDFR.'He uses loads of autotune and that's one reason why pretty much all of his songs are awful his only descent song is Got Me Runnin Around but that's with Nickelback and their part in the song is the good part the Flo Rida part is awful and ruins the song - christangrant
18Chris BrownChristopher Maurice 'Chris' Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age. He is most well known for his physical assault towards the singer Rihanna in ...read more.How is Mr. Clown so low on this list? He should definitely be in top 10! - DaWyteNight
Who wouldn't know that this guy uses autotune? - ElSherlock
Dis *cencored*drowned in autotune
19T-PainFaheem Rashad Najm, better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American recording artist and music producer from Tallahassee, Florida.T-Pain is the king of autotune, and uses it so much in his songs that he sounds like a robot.
Believe it or not, T-Pain sounds amazing without Auto-Tune. I can assume he wasted his talent with Auto-Tune. - Mumbizz01
He sounds better without autotune - ElSherlock
He is the king of autotune. He is so autotuned that his voice sounds unrealistic. He can actually sing without autotune, I saw a performance of him without it and he sounds better.
20
Katy PerryKatheryn Elizabeth Hudson, professionally known by her stage name Katy Perry, was born on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. She is a singer, songwriter, actress and an ambassador on one of the most popular companies of now, UNICEF. ...read more.She is so squeaky at live performances
Sounds horrible with and without auto-tune. - DaWyteNight
She sounds a bit good without autotune - ElSherlock
21Dahvie VanityDavid Jesus Torres, better known by his stage name Dahvie Vanity, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper born on September 5, 1984, who is best known as one half of Crunkcore duo Blood on the Dance Floor and as the face and creative mind behind Industrial project Sinners are Winners. He is also ...read more.How is this autotune abuser not in the top 10? Makes Kesha sounding like a natural singer. - Userguy44
He sounds terrible with autotune and he is an already awful singer - ElSherlock
Of all singers, why wouldn't I think to add Dahvie Vanity? - DCfnaf
Sound like what happened if emos used autotune. - AlphaQ
22RihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian-American pop singer. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, she first entered the music industry by recording demo tapes under the direction of record producer Evan Rogers in 2003. She ultimately signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning ...read more.Rihanna's voice isn't great to begin with, but when she uses autotune it's even worse. Just listen to the chorus of Live Your Life by T.I. or Disturbia if you want to give your ears a punishment. - DaWyteNight
Listen to Disturbia - ElSherlock
She sounds horrible. the end
23Rebecca BlackRebecca Black is a YouTube personality and singer who's infamous for her single 'Friday,' which was once the most disliked video on YouTube. She has also released other songs, including 'My Moment' and 'Saturday'.Only in Friday - ElSherlock
HOW IS SHE NOT NUMBER ONE - THICCBOI
24Dua LipaDua Lipa (born 22 August 1995) is an English singer and songwriter. Dua Lipa was born in Westminster, London, to Albanian parents.Have you heard her voice? In all her songs, her voice has this flat robotness to it. You can hear the autotune in her voice.
She overuses it - ElSherlock
25HalseyAshley Nicolette Frangipane, known by her stage name Halsey, is an American singer and songwriter. She was born on September 29, 1994 in New Jersey. She started her career by releasing songs on SoundCloud, and now she is a well-known pop singer with hits like Bad at Love, and Now or Never. She had originated ...read more.Listen to Without Me, autotune is fie but this girl is untalented. - AlphaQ
The way she sings isn't natural and too robotic.
Listen to Without Me. - Userguy44
Her voice sounds too robotic with autotune - ElSherlock
27Danielle Bregoli100% Stupid Teenager which does not deserve to be famous!
Talentless singer - ElSherlock
28Lady GagaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. ...read more.Similar to Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, who has a talented singing voice, chooses to use autotune and a fabricated media image to win people over. She's still got a great voice nonetheless. - DCfnaf
Her sounds good without autotune - ElSherlock
See Miley. - DaisyandRosalina
29Kanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, songwriter, and fashion designer. He was born on June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia. After West's parents divorced, him and his single mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 10, West temporarily moved to Nanjing, China, because his mother was teaching ...read more.Not sure if he uses autotune - ElSherlock
In 'Jam' she doesn't even sing like a human. - DCfnaf
She isn't a singer - ElSherlock
She's a singer? :(
32Amy LeeAmy Lynn Hartzler, known professionally as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter, classically trained pianist and composer. She is also the lead singer to the Arkansas band Evanescence.On Fallen and in some parts of the self-titled album she used Autotune, however in The Open Door the vocals were not Autotuned or pitch corrected at all, there was an interview with the producer where he confirmed that. On Synthesis some pitch correction was used but no actual Autotune was used.
The reason she sounds different live than on the albums is because she actually sings live- most singers lip sync to a backing track instead of actually singing live, but Amy's live performances are actually live hence why they sound different, and not as good as in the studio.
She used some pitches but her voice is generally natural in her songs. - AlphaQ
Auto-tune all over, plus a bunch of other electronic effects and enhancements. Her real voice is not that great.
She doesn't use autotune. - Userguy44
Listen to Whats My Name, then you'll see she uses way too much auto tune.
You guys are insufferable. Autotune does not equate to having a terrible live-singing voice and sounding decent on the studio version. This is a huge misconception. Studio vocals are filtered whereas live vocals are not. So it's filtration that's the issue, not autotune. The only people on this list who identifiably use autotune are Kesha, Will.i.am, and T-Pain. In the case of Kesha it's often used for effect.
I have Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus on the list, they use autotune, and they can sing. - DCfnaf
Antares Auto-tune
35Sabrina CarpenterSabrina Ann Lynn Carpenter is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She stars as the young version of Chloe Goodwin in The Goodwin Games and as Maya Hart in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World. She plays Jenny Parker in the Disney Channel Original Movie Adventures in Babysitting . (She) ...read more.She doesn't use autotune - ElSherlock
She barely uses autotune
She doesn't look like a singer - ElSherlock
Beauty and the Beast haters?
Either way, does have autotune. - DCfnaf
BRUH HER MUSIC HELLA LITðŸ'¥ðŸ'¥ðŸ'¥ðŸ'¥
Lol I'm kidding but she was pitch corrected in B&TB(2017). Good remake movie though
If you listen to 'Powerful Emotions' you don't need to dig ANY deeper you can already hear how much auto tune was put in.
41Lil PumpGazzy Garcia (known professionally as Lil Pump, born August 17th, 2000) is an American rapper, producer and songwriter. Gazzy began his career in 2016 with a collaboration freestyle with Smokepurpp, which was eventually posted in Soundcloud to popular success. He broke out to mainstream the following ...read more.'I Love It' lol more like I hate it - B1ueNew
Listen to his song 'I Love It' - ElSherlock
I don't even like him and baby sounds cheesy
He used autotune a few years ago - ElSherlock
DISGUSTING.
45Taylor SwiftTaylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. ...read more.Without editing of her voice she can't sing or sustain higher notes. She runs out of breath way too fast - THICCBOI
She sometimes doesn't use autotune - ElSherlock
46How Much Is Auto Tune Used In Car
Ariana GrandeAriana Grande-Butera, known professionally as Ariana Grande, is an American singer and actress. She was born on June 26th 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida to Joan Grande and Edward Butera. She is best known for her role as Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious and its spin-off show Sam & Cat. ...read more.She sounds so much better without autotune since her vocals sound really good - ElSherlock
YT has videos with the autotune removed from her songs, and there is a huge difference.
How Much Is Auto Tune Used In India
There are mic feeds and there are clearly no signs of editing. If she edits her voice its not more than the standard which is as low as possible - THICCBOI
In my opinion she doesn't use auto tune..
Listen to 'Girls Just Gotta Have Fun' - ElSherlock
49Did They Use Autotune In Glee
CherCher is an American singer and actress. Her song Believe was the first song to use autotune. Described as embodying female autonomy in a male-dominated industry, she is known for her distinctive contralto singing voice and for having worked in numerous areas of entertainment, as well as adopting a variety ...read more.She made autotune - ElSherlock
She invented it. - Userguy44
She was the first singer to make a massive hit song with it but she did not invent it. - Powell