The X-Factor & Auto-Tune

Gamu Nhengu on the X-Factor

This show has an uncanny knack of exposing modern music to the fans and creating a great deal of controversy at the same time. Contestants trashing Simon’s villa in Marbella, Home Office involvement on Gamu Nhengu’s right to stay in the UK and next up will be the forthcoming and inevitable fight for the Christmas No 1. Some say that, “All press coverage is good marketing.” Really?

 It seems to us that many music fans are finally catching up with what is really going on in the show after ‘X-Factor’ chiefs admitted in August that the auditions by Gamu Nhengu, Shirlena Johnson and G&S were altered in post-production with ‘Auto-Tune’. Some critics of the opening show suggested that it questions the authenticity of the show’s format, while many viewers were shocked by this deceit and heated debate on its use in the show became a hot topic.

So what exactly is Auto-Tune?

Firstly, its not that new and has been used as a recording studio tool since 1997 following its launch by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune has played a key role in selling millions of songs during this period. It’s pitch-correcting software devised by Andy Hildebrand simply helps people sing in tune by correcting any sharp or flat notes from a singer’s recorded performance. Recording studios simply fell in love with this set of tools and applications released by Antares. But by 1998, the secret had been famously exposed by Cher’s smash hit ‘Believe’ and months earlier by Milli Vanilli's public bust up with their label.  In general, studios don’t like to talk about what they are doing. Instead of making subtle adjustments to the track, producers Mark Taylor and Brian Rawling reportedly reset the software's "retune speed" and came up with a mangled, robotic effect which spawned a global smash and blew the Auto-Tune lid wide open. From tinkering with studio equipment for a joke, they had created the "Cher effect".

Auto Tune has become just a part of life in the world of pop and R&B. Faheem Rasheed Naim, better known by his stage name of T-Pain is an American singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer who uses the software in many of his songs. This has inspired others such as Snoop Dogg, Kanye West and Lil Wayne to do the same. In fact, Kanye West used the software and applied the technique to an entire album in 2008 with ‘808’s & Heartbreak’.

Auto Tune Software

However, the same controversy that haunted the X-Factor recently, also surfaced at the same time when Jay-Z issued ‘DOA (Death of Auto-Tune)’ in 2009, telling his fellow hip-hop stars it was time to ditch the technology.

So is this the last we will hear about Auto-Tune technology? In our opinion this is highly unlikely. Especially after industry experts claim that the software is used in 99% of all recorded music and can be bought separately or as part of song production software.

Just like the X-Factor itself, ‘integrity’ is something that is alluded to, but rarely achieved.