Hey everyone. This past week has been filled with questions about how to use autotune in songs and where to get inspiration for material that uses autotune as an effect/instrument rather than as a tool to edit vocals.
To answer the inspiration side: find some material and listen to it. The way I found material with autotune was just by checking out the Top 50 – Canada playlist on Spotify. Honestly, I only listened to small fragments of a handful of the songs and then wrote the song I called “Get Away” for this blog post. I’ll explain what I used for this and show examples of settings in little photos.
I went pretty bare bones as far as effects go on this one. I just wanted to get the robotic autotune sound as quickly as possible. I use Logic Pro X, so this is how I got this sound and started going in that program; I can’t speak for how to do this in other programs, but many of them have their own pitch correction/autotune functions you can tweak to get this effect.
Select the track you want to record on (or create a new one by holding “command” and “option” then pressing “N”) and press “X” to show the mixer. From here, go to the section that says “Audio FX” and add in the effect “Pitch Correction” by following the photos below:
The next step is to find what key(s) you’re in and set the “Response” to 0.00ms to maximize the effect so it clamps down on the tuning immediately creating a robotic/artificial effect instead of any kind of gradual correction:
That’s all it takes to get a really bare bones autotune effect sound. The sound you hear in the recording is exactly what you see here. There are, of course, multiple ways to make it sound much better and more produced, but this is about getting you started and not, in any way shape or form, a master class on effects and production.
Where did I start?
Okay, I started kind of backwards than what I showed you here. I was talking with my Wife on the phone while I was sitting at my computer after listening to a bit of the Top 50 – Canada playlist I showed you and I had Logic Pro X open. While talking with her, I heard a line in my head, so I hit record and played it on my keyboard. It literally came out as you hear it in the song and required no editing aside from changing the instrument. The line is the first melody you hear in the song after the opening beat.
My Wife heard this and started kind of laughing because she knew I had just started my Top 50 – Canada inspired song while we were on the phone (I’m pretty bad for always playing music in one way or another and she is beyond supportive of my manic music making). After we parted with our usual and lovely “I love you,” I made the beat that you hear using the “Silverlake” setting found in the software instrument section under “Electronic Drum Kit” in the instrument/patch selection menu. One thing was missing to make the beat complete: a bass line.
I made the bass line by searching for a suitable bass sound – which was found in “Synthesizer – Bass – Gliding 808 Bass” – and then targeting the roots of the melody I had written. This was pretty easy because of how the melody is composed of chord tones moving in an audible way through a series of chords – Am F Dm E.
How did I write the lyrics?
The lyrics were pretty silly but fun to write. I read the lyrics for a bunch of the songs from the Top 50 – Canada playlist and then just put together some clichés of my own. The story of the lyrics is about a person who is fighting to rise to the top to get away from poverty. They keep hitting barriers even though they believe in themselves and have loving support. In their struggles to get away they are constantly trying to bring their partner with them. They always act with their partner in their mind and find their strength and inspiration from their love together.
I tried to make it generic enough so people could connect to it in one way or another. Then I took some typical themes and phrases and tied it all together. I started with the chorus and then went from there. Take a read and a listen below.
Lyrics
Why can’t I get away
It’s all stoppin’ me
The thought of not bein’ yours
Is somethin’ I can’t endure
If I get away
Be no stoppin’ me
You’re reachin’ for me that’s fine
Together we’re so divine
Verse
Can’t see or think without you around
I tried it and broke down I hit the ground
All my plans are me and you
What else am I s’pose to do
My heart beats with you by my side
You and me we coincide
You help me not only survive
You help make me feel alive
Chorus
Why can’t I get away
It’s all stoppin’ me
The thought of not bein’ yours
Is somethin’ I can’t endure
If I get away
Be no stoppin’ me
You’re reachin’ for me that’s fine
Together we’re so divine
Verse
Take a ride wit me, I’ll take a ride with you
Find a way to see, what we gonna do
Hit everything and rise to the top
Yeah you and me we won’t ever stop
Won’t step aside, won’t stand apart
Been wit you now, since the very start
Never gonna be another hittin’ the floor
You always got me beggin’ for more and more
Chorus
Why can’t I get away
It’s all stoppin’ me
The thought of not bein’ yours
Is somethin’ I can’t endure
If I get away
Be no stoppin’ me
You’re reachin’ for me that’s fine
Together we’re so divine
Listen here:
Final thoughts
I used to be pretty closed minded in what I’d listen to and write about. The main way I found to help me branch out and listen to other music was by finding bits in each song that I could appreciate. Whether that’s the lyrical content, the complexities of a beat, the melodies and how they fit over the chord progression(s), or just the vibe created by the whole thing, there’s always something to be appreciated in music. Focusing on the art itself is a great way of finding appreciation in anything. Even if there’s a song that you despise, try and ask yourself, “Why don’t I like this?” so you at least give the artist a chance for a listen and give yourself a chance to grow and further understand yourself and your preferences.
I’m a huge fan of virtuoso guitar/instrument playing. This is something that isn’t immediately found in a lot of radio/pop music. However, one virtuoso aspect that most of us don’t realize is the production of it all. Producers, audio engineers, mixers, masterers, etc. are the ones that mould and control the final sound of each recorded song. I don’t claim to be a master producer or anything, by any means. I don’t spend nearly enough time on the production aspect of my songs as I should. I do, however, learn little tips and tricks each time I record a new song for this blog or for one of my many groups/projects. For my band Inner Urge, I made sure to hire a professional to mix and master the final product to levels I can’t do on my own with the knowledge I have.
If you’re looking for some tips on how to write your own music or learn about anything music related, feel free to hire me to teach you lessons and share with you my constantly growing knowledge of making, studying, practicing, and playing music.
Thank you so much for your time and I hope this has given you a bit of a deeper glimpse into myself and different ways to make music and effects. Always remember to be kind to yourself and never be afraid to ask for help or assistance. When I was in university I would ask as many questions as I could (within reason) and would, without fail, have one of my peers thank me for asking questions they were afraid to ask. Knowledge is there for all of us, let’s share it and not be afraid of it.
Take care, keep practicing, and all the best to you and yours,
– Matt